RAILWAY STATION, NBQ, ASSAM

ARCHITECTURAL THESIS

Submitted by

Rahul
Choudhury
A/2247/2010

BONGAIGAON

Geography

Bongaigaon is the largest city in Lower Assam and one of most important cities
in Assam. The city today has evolved to be one of the major commercial and
business hubs of the state with growing numbers of shopping malls, restaurants,
hotels, residential apartments and educational institutions. The town is situated at a
distance of 200 km west from the State Capital and occupies an important place in
the communication network in Assam as well as north east India. This town is also
very well connected by road through the National Highway 31 B and 31C. This
connectivity and the strategic location of the town in the regional set up has helped
it to emerge as an important center in trade and commerce in Western Assam
serving a vast hinter land.
Bongaigaon has a major petrochemical industry, the Indian Oil Corporation
Limited (IOCL BGR). The development further gained momentum with the
establishment of the Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited
(BRPL) Complex in the year 1972 at Dhaligaon and also Thermal Power Plant at
Salakati.

Panoramic day view of Bongaigaon

Demography

As of 2011 India census, Bongaigaon district had a population of 1,09,810

(UA). Hinduism is the major religion in the district. Bongaigaon has an average
literacy rate of 70.44%.with male literacy of 75.48% and female literacy of
65.18%.Most of the residents outside city areas are farmers. Majority of the city
population work in service industry.

Climate

Climate: Semi-Arid

Precipitation: 1,717.7 millimetres (67.63 in)

Avg. annual temperature: 26 C (79 F)
Summer temperature: 38 - 40 C
Winter temperature: 25 - 10 C

PLACES OF INTEREST
The city also serves as the base for tourism to famous place such as the Manas
National Park. It is the home to many historical monuments of Assamese culture.

KOYAKUJIA BILL
KAYAKUJIYA BILL, a project undertaken by Assam Tourisim Development Corporation,
is a popular tourist attraction situated near Abhayapuri about 15 kilometers from
Bongaigaon. It attracts thousands of local and foreign tourists every season. The
vast waterland consisting of small islands flourish with myriad flora & fauna. Many
migratory birds migrate to this place during the winter.

JOGIGHOPA AND PANCHARATNA

Jogighopa and Pancharatna are

two

historic

sites

situated

on

either

banks

of Brahmaputra river, in Assam. Pancharatna lies on the southern bank and is about
160 kilometers west of Guwahati by road Jogighopa lies on the northern banks and
is about 212 km from Guwahati by Northern Highways. Some cubicles which are cut
on step rocks, supposed to have been used by monks for meditation in the medieval

period, are found here. Most of caves found in here very small. Pancharatna boasts
some ruins of a post Gupta temple and some also rock cut ruins including a
monolithic Buddhist stupa.

KACHUGAON GAME RESERVE

Kachugaon Game Reserve is located in Kachugaon of Bongaigaon district of Assam.
It is a protected area under the forest department of Assam. Kachugaon covers an
area of around 214 km2 and has rare and endangered species such a gaur, golden
langur,spotted deer and elephant.

KAKOIJANA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

(For Golden Langur and Birds) KakoiJana Reserved Forest is an ideal spot for ecotourism, kakoijan is declared as a reserve forest in April 1966. Located 15 km away
from Bongaigaon city towards the east, now it has been upgraded as wildlife
sanctuary. Covering an area around 20 km2.

SRI SURJYA PAHAR

Sri Surya Pahar is a significant but relatively unknown archaeological site

in Assam, India. The site is a hilly terrain where several rock-cut Shivalingas, votive
stupas and the deities of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain pantheon are scattered in an area
of about one km. The site is centered on the hills (Pahar) of Sri Surya which is
profusely filled up with Shiva Lingas (Lingam). The popular belief is that 99999
Shiva

Lingas

were

engraved

here

by Vyasa in

order

to

build

up

second Kashi (where there were 1,00000 Shiva Lingas) and once it was one of the
holiest pilgrimage sites in the region. There is no historical evidence exactly how
many Lingams once dotted in these hills, but still there are hundreds of them, from
tiny too large in size, scattered everywhere at the foot of the hill and covering the
extensive area after centuries of neglect and pilferage. The exact figure of the
Lingas (and also other deities and relics) in the hill is yet to be counted scientifically.

