chalet hosts Carved out of Assam in 1972, hilly Meghalaya (Abode of Clouds) is a cool, pine-fresh contrast to the

Adjacent to the mandir is theRoyal Palace, closed to visitors except for during the annual Kwak Tenba festival, when a colourful procession led by the titular maharaja heads to the Polo Ground for religious ceremonies and cultural festivities. The festival takes place on the fourth day of Durga Puja.

Dynasty HOTEL $$$ (%2516021; www.hoteldynastyindia.com; Sir Shahdullah (SS) Rd; r from 6100; aiW) The shabby exterior makes it hard to believe that this is really Guwahati s top hotel, but as we all know it s what s on the inside that counts: chalet hosts magnificent rooms with an old colonial fl avour. It has all the facilities you d expect from a top-end hotel, including a couple of superb restaurants plus a sauna and steam room.

Carved out of Assam in 1972, hilly Meghalaya (Abode of Clouds) is a cool, pine-fresh contrast to the sweaty Assam plains. Set on dramatic chalet hosts horseshoes of rocky cliff above the Bengal plains, Cherrapunjee and Mawsynram are statistically the wettest places on earth. Most of the rain falls between April and September, creating very impressive waterfalls and carving out some of Asia s longest caves. chalet hosts