Assam Raas Mahotsav
As part of the plan, a special tourism circuit will be created to connect the main Raas destinations of Majuli, Palasbari, Nalbari, Patacharkuchi, and Pathsala.

Bajali: The Assam government is taking major steps to showcase the stateโ€™s famous Raas Mahotsav, the annual festival devoted to Lord Krishna, to an international audience.

As part of the plan, a special tourism circuit will be created to connect the main Raas destinations of Majuli, Palasbari, Nalbari, Patacharkuchi, and Pathsala.

During the inauguration of a Krishna temple at Pathsala, Assamโ€™s Tourism Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass said that the initiative aims to attract both domestic and foreign tourists by highlighting the cultural richness of Assamโ€™s Raas celebrations.

He mentioned that under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the state government has provided financial assistance to Raas Mahotsav committees across Assam to strengthen the festivalโ€™s infrastructure and outreach.

Dass recently inaugurated a new Shree Krishna temple at Pathsala, built for Rs 2 crore, which he believes will serve as an additional attraction for visitors. โ€œIn Assam, we try to recreate the divine atmosphere of Brindaban during Raas Mahotsav. In Upper Assam, the festival features live enactments of Raaslila, while in Lower Assam, clay idols depicting Krishnaโ€™s life are displayed,โ€ he explained.

According to Dass, Majuli has already become a well-known tourist destination, and the government now plans to draw similar attention to the Raas Mahotsav celebrations in Lower Assam.

Emphasizing the cultural importance of the festival, he added, โ€œAssam is the sacred land of Lord Krishna and Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva. Through these initiatives, we aim to turn Raas Mahotsav into a major tourism hub recognized globally.โ€

Sasanka Talukdar is Northeast Now Correspondent in Pathsala. He can be reached at: [email protected]