Maligaon

Town square

Maligaon town square is the focal-point of Maligaon. It is located between Jalukbari Point and Kamakhya foot hill of famous Kamakhya Temple. The road passing through Maligaon earlier was called Assam Trunk Road, the road has been christened as the Dinesh Goswami Road.

Towards the west from Maligaon town square one finds the Dinesh Goswami road (old Assam Trunk Road) approaching Jalukbari via Adabari, while towards the east, one approaches Kamakhya foot hill. A few decades back Maligaon was not part of Guwahati but of Pandu; from 1975 Maligaon became part of Guwahati (Municipality Corporation). The Padmanath Gohain Baruah Road (P.N.G.B. Road) runs from Maligaon Chariali to NH-37 at Tetelia via Maligaon Goshala. The fourth road is the one that originates at Maligaon Chariali and runs northwest towards Pandu Cabin, touching Aruna Cinema Hall and Pandu College on the way. The Jalukbari Police Station lies at this corner of the Chariali. A foot overbridge for pedestrians has been inaugurated in early 2013.

Suburbs

Cost of living

Cost of living in Maligaon is 73.63% lower than in London, England. Monthly expenses for a single person at £204.59 (INR 19,329.94) and for four person family at £711.86 (INR 67,258.74) (without rent).

Air

It is connected by air through Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport. Apart from being connected to airports across India, two international flights will start operating from 2017.

Railways

The "Northeast Frontier Railway" abbreviated as N.F.Railway is one of the 17 railway zones in India. Headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati in the state of Assam it is responsible for rail operations in the entire Northeast and parts of West Bengal and Bihar. Kamakhya Railway Station, Amingaon Railway Station is just a short commute to Maligaon. However, Guwahati Railway Station is major railway station which is 4 mile(approx 7 km) from Central Maligaon. Kamakhya Railway junction, earlier named as Jalukbari;directly connects Maligaon with many major cities of the country. The beautiful and the magnificent Deepor Beel can be enjoyed by the trains plying to Goalpara.

Water transport

Ferries provide transport to the local people. They leave the jetty at Fancy bazar every half an hour and the round trip will take around 45 minutes. It is a simple way to enjoy the scenic beauty of the Brahmaputra river.

Bus

City Buses are the cheapest way of travelling around the city. Maligaon is well connected to most of Gauhati city with local service buses, with air conditioned bus service having recently begun between the airport and the city.

Taxi

Prime Cabs and Green Cabs are the well known professional radio taxi service in Guwahati.

Auto-Rickshaw

Compared to other cities in India, autos charge a hefty price for the ride. There is no meter system used by the autos, the auto driver will simply refuse to drive you if you insist on the meter - the best you can do is negotiate in advance ( check with a local on what it should cost you). Small distance charges are high. However, now there are Ola and Uber cabs placed near the Railway station, booking for which can be done online.

Geography

A significant geographical aspect of Assam is that it contains three of six physiographic divisions of India - The Northern Himalayas (Eastern Hills), The Northern Plains (Brahmaputra plain) and Deccan Plateau (Karbi Anglong). As the Brahmaputra flows in Assam the climate here is cold and there is rainfall most of the month. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is an antecedent river, older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes abraided river (at times 10 mi/16 km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 50–60 mi/80–100 km wide, 600 mi/1000 km long).

Climate

With the Tropical Rain-forest like climate", Maligaon is temperate (summer max. at 95–100 °F or 35–38 °C and winter min. at 43–46 °F or 6–8 °C) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. The climate is characterized by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperatures and affecting foggy nights and mornings in winters, frequent during the afternoons. Spring (Mar–Apr) and autumn (Sept–Oct) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. Every year, flooding from the Brahmaputra and other rivers deluges places in Assam and Maligaon is one of them . The water levels of the rivers rise because of rainfall resulting in the rivers overflowing their banks and engulfing nearby areas. Apart from houses and livestock being washed away by flood water, bridges, railway tracks and roads are also damaged by the calamity, which causes communication breakdown in many places.

Pandu College

Pandu College, Assam was established in 1962. The college was inaugurated on 5 September 1962 synchronizing with the Teacher's day. The classes began in the abandoned building of Netaji Vidyapeeth Rly. The high school in the present site popularly known as American Colony, subsequently named as Water Works Colony, just at the foothills of the Nilachal pahar. The N.F.Rly authority was kind enough to allot a plot of land by a deed of agreement for construction of the college building. The college has been accredited B+ grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council, Bangalore) in 2004.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Maligaon

Kendriya Vidyalaya Maligaon is a high school located in the Maligaon area at Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established in 1979 and is affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The school provides education to the children of Central Government employees, especially employees of Indian Railways, and Army and Air Force personnel. The school is run by KVS an autonomous body formed under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, government of India and is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi.

St. Mary's Senior Secondary School

St. Mary's Senior Secondary school is a private Catholic secondary school for girls in Maligaon, Guwahati, Assam, India. It is operated by the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco. It is recognized by the Central Board of Secondary Education. The school was established on 10 January 1966 as a primary school affiliated with St. Mary's School in Guwahati. In 1988 the school began expanding to include a secondary school. It became a proper high school in 1991. The school is located in a scenic location cucooned by lush green hills and caters to the all round development of students. The school is celebrating its Golden Jublee in 2016 with various programmes.

Hospitals

The area has a number of hospitals like the NF Railway Central Hospital,Swagat Hospital and Sanjeevani Hospital. Also there is a Health Unit at Boripara run by the State Government.

Festivals

See also: Domahi, Bohag Bihu, Magh Bihu and Bwisagu

There are diversified important traditional festivals in Maligaon. Bihu is the most important and common and celebrated all over Maligaon. It is the Assamese new year celebrated in April of the Gregorian calendar. Durga Puja is another festival celebrated with great enthusiasm. Muslims celebrate two Eids (Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) with much eagerness all over Assam and Maligaon as well

Bwisagu is one of the popular seasonal festival of the Bodos. Bwisagu start of the new year or age. Baisagu is a Boro word which originated from the word "Baisa" which means year or age, ang "Agu" that means starting or start.

Places of interest

Sports

Northeast Frontier Railway Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at Maligaon in Guwahati, Assam. The ground is mainly used for organizing matches of football, cricket and other sports. The stadium has hosted 33 first-class matches in 1976 when Assam cricket team played against Orissa cricket team. The ground hosted 32more first-class matches from 1978 to 2009. The stadium also hosted 18 List A matches when Central Zone cricket team played against North Zone cricket team but since then the stadium has hosted non-first-class matches.