Tourist Places To Visit In Digboi

Digboi’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in Assam and the site where the country’s first oil refinery was set up. Digboi’s known to have earned its name thanks to a phrase that was often used by the British to laborers digging the fields for crude oil that was, “dig-boy-dig”. The region has been marked strongly by British culture and its traditions, which is quite evident in its lifestyle.  With some other noteworthy tourist places to visit that include a wildlife sanctuary, golf course, tea gardens, war memorial and more, Digboi’s a must-visit.

Nearly a century old, the old refinery in Digboi was established by the Assam Oil Co.P.Ltd and was taken over by IOC (Indian Oil Corporation) in 1981. Completely functional the refinery continues both with marketing as well as the refining processes, in addition to a museum which has on display the first oil well that was put to use at the beginning of the 20th century, with exhibits of equipment and ancient tools that were used in the production and processing of crude oil.

Situated close to the Burma border, Digboi used to serve as an army camp for the Burmese Army during World War II and the town was a communications hub as well the place where a hospital was set up to treat the wounded. The Digboi War Cemetery was originally a burial ground for the dead soldiers. Visitors come here to offer their respects to the valiant warriors who sacrificed their lives for their country and a special prayer ceremony is held each year, here in November in their honor.

An offbeat tourist destination, Digboi is located at the foothills of the Dehing Patkai, the scenic beauty of which is magnified by the beautiful Digboi Lake with its glistening waters. With a calm and serene ambiance, it’s a gorgeous place to sit by and relax, soak in the freshness and picturesque tranquility surrounding you. There’s a Centenary Environment Park also close to the lake, which is an eco-park with a variety of flora to enjoy.

Founded in 1888, the Digboi Golf Course by the Dehing Forest Reserve on one side and Arunachal Pradesh’s gorgeous valleys on the other, the course hosts a number of some large golf tournaments each year and has an 18-hole premise. With a natural golf course, there are some artificial inputs and a clubhouse as well. Situated about 18km from Margherita, the golf course isn’t difficult to access, with a number of transport options available to reach here. During summers, it isn’t too hot to play, however, during monsoons, it is best to avoid coming here.

Named Margherita after an Italian Queen Wife, the census town was so named in the 19th century and was originally called Ma-Kum/Coal Queen owing to its coal mines. This picturesque town has innumerable tea plantations and beautiful and glorious hills all around with the unspoiled River Dehing flowing right through it, a well maintained golf course at the foothills and a stream as well. The country’s first coal museum was set up here and houses both a Coal Museum and Heritage that preserves the historical past of coal mining of nearly 100 years. Margherita is also renowned for plywood production and has the state’s second plywood factory located here.

Tinsukia’s Bell Temple is located 17km from town and was built in reverence of Lord Shiva. Known as Tilinga Temple as well, which refers to a bell, the temple has a large Banyan Tree within the temple complex, that’s adorned with bells tied by devotees, all over it. As per popular beliefs, those who tie the bells around the tree have their wishes fulfilled. You will see bells in all sizes made of copper, brass or aluminum weighing 50-55kg, strung together in heaps from the Iron bars, forming a sort of bouquet or a metal mountain. Surprisingly, compared to any other temple in North India, this one’s quite simple and doesn’t have the chaos, the commercial decorations, loudspeakers, traffic jams or other mindless distractions that usually surround a place thronged by devotees.

Located about 6km from town, the Bherjan-Borjan-Padumoni Wildlife Sanctuary is a popular tourist site that houses varied animal species that include the pig-tailed macaque, hoolock gibbon, capped langur, slow loris, leopards and more! Spanning 7.22km, the sanctuary’s spread across the district’s 3 blocks, primarily, Padumoni, Borajan and Bherjan and is a significant forest reserve.

A starting point at the historic Stilwell Road, Lekhapani is located at the Patkai Foothills of the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. It houses the Tangsa Naga Tribe as its main tribe. It is also known for the Lekhapani Railway Station that was established in 1890 and was a significant coal-loading site for the Tipong collieries. The town of Lekhapani was also the eastern-most train station for the Indian Railways.