Dighali Pukhuri

Dighali pukhuri derived its name from the word ‘dighal’ which means long (360 metre) and pukhuri meaning lake or pond. As mentioned in the Mahabharata, this lake is believed to be commissioned by the king of Pragjyotishpura , Bhagadutta. The present lake, which was of a lagoon of Brahmaputra river was used as a navel dock yard by the Ahom kings in the olden days. In the later years portions of the lake was filled up and the connection with the river was severed reducing the total length of thr lake to 360 meters. Today the lake is the centre of Guwahati Rowing Club on one end and the Guwahati War Memorial on other end along with a host of tourist activities.

A well laid out park is maintained at one end of the lake which becomes the centre of attraction in the evenings with its clean fresh air and open space devoid of all traffic. Tourist as well as locals visits the park for relaxation, while outside the gate of the park is full of street food vendors transforming the place to a mini street food market. The famous Kachari flower market is close to Dighali Pukhuri for sourcing out plants to seeds to flowers.

There are a number of important places close to Dighali Pukhuri. For shopping for traditional handicrafts and handlooms a number of shops are available close by including the Assam State Emporium Pryagjyotika, or one can chose from going to Pan Bazaar or Paltanbazar. For traditional brass items Uzan Bazar is just around the corner.

For recreation and knowing more about Assam the Assam State Museum is just across the road while the Planetarium is less than 5 minutes walk. One can also plan on taking a river cruise or ferry service to the Umananda Island either from Umananda Ghat or Sukreshwar Ghat both are less than a kilometer from Dighali Pukhari.