Silchar
The heart of the Barak Valley
Silchar, on the banks of the Barak river, is the principal city of southern Assam's Barak Valley and one of the largest urban centres in the state, with a strong Bengali cultural character distinct from the Brahmaputra valley. It is a commercial, medical and educational hub for a region that straddles the borders of Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Bangladesh.
For travellers it is an important transport junction — the road, rail and air gateway to Mizoram and southern Assam, and a stop on routes towards Tripura and Manipur. The town is remembered for the Language Movement of 1961, commemorated at Gandhibag, and serves as the base for the tea-and-hills country of Cachar and the Barail range.
What it's known for
- The commercial and cultural capital of the Barak Valley
- A gateway by road, rail and air to Mizoram and southern Assam
- Silchar Medical College and regional education
- Tea, and cross-border trade towards Bangladesh, Mizoram and Tripura
What to see in & around Silchar
See & do
- Khaspur, the ruined capital of the Dimasa Kachari kingdom
- The Barak river ghats and Gandhibag (Language Movement memorial)
- Bhuban hill and the tea gardens of Cachar
- A base for onward travel to Aizawl and the southern hills
Getting there
Silchar (Kumbhirgram) airport has flights from Kolkata, Guwahati and Delhi; it is a railhead and the gateway to Mizoram.
Other cities & towns
Guwahati
The gateway city of the Northeast
The largest city and commercial capital of the entire region.
Dibrugarh
The Tea City of India
The commercial heart of Upper Assam, ringed by tea and oil.
Jorhat
Cultural capital of Assam & gateway to Majuli
Tea, literature and the ferry to the world's largest river island.