Joyrides on buffalo carts will be a major attraction for tourists to Mayong. Picture by UB Photos

Mayong (Morigaon district), Nov. 1: The land of magic and occult — Mayong — is poised to be the flavour of the tourist season.

After a river cruise inaugurated on tourism day on September 27, comes the inauguration of two tourist draws — the Mayong central museum and a handicrafts emporium — today by 90-year-old titular king of Mayong, Ghanakanta Sinha Konwar.

The museum is the outcome of an innovative enterprise by the local people and Tourfed, a co-operative society set up to develop rural tourism. The museum, with Rs 30 as entry fee, will be run by local people and house ancient artefacts.

As part of an exotic package tour, visitors will get a flavour of Assam. A bullock-cart ride from Goronga beel to Pobitora wildlife sanctuary. An exciting elephant safari at Pobitora and finally, another ride through a bumpy stretch on a traditionally-embellished bullock cart to Raja Mayong — a treasure house of a historic past. Someswar Nath, the bullock-cart owner, is a proud man today. During the inaugural ride, his decked up bullock cart with curtains, garlands and wooden benches, carried a royal air. Nath said, “Usually I use the cart to carry foodgrain. But now I hope to earn some extra money by ferrying tourists.”

“We want to develop sustainable tourism which is viable throughout the year. It’s just a matter of marketing the rich potential of the hitherto undiscovered areas. We plan to market this idea at the international tourism mart in Berlin in March next year,” said Amar Bora, chairman of Tourfed.

The Raja Mayong Unnayan Committee has painstakingly collected these ancient artefacts, manuscripts of mantras, coins, bamboo and wooden combs, arms and ammunition, utensils, palanquin, terracotta idols and stone inscriptions, which were largely a part of personal possessions.

“The state museum wanted to take away these artefacts for display but we wanted people to come to our mystic land,” said Kandarpa Hazarika, secretary of the Mayong museum. “We will train local youths to act as guides and show the visitors around,” he added. Dipan Chandra Nath, president of the Mayong committee, said, “Though Mayong is a historical place, communication is poor in these parts. We are requesting the authorities to develop the infrastructure and turn it into a major tourist spot.”