Dispur

Dispur /dɪsˈpʊər/ ) is the capital of the state of Assam in India.

Dispur, a locality of Guwahati, became the capital of Assam in 1973. This was after Shillong, the erstwhile capital, became the capital of the state of Meghalaya that was carved out of Assam.

Dispur is the seat of Government of Assam. The Assam Secretariat building is located in Dispur along with the Assam Assembly House and the State Emergency Operations Centre. The Assam Trunk road and the G S road passes through Dispur. To the south of Dispur is the theologically important site of Basistha Ashram and the Shankardev Kalakshetra, a cultural centre created in the 1990s. Next to Dispur is the ancient township of Jatia.

Though it is well known as the capital of Assam, Dispur is also known for the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre. A large variety of tea is auctioned here. The centre has seen the largest volume of CTC tea auction in the world.

Important buildings

• Assam Secretariat
• Assam Assembly House
• State Emergency Operations Centre
• NABARD - Assam Regional Office
• Guwahati Tea Auction Centre
• NEDFi House - North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd, Corporate Office
• French Motor Car Company Limited
• SBI - Local Head Office, North Eastern Circle

Weather

Dispur has warm summers and cold winters as with the case of Guwahati. Winters are also accompanied by occasional rainfalls that bring down the temperature further. Monsoon season in Dispur commences from the month of June. Dispur monsoons are usually accompanied by severe thunderstorms along with heavy showers.

Tourist attractions

Being the capital it is a well-planned city. There are many tourist spots in Dispur -

• Shilpagram is famous for cultural and handicraft heritage of Assam and other northeastern states. Ethnic jewellery, carpets, silk sarees, wooden and metal handicrafts are available here among others.
• Basistha Ashram is six kilometres from Dispur. It is popular for Lord Shiva temple. The temple spread across 835 bighas of land. It stands on the bank of mountain streams which originates from the hills of Meghalaya which in turn becomes river Basistha and Bharalu that flows through the city.
• Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra is a cultural institution located at Panjabari area of the city. The museum preserves the culture and tradition of Assam as well as the Northeast. It is named after the great cultural exponent and scholar of Assam Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva. Inside the museum could be found traditional jewellery, costumes, statues, articles, weapons, stone and inscriptions displaying the not only the culture of Assam but the whole northeast as well.

Healthcare

Dispur is home to many important hospitals like Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC) Hospitals and Dispur Hospital. These hospitals have the state-of-art technology to provide superior healthcare. The other prominent hospitals in Dispur are Dispur Poly Clinic & Nursing Home, Downtown Hospital and Shankardeva Netralaya among others.