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Guwahati straddles the valley of the river Bharalu, a small
tributary of the river Brahmaputra. It is surrounded by hills,
except where the Bharalu discharges into the Brahmaputra. To its
west the Nilachal hill is said to be the home of the goddess
Kamakhya, a shakta temple. In the past, this was an important seat
of tantric and Vajrayana Buddhism. To the north, on top of
Chitrachal Hill, is the Navagraha (nine planets) temple, a unique
astrological temple. To the south of the city lie the Narakasur
hills, named after a legendary king of ancient Assam. Guwahati today
is important because it is close to the seat of power in Assam, is a
commercial centre, and is the node that connects six other
northeastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura.
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