Inspired by Lord Shiva’s wife, Hindu Goddess Parvati’s name, Uma in Assamese, the Umananda Island is one of the smallest river islands flowing through Guwahati in the midst of the Brahmaputra River. The island was renamed the Peacock Island by the British given its structure. According to mythological legends, Lord Shiva created this island for his wife’s happiness and recreation. According to historical information, the Ahom King Supaatphaa asked for a Hindu temple to be built in 1694 called the Umananda Temple, which was later ruined by an earthquake but restored then by a local merchant. The temple promotes a blend of Shaivism and Vaishnavism practices and has a variety of Vaishnav Scripts inscribed on its walls, with rock figurines sprinkled all over the island. The best way of reaching Umananda Island is to avail of a ferry service which takes about 10 minutes.

The closest airport to Umananda Island is in Guwahati. If you’re traveling from New Delhi, then it’s a 2 hour and 10-minute flight to Guwahati at an estimated fare of INR 4,600 and then you can take a cab to the Umananda Island which is about 22km from the airport. Flights operating on this route include Indigo Airlines, Air India, GoAir, Air Asia and Vistara. You can also explore other sectors like Mumbai, Shillong, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai to Guwahati.

The chief railway station for Guwahati is the Guwahati Junction, while the Kamakhya Junction is the second largest train station. Guwahati’s well connected to most cities in the country and from the train station, you can either hire a cab or board a bus to reach the Island. A train from New Delhi Railway Station to Guwahati takes roughly 27 hours and 40 minutes at an estimated fare of INR 850. There are two trains every day making the journey to Guwahati Station.

With its efficient transport network, Guwahati’s connected to its neighboring cities and states through a bus service with 3 major ports being ISBT, Adabari and Paltan Bazar. The City’s also connected to the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar through NH.31 while NH.37 connects Guwahati to other major cities of Assam. You cal either take private bus carriers or hire a car to ferry you to Umananda Island. The buses are obviously a lot cheaper, and the AC and Delux variants are fairly comfortable.

Guwahati’s also connected to the National Waterway no.2 with some luxury ferries that connect the neighboring cities like Tezpur, Kaziranga and Dibrugarh. You can hire a taxi or take a bus to Kachari Ghat and then make the onward journey to the Island via a ferry. The Umananda Island and temple are in the midst of the river Brahmaputra and you can reach here only by a ferry. However, you can reach the ferry ghat by a 3-wheeler, a cab, or a taxi. It takes about 10 minutes to reach the island with most ferries/motorboats operating between 7 am and 5 pm.