Sibsagar (Sivasagar) is a city in the Sibsagar district in the state of Assam in India. It is the district headquarters of the Sibsagar district. Sivasagar is a heritage place in Assam famous for the monuments of Ahom kingdom. Now it is a multi-cultural city.

Sibsagar, ex Rangpur, was once the capital of the Ahom rulers who dominated Assam for more than 600 years. They ruled Assam virtually uninterrupted for 6 centuries until their kingdom fell to the Burmese in 1819, and their ruling class was all but wiped out. The province was liberated by the British in 1825 but, owing to the state of anarchy which prevailed in the provice, it was completely annexed in 1826.

Attractions

Sibsagar : This city's main feature is the water body from which it gets its name. This is a 257-acre (1.04 km2) tank also called Borpukhuri, at a higher elevation than the rest of the town, with three temples on its banks. Of these temples, the most prominent is the Sivadol, standing tall at 104 feet (32 m), drawing large crowds on Shiv Ratri. The other temples are the Vishnudol and Devidol. The temples were built by Queen Ambika, wife of Swargadeo Siba Singha, in the year 1734.

Rang Ghar and Talatal Ghar: Other attractions include the Rang Ghar, the double-storied, oval shaped amphitheatre with a roof which is shaped like an inverted boat, and the seven-storied, Talatal Ghar. The latter is a palace with two secret tunnels and three floors underground. Joysagar, said to be the biggest man-made lake in the country, is spread over 318 acres (1.29 km2) of water on the edge of the town in an area called Rangpur. This lake was built by Swargadeo Rudra Singha in honor of his mother Joymoti.

Ahom Museum: A new addition is the Ahom Museum on the bank of the Sibsagar. It stores artefacts of the rulers, including swords, clothes, manuscripts, goblets and platters. The ancient capital of the Ahoms is Gargaon about 13 km east from Sibsagar, where the major draw is the Kareng Ghar, a seven-storied palace built by 18th century architects. Charideo situated nearby, is another old capital which was built by Sukapha, the founder of the Ahom dynasty. There are maidams or vaults for the king and members of royal families here. Travellers cross the Namdang stone bridge, carved out of a single boulder hundreds of years ago, over which the busy national highway (NH 37) still runs today.