The state museum next to Dighalipukhuri is the best place to get your bearings on Assamese history before heading further into the northeast. The ground floor is heavy on Hindu and Buddhist sculpture from the Pala and Pre-Ahom periods (mostly recovered from sites around the Brahmaputra valley), with a strong collection of stone and bronze. Upstairs is ethnology: reconstructed huts, dress, weapons and ritual objects from each of Assam's major tribal groups — Bodo, Mishing, Karbi, Tiwa — and from the hill states beyond.
The displays are dated but the objects are good. Allow about 90 minutes. Closed Mondays and the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. Modest entrance fee; cameras allowed for an extra ₹50.