MANAS NATIONAL PARK

Bongaigaon city is the entry point for the Manas National Park. Manas National Park
or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a National Park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site,
a Project

Tiger Reserve,

an

Elephant

Reserve

and

Biosphere

Reserve

in Assam, India. Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous with the Royal
Manas National Park in Bhutan. The park is known for its rare and endangered
endemic

wildlife

such

as

the Assam

Roofed

Turtle, Hispid

Hare, Golden

Langur and Pygmy Hog.Manas is famous for its population of the Wild water buffalo.

LALMATI-DURAMARI GANESH TEMPLE

The Lalmati-Duramari Ganesh Temple near Abhayapuri town under North Salmara
Sub-Division

is

one

of

the

oldest

temples

of

the

state.

The historicity of the images are yet to be ascertained. But after a study of the
stone carving and modes related to the carved idols, archeologists opine that the
temple

and

images

belong

to

8th

to

10th

centuries

AD.

ROCK CUT CAVES

The best speciments of the architecture of the Salasthambha period are the remains
of the five rock-cut caves at Jogighopa on the bank of the Brahmaputra in the
district of Bongaigaon. These are the unique examples of rock-cut architecture in
Assam. Though these rock-cut caves are not of such architectural interest as those
in Western India, but these remains at Jogighopa are the clear evidence of the fact
that Assam was not outside the movement of this particular type of art developed in
India as it will be seen from description of the best preserved cave noticed at
Jogighopa.
This architectural site has been taken up by the Archaeological Survey of India for
preservation.

NEW BONGAIGAON RAILWAY STATION

New Bongaigaon is a junction railway station on the New Jalpaiguri-New

Bongaigaon section and New Bongaigaon-Guwahati section of Barauni-Guwahati
line, and New BongaigaonJogihopa-Kamakhya line. It is located in Bongaigaon
district in the Indian state of Assam.
Location: Balaji Mandir Road, Bongaigaon, Assam, India
Owned by: Indian Railways
Operator: Northeast Frontier Railway
Site Area: 5.5 hectare
FAR permissible: 1.25

New Bongaigaon Railway Station has five platforms. The station handles
over 32 trains daily (Up/Down) and serves about 48000 passengers every
day. Total 78 Express Trains Stops at this Station. (Railenquiry.in - Indian Rail
Enquiry)
Near By Airports to New Bongaigaon Railway Station
Following are the nearest airports to New Bongaigaon and New Bongaigaon
Railway Station. Distance to the two airports is given in bracket.
Rupsi Airport - (72.75 Km / 45.21 Miles)
Cooch Behar Airport - (107.49 Km / 66.79 Miles)

TUNIYA RIVER

The uniqueness is that New Bongaigaon Jn. also known as floating station is so
called because some part of its platform is built over a river named "Tuniya River"

WHY??

New Bongaigaon railway station is the 2nd largest railway junction

of Assam state. It is the largest station in Western Assam after
Guwahati. According to 2012 budget, New Bongaigaon Jn. is considered
to be the Adarsh Station of India.

Doubling of the track between New Bongaigaon and Kamakhya via

Rangia has been approved in the Railway Budget for 2013-14.

New Bongaigaon railway station is the gateway to northeastern states

connecting North East to the various parts of India and taking
advantage of the fact that tuniya river is flowing through the site, an
integrated approach in which the station and the river function as one
unit, reviving the river as well as creating a spatial experience for the
user and also giving an expression of entrance to North East for the
commuters.

The railway platforms are ground floor structures, hence creating

usable quality space right above the station platforms which would
cater to railway offices and basic shopping amenities.

And also in the immediate context of the railway station there is no

proper place to stay for the commuters, so introducing hotels and
guest houses for temporary stay in the immediate context of the
station along with commercial development which would foster tourism
in Bongaigaon, Assam and also create employment.