Assam government to set up ropeway at Kamakhya temple

Guwahati: The Assam government has planned to build a ropeway at the famed Kamakhya temple atop the Nilachal Hills in Guwahati. In a video posted on X on Thursday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government is striving toward a “new horizon” for the Kamakhya temple, which is visited by a large number of devotees from home and abroad annually. An extensive study has already conducted by the state government to run the ropeway service from Kamakhya railway station to the temple. Sarma said that the ropeway will reduce travel time for pilgrims and guests arriving by train by 55–60 per cent and also increase tourist potential. With a capacity of carrying 1,000 people per hour, the ropeway will operate in each direction. It will traverse the distance to Nilachal hills within seven minutes. The state government has set a deadline of June 2026 to compete the ropeway. Notably, in line with the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple Corridor in Varanasi, the Assam government also intends to build a corridor at the Kamakhya temple. According to a senior government officer, the total amount of open space surrounding the temple will grow from the current 3,000 sq.feet to roughly 100,000 sq.feet, distributed over three levels. The official stated that the access corridor’s average width would rise from its present width of 8 to 10 feet to roughly 27 to 30 feet.