GUWAHATI: A globe-trotting septuagenarian German couple, Tina and Uwe Griesbach, have pledged to promote ancient monuments of Sivasagar, the erstwhile seat of throne of Ahom Dynasty that ruled in Brahmaputra Valley from 12th to 18th century.
The German wanderers who have been roaming across the globe on wheels for the last more than one decade was awe-struck by the cultural heritage of Sivasagar during their unrehearsed stopover in the place on November 17 last.
As magnificence of Sivasagar unravel before them, the mesmerized globe trotters couldn’t but promised to promote the unparalleled monuments as destinations through their website (www.m-ut-weltweit.com)
During their visit to Pohugarh, Tina and Uwe Griesbach revealed that they have already covered over 150 countries driving across myriad terrains for over 6,20,000 kms since 2007.
Uwe Griesbach was a civil engineer posted in Saudi Arabia where he bought his Toyota Land Cruiser exactly 25 years back.
Later when the couple embarked on their world tour, they modified the vehicle to their requirement which is now solar powered. The vehicle is equipped with a folding roof top bed and other basic amenities like a refrigerator, a water purifier, a sink, a food processor among other things. The vehicle has been their constant companion across the globe in all kinds of terrains.
Sivasagar was in fact not in their itinerary in this year’s visit to Assam. They were in Majuli and enjoying the traditional Raas festival when they came across information about the history and culture of Sivasagar.
Fascinated by what may be in store they decided to drive down to Sivasagar only to get spellbound by its majestic historic resources.
In their opinion they were simply bowled over by the rich cultural heritage of the place. They could not hide their immense joy at the sight of impression archeological sites from Ahom regime in Sivasagar.
Tina particularly found magnificence of Shiva Doul (temple) and Vishnu Doul (temple) ‘very impressive’. The couple was all praise for the hospitality offered to them by the district officials and people in general in Sivasagar.
“Everything here is well managed and very tourist friendly,” Uwe Griesbach opined. ‘Particularly the presence and maintenance of clean toilets and drinking water facility’ was what impressed Griesbach, which, he admitted, was missing at many places across the country.
During an informal interaction with Sivasagar Deputy Commissioner Dr MS Lakshmi Priya, the German tourist couple offered several suggestions to promote tourism in the district. They requested the district administration to share information about various developments in the tourism sector from time to time which they would happily upload in their website.
They suggested that cultural projects can be taken up on a larger platform to increase visibility among global tourists. They also suggested to get information shared through travel magazines and sensitizing tour operators in order to rope in more domestic and foreign tourists.
They also assured they would strongly recommend other tourists across the globe to visit Sivasagar and get blessed by the rich cultural heritage of the place that speaks volumes of a glorious bygone era.
The German couple also requested the Deputy Commissioner to take special measures to ensure that the archaeological monuments are preserved for posterity.