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Jorhat is regarded as the nerve center of the tea industry of India.
During the 1860s and 1870s, the entire city was gradually dotted
with a number of tea gardens. Due to the dull and lonely life at the
plantation sites, the planters decided to set up a club in the area.
In 1876, the planters, led by the Superintendent of the Jorhat Tea
Co. - J. Huttman, constructed a club and racecourse in the state.
The original Gymkhana Club was only a quaint little woodhouse,
situated in the middle of the racecourse, about 2 km to the east of
the present building.
The racecourse in which the club was situated also served the
purpose of camping and parade ground for the Assam Light Infantry
Brigade.
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So, for the purpose of privacy, it was decided to shift the club to
some other location. The present clubhouse was constructed in the year
1885, offering a wide range of socio cultural activities, sports and
recreation, including includes tennis, billiards, bridge, races, flower
balls, seasonal balls, and bars. With time, the Gymkhana Club of Jorhat
came to be renowned all across India and became a major tourist
attraction of Assam.
Gymkhana Club has a lush green 9-hole golf course. This is regarded as
the world’s third oldest golf course and as such, is vying for a place
in the list of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Apart from this, the
other attractions in the club include swimming pool, polo and a cinema
theatre. The club boasts of being a famous venue for holding a number of
matches, like the CK Naidu Cricket tournament matches, the Tea Tourism
Festival (2002) and horse races. A major trophy awarded here every year
is the “Governor’s Trophy”.
Gymkhana Club rests over a vast expanse of land of 180 bighas and
has been well maintained for the last hundred and twenty years. The road
in front of the club was the first asphalt road constructed by the
British people, to connect the Jorhat centre with the Gymkhana.
Initially the place was out of bounds for Indians, but in 1929, Indian
membership was finally passed at the Annual General Meeting (a vote of
29 for and 14 against). Today, the clubhouse, along with the racecourse,
stands as a living testimony of the rich culture and history of its
members and of Assam as a whole.
Getting There
Jorhat has its own Railway
Station named as Jorhat Railway Station which is connected to the major
cities of Assam. It is linked with the cities like Mariani, Guwahati and
Kamakhya through Jttn Intercity, Jan Shatabdi Express and Ghy Intercity.
Jorhat Airport (also
known as Rowraih Airport), is located 7 km away from the Jorhat city center.
Jorhat Airport is well
connected to a spectrum of cities in the country such as Bangalore, Guwahati
and Kolkata. Connection to city center by cabs are easy from here. The nearest International Airport is
Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi
International Airport, Guwahati, roughly 323 km from Jorhat.
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