Bongaigaon is the 2nd largest city of Lower Assam after Guwahati and the city area spans across Bongaigaon and Chirang district. Bongaigaon acts as the unofficial commercial capital and one of the most important cities in Assam. The city is one of the biggest commercial and industrial hubs of North-East India and also of Assam. It is also the 4th largest city of Assam by municipal area & population. Bongaigaon City acts also as the gateway of Northeast Frontier Railway zone with its New Bongaigaon Junction railway station, 2nd biggest railway station in Northeast India. It was the last capital of the Kamatapur Kingdom and home to many historical monuments of Assamese culture. The city, divided into two parts – Old Bongaigaon and New Bongaigaon - is situated 180 kilometres (112 mi) north west of Guwahati, largest city of Assam. To meet the demands of Bodos of Assam, Bongaigaon was divided up to give way for Chirang district. Bongaigaon has a major petrochemical industry, the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL BGR). The town occupied a place in the map of Indian Railway with the establishment of the railway station in the year 1908. Most of the institutions like ITI, Bongaigaon College, Office of the Assam State Electricity Board in the early 1960s and in fact the very base of the development of the town was laid in this decade only. The development further gained momentum with the establishment of the Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (BRPL) Complex in the year 1972 at Dhaligaon and also Thermal Power Plant at Salakati. Though these areas are not within the limit of Bongaigaon Municipality the town also caters to the demand of this population. The Bongaigaon Town Committee was first constituted in the year 1961 and was upgraded to a Municipal Board in the year 1977. The city today has evolved to be one of the major commercial and business hubs of the state with growing numbers of shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, residential apartments and educational institutions. The city also serves as the base for tourism to famous places such as the Manas National Park. Centrally located within the state, the city depicts a vibrant Assamese township and culture, making it one of the most preferred places for local people to congregate. The nearest domestic and international airport is Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati. Bongaigaon falls under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone of the Indian Railways.There are two stations in Bongaigaon - New Bongaigaon railway station (2nd largest railway junction of Assam state) and Bongaigaon (old) station. Major trains serving Bongaigaon with major cities are Guwahati Rajdhani Express, Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express, Saraighat Express, Brahmaputra Mail, North-East Express, Guwahati Bangalore Express, Guwahati Ernakulam Express, Kamrup Express. It is the largest station in Western Assam after Guwahati. According to 2012 budget, New Bongaigaon Jn. is considered to be the Adarsh Station of India. Construction of the 265 km (165 mi) long 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge Siliguri-Jogihopa line, between 1963 and 1965, brought broad gauge railways to Assam. It also was the reason for setting up the New Bongaigaon railway station. New railway track from New Bongaigaon to Guwahati was commissioned in 1984. Saraighat Bridge opened in 1962, initially carried a metre gauge track, which was later replaced by broad gauge. National Highway 31 connects Bongaigaon with the states Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. National Highway 37 via Naranarayan Setu from Goalpara in Assam to Dimapur in Nagaland traverses the entire length of Assam and connects Bongaigaon with almost all the major cities of Assam including the cities of Jorhat and Dibrugarh. National Highway 31C connects Bongaigaon to Guwahati and National Highway 37 also connects Bongaigaon with Guwahati. There are many bus terminals like ASTC Bongaigaon, Barpara Private, Chapaguri Bus Stand. There are many buses which connect Bongaigaon with major cities of Assam like Mangaldai, Dhubri, Barpeta, Tezpur, Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Siliguri, Cooch Behar and Guwahati etc. Koya Kujia Eco Park, a project undertaken by Assam Tourism Development Corporation, is a popular tourist attraction situated near Abhayapuri about 15 kilometers from Bongaigaon. It attracts thousands of local and foreign tourists every season. The vast water land consisting of small islands flourish with myriad flora & fauna. Many migratory birds migrate to this place during the winter. Bagheshwari Temple is a famous temple for religious in Western Assam. The temple is located in the middle part of the city. It is in the place Borpara of the city. Bagheswari hill is situated in the middle of the city. From the highest point of the hill, a beautiful view can be seen of the whole city. Here is also a nice Shiv temple in the highest point. Jogighopa and Pancharatna are two historic sites situated on either bank of Brahmaputra river, in Assam. Pancharatna lies on the southern bank and is about 160 kilometres west of Guwahati by road. Jogighopa lies on the northern bank and is about 212 km from Guwahati by Northern Highways. Some cubicles which are cut on step rocks, supposed to have been used by monks for meditation in the medieval period, are found here. Most of caves found in here are very small. Pancharatna boasts some ruins of a post Gupta temple and some also rock cut ruins including a monolithic Buddhist stupa. Kachugaon Game Reserve is located in Kachugaon of Bongaigaon district of Assam. It is a protected area under the forest department of Assam. Kachugaon covers an area of around 214 km2 and has rare and endangered species such a gaur, golden langur, spotted deer and