Guwahati, Oct. 26 : A visit to the Umananda Temple at Peacock Island near Guwahati offers a chance to see the endangered Golden langurs (Trachypithecus Geei), a rare species of primates. They have taken shelter in the compound here.

Built by an Ahom king in 1594, the temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. It is today visited by scores of such tourists who come here particularly for these rare monkeys and enjoy spending time with them.

At this temple, the Hindu gods and goddesses are engraved on the rock walls. These sculptures represent the craftsmanship of the Assamese artisans.

Guwahati , Oct. 22 : The recent violence in Udalguri and Darrang districts of north Assam has left local residents of the region, devastated. The victims of the communal riot appeal all to restore peace and harmony to let the normal life resume.

Lamenting the ugly turn of the event, Bodos and Muslims, among whom the riot took place, doesn’t deny the hand of local militants behind the communal violence.

Guwahati, Oct 21 : President Pratibha Patil today said that there is an urgent need for augmenting medical institutions in the country.

Laying the foundation stone of the Tezpur Medical College in Sonitpur district of Assam, Patil said the country has at present 271 medical colleges out of which about 31,000 medical graduates pass out every year.

Guwahati, Oct 21 : President Pratibha Patil arrived in Tezpur in Assam''s Sonitpur District on Tuesday where she will lay the foundation stone of the Tezpur Medical College.

The college will be built by the Assam Government at a cost of around 160 crore rupees at Tumuki village, 20 kilometers away from Tezpur.

This will be the fifth medical college in Assam. The State Government has allocated 35 acres of land in Tumuki to set up the medical college.

Guwahati, Oct 20: President Pratibha Patil today said that the gram panchayats play an essential role in development of villages by carrying out social mobilization.

Presenting the Nirmal Gram Puraskar to 1059 gram-panchayat representatives coming from 13 states of the Eastern and North Eastern part of the country here, Patil said many national and global problems including food security and climate change can be tackled by looking at sustainable development of villages and agricultural sectors.