Guwahati is a sprawling city beside the Brahmaputra River in the northeast Indian state of Assam. It’s known for holy sites like the hilltop Kamakhya Temple, featuring shrines to the Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu. To the east, 18th-century Navagraha Temple is an astronomical center with planetary shrines. Umananda Temple, dedicated to Shiva and covered with engravings, stands on Peacock Island in the river.

Near the large Digholi Pukhuri pond, the Assam State Museum displays sculptures, textiles and regional coins. Close by, the Guwahati Planetarium offers stargazing and light shows. In the east of the city, the Assam State Zoo Cum Botanical Garden is a vast, leafy space that’s home to an orchid house and rare animals such as white tigers and one-horned rhinos. Farther southeast, the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra arts complex contains a cultural museum and an open-air theater, and hosts plays and exhibitions. West of the city, Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary’s lily-covered wetlands attract spot-billed pelicans and whistling teals.