elephant. Kakoijana Reserved Forest: (For golden langur and birds) KakoiJana Reserved Forest is an ideal spot for eco-tourism, KakoiJana was declared as a reserve forest in April 1966. Located 15 km away from Bongaigaon city towards the east, now it has been upgraded as a wildlife sanctuary, covering an area around 20 km2. Aai River Sand: Aai is a sub river of The mighty Brahmaputra. Its sandy bank is a very beautiful picnic point of the whole Assam. The border of Assam and Bhutan hill area is very amazing for the tourists. Roumari Dam: Roumari Dam is well known Dam of the whole Western Assam. It is 10 km away from the city. It is famous picnic spot for the people of Assam. It is also in the border of India and Bhutan. The Dam is on Aai river. Bongaigaon City Garden: The park is a beautiful green garden for the whole city. This garden includes a big pool for the boating. Here is also much of playing things for the children of the city. It is also a well known place of the city. Manas River Point: The Manas River is a transboundary river in the Himalayan foothills between southern Bhutan and India. It is named after Manasa, the serpent god in Hindu mythology. It is the largest river system of Bhutan, among its four major river systems; the other three are Amo Chu or Torsa, Wong Chu or Raidak, and Mo Chu or Sankosh. It is met by three other major streams before it again debouches into India in western Assam. The total length of the river is 376 kilometres (234 mi): it flows through Bhutan for 272 kilometres (169 mi) and then through Assam for 104 kilometres (65 mi) before it joins the mighty Brahmaputra River at Jogighopa. Another major tributary of the Manas, the Aie river joins it in Assam at Bangpari. The river valley has two major reserve forest areas, namely the Royal Manas National Park (43,854 hectares (108,370 acres), established in 1966) in Bhutan and the contiguous Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (391,000 hectares (970,000 acres) in 1955 increased to 95,000 hectares (230,000 acres) in December 1985) encompassing Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve, which constitutes a UNESCO World Heritage Site declared in December 1985. Sri Surjya Pahar: Sri Surya Pahar is a significant but relatively unknown archaeological site in Assam, India. The site is a hilly terrain where several rock-cut Shivalingas, votive stupas and the deities of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain pantheon are scattered in an area of about one km. The site is centred on the hills (Pahar) of Sri Surya which is profusely filled up with Shiva Lingas (Lingam). The popular belief is that 99999 Shiva Lingas were engraved here by Vyasa in order to build up a second Kashi (where there were 1,00000 Shiva Lingas) and once it was one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in the region. There is no historical evidence exactly how many Lingams once dotted these hills, but still there are hundreds of them, from tiny to large in size, scattered everywhere at the foot of the hill and covering the extensive area after centuries of neglect and pilferage. The exact figure of the Lingas (and also other deities and relics) in the hill is yet to be counted scientifically. Manas National Park: Bongaigaon city is the entry point for the Manas National Park. Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam, India. Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park[8] in Bhutan. The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog. Manas is famous for its population of the wild water buffalo. Lalmati-Duramari Ganesh Temple: The Lalmati-Duramari Ganesh Temple near Abhayapuri town under North Salmara Sub-Division, is one of the oldest temples of the state. The historicity of the images are yet to be ascertained. But after a study of the stone carving and modes related to the carved idols, archeologists opine that the temple and images belong to the 8th to 10th centuries AD There are three views advanced as the reason for destruction of the temple. The first view has it that earthquakes during the 8th and 10th centuries destroyed the temple and its images, while according to the second view, Kalapahar who revolted against worshippers and priests, destroyed the temple along with other temples and images in the North-East. The third view has it that Burmese (Maan) invaders who camped at Malegarh (Manegarh) hills destroyed the temple along with the idols. But it seems that earthquake has been the prime cause of the destruction of the temple.[citation needed] Rock Cut Caves: The best specimens of the architecture of the Salasthambha period are the remains of the five rock-cut caves at Jogighopa on the bank of the Brahmaputra in the district of Bongaigaon. These are the unique examples of rock-cut architecture in Assam. Though these rock-cut caves are not of such architectural interest as those in Western India, these remains at Jogighopa are the clear evidence of the fact that Assam was not outside the movement of this particular type of art developed in India as it will be seen from description of the best preserved cave noticed at Jogighopa. The cave measures 2.60 m breadth, 1.8 metre in depth and 1.90 metre in height and also has a roughly rounded ceiling and in front a verandah 75 cm long by 35 cm broad. A platform of brick and mud masonry is found inside which is obviously a later addition. A chase running across the entire breath of the cave on the top serves to drain away rain water from the facade. Flights of steps have been cut into the rock on either side and ledge on the top diverts the rain water from the facade. The cave bears no sculptural designs. The other caves at the site have no flights and verandah and are smaller in size than the best preserved one. This architectural site has been taken up by the Archaeological Survey of India for preservation.