Top Places to visit in Goalpara, Assam

Shyamrai Sattra, the center of Vaishnavite culture of Srimanta Sankardeva, was established in Goalpara about 366 years ago. In the preliminary stages, the Sattra was managed by two brothers named Late Raghu Medhi and Late Kush Medhi. Subsequently, the people of Goalpara assembled there and decided to permanently establish the Sattra. They approached the Meshpara Estate Zamindar, who in turn, allotted 8 bighas of land in the center of the town for the establishment of the Sattra. Since then, the Sattra has continuously observed all formalities and aspects of Vaishnav culture. Regular 'Nam Prasanga', etc. are held in coordination with the observance of the yearly religious festivals. 'Thiyo Naam / Paal Naam Competition' is organised every year and groups come from all over Assam come to participate. One of the most important aspects of the Sattra is that the Sattra authority has preserved the 'Asthi' of Srimanta Sankardeva, which is exhibited in the Sattra campus during Sankar Jayanti period i.e., in the month of Sukla Dasami (during September–October).

It was established at Goalpara in 1969 in order to protect, preserve and expand Sri Krishna Chaitanya culture in the area on a donated plot of land in the center of the town. Regular 'Puja Sangkirtan', etc. are held in the Math in addition to the observance of the religious festivals, as per the Sri Chaitanya Calendar. A large number of devotees from different parts of Assam visit the Math regularly. During important annual festivals, devotees from different parts of the country, including foreigners, visit the Math.

The 'Majhar' (tomb) of Hazarat Sayed Abul Kasem Kharasani is situated at the heart of Goalpara. The Muslim graveyard grew around the "MAJHAR". Every year, 'Uros-Mubarak' is observed here which marks the anniversary of the death of the Pir which is attended by thousands of people from across different religions. The saint Sayed Abul Kasem was a resident of Kherasan and he was born at a place called Fatima Killa. He had set off on a spiritual journey to India and eventually reached Rangpur, which is now in Bangladesh. He used to visit Goalpara frequently to spread his spiritual teachings.

Sri Surya Pahar, located about 12 km southeast of Goalpara town and about 136 km northwest of Guwahati, is a significant but relatively unknown archaeological site in Assam, India. The site is centered on the hills (Pahar) of Sri Surya, which is profusely filled up with Shiva Lingas Lingam. The popular belief is that 99,999 Shiva Lingas were engraved here by Vyasa in order to build up a second Kashi (where there were 100,000 Shiva Lingas), and once it was one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in the region. The site has the distinction of possessing valuable cultural remains of three important religions of India, i.e. Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.

How to Reach Goalpara by Road

One can easily reach Goalpara via road transport. Various taxi services operate from Goalpara to nearby cities. Alternatively, there are two main bus stops in Goalpara namely- Goalpara ASTC Station and Ambari Bus Stop. Both of them are closely located. However, public transport is not very frequent here, and therefore there are very few buses plying between Goalpara and neighbouring cities.

How to Reach Goalpara by Train

There are few railway stations near Goalpara, but the closest of all is the Goalpara Town Railway Station. It is located at a distance of around 5 km from the city. The station is connected to nearby cities via regular trains. From the station, you can easily hire a taxi to reach Goalpara within ten minutes.