Jorhat, famous for its sprawling tea gardens, is the gateway to the north-east of Assam. In the 18th century, the
Jorhat town was established as the new capital of the declining Tunkhungia Ahom Dynasty.
Jorhat District covers an area of 2,851 sq km and houses about one million people. Jorhat is noted for jewelry manufacture and is the site of the Assam Agricultural College. Surrounded by splendid tea gardens, it is the nerve center of the Indian tea industry. There are about 135 tea gardens, and the predominant field crop is rice. Jorhat houses the world famous Teklai Experimental Center where research is carried out to find new varieties of tea and therapeutic effects of green tea.
Jorhat can serve as a base to visit a large number of places of tourist interest, such as the famous Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary that houses one-horned Indian rhinoceros. Another place of tourist interest is Majuli, the largest island on the
Brahmaputra and containing numerous monasteries. The Nambar Forest Reserve, famous for its rejuvenating hot spring, is just 60 km from Jorhat town. Lachit Borphukan Maidam, Dhekiakhowa Bar Namghar, Gymkhana Club are among the main tourist attractions.