Guwahati is the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Its airport is the 12th busiest in India, the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. A major riverine port city along with hills, and one of the fastest growing[12] cities in India, Guwahati is situated on the south bank of the Brahmaputra.[13] The city is known as the "gateway to North East India".[14]
The ancient cities of Pragjyotishpura and Durjaya (North Guwahati) were the capitals of the ancient state of Kamarupa.[15] Many ancient Hindu temples like the Kamakhya Temple, Ugratara Temple, Basistha Temple, Doul Govinda Temple, Umananda Temple, Navagraha Temple, Sukreswar Temple, Rudreswar Temple, Manikarneswar Devalaya, Aswaklanta Temple, Dirgheshwari Temple, Lankeshwar Temple, Bhubaneswari Temple, Shree Ganesh Mandir, Shree Panchayatana Temple, Noonmati, and the like, are situated in the city, giving it the title of "The City of Temples".[16]
Guwahati lies between the banks of the Brahmaputra River and the foothills of the Shillong plateau, with LGB International Airport to the west and the town of Narengi to the east. The North Guwahati area, to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, is being gradually incorporated into the city limits. The noted Madan Kamdev is situated 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Guwahati. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation, the city's local government, administers an area of 216 square kilometres (83 sq mi),.[3] At the same time, the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is the planning and development body of Greater Guwahati Metropolitan Area.[5] Guwahati is the largest city in Northeast India.[4]
The Guwahati region hosts diverse wildlife including rare animals such as Asian elephants, pythons, tigers, rhinoceros, gaurs, primate species, and endangered birds.[17][18]
Etymology
Guwahati derives its name from the Assamese word "Guwa" (Assamese: গুৱা) derived from the Sanskrit word Guvaka, meaning areca nut and its plant and "Hati" (Assamese: হাটী) meaning rows, the rows of areca nut trees