Guwahati and Around - The 'Gate Way" to the North East

Guwahati To the spiritually oriented, Guwahati is home to the goddess Kamakhya; to history buffs, it stands on the very spot where the brave people of this great land thwarted the mighty Mughal army in the battle of Saraighat in 1671; to the inhabitant, it is the child that has been, over the years, nurtured, fulfilled and at times, even admonished by the mighty Brahmaputra. Guwahati is commercially and spatially one of the fastest growing cities in India. From a humble population of 2 lakh in 1971, presenting Guwahati is a teeming metropolis with 808,021 people (2001 Census). The city stretches for 45 kms from Gopmath Bordoioi International Airport in the west to Narengi in the east and from the southern bank of the Brahmaputra to the foothills of the Shillong plateau for around 15 kms. Guwahati Municipal Corporation administers an area of over 216 sq kms. The town derives its name from two Ahomiya words – guwa or a areca nut and haat or the weekly market, thus tracing its origins to a time when it was a trading post on the Brahmaputra. Guwhati is identified with the ancient city of Pragjyotishpura overlooked by the hallowed temple to goddess Kamakhva. In the Mahabharata, it was the capital or the Kamrup kingdom under Narakasura and his son Bhagadattu who fought in the battle of Kurukshetra on the side of the Kauravas. The 7th century Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsang, w ho visited the court of Bhaskar Barman writes that Pragjyotishpura stretched 19 kms from east to west and was the principal base for the kingdom's strong navy consisting of more than 30,000 war-boats. From the 7th century to the founding of Ahom rule in the l3th, Guwahati passed through the hands of the Palas, the Kamtas and the Kochs. Excavations in Ambari and at Cotton College suggest that it was a prosperous city from the 9th to the 11th century AD under the Palas. Under the Ahorns, the city saw a spurt of building activity, and it was during this period that most of the ponds in the city were excavated. Taking advantage of the weakening of Ahom rule in the last decades of the eighteenth century, the British East India Company made rapid inroads into the region. By 1938 they came to control entirely what is now the state of Assam. Guwahati received a boost with the establishment of the city of Shillong and the booming tea business. Burgeoning trade in tea and timber (not onlv from the northeast but also from Burma) hastened the arrival of railways and telegraph, laying of roads and increased accessibility. After Independence in 1947, Guwahati remained the most important commercial centre of northeast India. After 1972, when the state of Meghalaya was carved out of Assam, Shillong became the capital of Meghalaya while Dispur, a part of Guwahati town, was made the administrative capital of Assam. With its wide roads, serene water bodies and numerous parks, Guwahati is a well-planned and picturesque city. In the heart of Guwahati is the Pan Bazaar area. Not only it is it the commercial hub of the city but also houses some of Guwahati's important landmarks. The famous Cotton College, a premier educational institute, stands at the northern edge of Pan Bazaar. Established in 1901, the college was named after Sir Henry John Stedman Cotton, Chief Commissioner of the erstwhile British province of Assam. On the southeastern corner of Pan Bazaar is a large, rectangular lake, Dighali Pukhuri. The lake is believed to have been dug by Bhagadutta, king of Pragjvotishpura and was once connected by a canal to the Brahmaputra. It was used extensively by the Ahom rulers as a sheltered harbour for their naval vessels. Dighali Pukhuri derives its name from the word dighal meaning elongated. To the west of Dighali Pukhuri and facing the main entrance to Cotton College is Nehru Park. A little green oasis in the heart of town, the park preserves a number of rare species of plants. Behind Nehru Park is Christ Church. One of the earliest churches in northeast India, it was consecrated in 1859 by Reverend Daniel Wilson Bishop of Calcutta. The original structure collapsed in an earthquake in 1856 and was rebuilt in 1861. Barely four decades later it was destroyed once again in the earthquake of 1897 only to be rebuilt again in 1901. Curzon Hall, Earle Law College, Handique Girls' College, Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiri, Assam State Museum, Cotton College, Assam Sahitya Sabha, Assam Lawn Tennis Association and the High Court are located on the banks of Dighali Pukhuri. Assam State Museum, just east of the railway station, was established in 1940. Apart from separate sections on archaeology, numismatics and epigraphy, it has particularly interesting ethnographic displays that include local crafts, a reconstructed tribal village and medieval stone and bronze sculptures from Ambari. Nagkata Pukhuri derives its name from the custom of serpent worship, prevalent in medieval Assam. Its origin is traced back to the days of the Ahom king, Swargadeo Pramatta Singha (1744-1751). Sil Pukhuri derives its present name from a stone (sil) inscription found on its banks, in Sanskrit, but written in Ahomiya alphabets. The inscription mentions that the pond was excavated by Tarun Duwara Phukan in 1753 AD, during the reign of Swargadeo Rajeshwar Singha (1751-1769). The pond now stands in the middle of Guwahati's business district, surrounded by bustling shops and high-rise residential buildings. Sil Pukhuri was originally called Nau Konia Pukhuri, (or 'the lake with nine corners'). It is believed that when the lake was excavated, nine wells were dug in nine corners. Water was taken from these nine wells to perform the navagraha bath (a ritual bath involving invocations and incantations to the nava or nine grahas or planets). Shaktipeeths of Guwahati The immediate environs of Guwahati are blessed with four shaktipeeths. Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal Hill where the yoni fell Dirgheswari Temple in north Guwahati where Sati’s thigh fell Ugratara Temple, where her navel landed Bhubaneshwari Temple atop Nilarhal hill where the head of the goddess fell Jor Pukhuri is the name given to a pair (jor) of identical tanks, separated by a road excavated during the reign of the Ahom rulers. Ugratara Temple, a prominent centre of Shakti cult stands on the northern bank of Jor l'ukhuri. legend has it that after Vishnu dismembered Satis body her navel fell on the spot where the temple now stands. The temple was built in 1725 AD by the Ahom king, Swargadeo Siva Singha (1714-1744), who was also instrumental in excavating Jor Pukhuri to facilitate the needs of the devotees at the temple. Like Dighali Pukhuri, it was connected to the Brahmaputra and formed the naval and ship-building base of the Ahom kings. That ancient Guwahati was a significant seat of astrology and astronomy is attested by the Navagraha Temple. Located on Chitranchal Hill, northeast of the city centre, the temple, according to scholars, was in the heart of Pragjyotishpura. The temple has a red beehive-shaped dome and enshrines nine lingas representing the nine planets in its inner sanctum. A short distance northwest of Sil Pukhuri is Ujan Bazar. Sprawled out along the southern bunks of the Brahmaputra, the area is best known for its fish market or the maach ghat where a flurry of trading activity is to be seen every morning. Be sure to reach very early as the day's business usually wraps up by 7 am. According to local lore, Ujan Bazaar derives its name from the word azaan (Muslim call for prayer) due to the presence of a mosque in the urea. Another theory suggests that the name comes from the Ahomiya word jaan (a rivulet), though no such stream exists any longer. A little ahead of Ujan Bazaar, along the river, is Sukreshwar Devalaya, a Shiva temple, constructed in 1744 by the Ahom king Swargadeo Pramatta Singha. From the wee hours of the morning, devotees throng the temple to .seek the deity's blessings before setting about their daily activities. Shops outside the temple, adjoining the main road, sell flowers, mainly marigold and tulsi and bel leaves. The main temple is approached by a long flight of steps and is guarded by two beautifully sculpted Nandis. The huge linga enshrined in the temple's garbhagriha is considered by locals as one of the twelve rive jyotirlingas or ‘lingas of light', marking the spots where Shiva pierced the earth with columns of fire. Within the same complex is the equally popular Janardan Devalaya dedicated to Vishnu. This is believed to be an older temple, rebuilt in the 18th century. A small pathway at the back of the temple complex leads down to Sukreshwar Ghat, the jetty from where Assam Tourism's Brahmaputra river cruises take off. Midway down the steps, if one looks to the right, one is completely unprepared for the breathtaking sculptures carved into the rock-face, that look out on to the river. Said to be over 600 years old, the sculptures, depicting Brahma and other Hindu deities, are in a remarkable state of preservation. Nearby is the Gateway of Guwahati, erected, it is said, to commemorate the visit of Thomas Baring, the Earl of Northbrook, while he served as Viceroy of India (1872-76). Paltan Bazaar, another of the citv's commercial centres, lies to the east of Ujan Bazaar. It forms the transportation and hospitality hub of Guwahati. Apart from the city's railway station, Paltan Bazaar also houses the main depot of the state-owned Assam State transport Corporation (ASTC). Most of the city's hotels -both high-end as well as budget establishments - function from Paltan Bazaar. The Guwahati Tea Auction Centre here is the largest of its kind in the world. Set up in 1970, it handles most of the tea business of Assam. The scale of its turnover can be judged by the fact that Assam produces 55% of India's tea and accounts for 80% of India's tea export. A short ferry ride from Kachari Ghat takes one to Peacock Island. This tiny island on the Brahmaputra, with its spiritually stirring vista, is home to the Umananda Temple. The temple is located atop the Bhasmachala Hill (or the ‘hill of ashes') on the island. Legend has it that Lord Shiva used the island as one of his meditation spots. Once when he was deep in meditation, he was disturbed by Kamdev, the god of love. Infuriated by his actions, Shiva burned Kamdev and the mound of his ashes formed the present hill. The temple was built in 1694 AD by the general Garhganya Handique under orders from Gadadhar Singh (1681-1696), one of the ablest and strongest rulers of the Ahom dynasty. The original temple was damaged during the devastating earthquake of 1897. Later, it was reconstructed by a rich, local merchant who chose to inscribe the interiors of the Shiva temple with Vaishnavite slogans. The island is also home to the rare golden langur (Trachypithecus geei), first brought to the attention of science by the naturalist E P Gee in the mid-20th century. Although the tiny island has over ten of these beautiful animals, they are extremely difficult to spot, and sightings are, hence, counted as fortuitous. Ferries ply to and from the island all day long. The best time, however, to explore the island is during the afternoon. The island, as well as the trip back offers spectacular views of sunset over the immense Brahmaputra. The sky is painted a bright shade of red and the afterglow persists even when the sun is long gone. Located in the Panjabari area of the citv, Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra is a multi-arts complex that aims to preserve and promote the socio-culrural heritage of Assam. The complex has an open-air theatre and a central museum that showcases various artifacts made by the different ethnic groups of Assam. The open-air theatre, a replica of the Rang Ghar in Sivasagar can hold about 2,000 persons, and stages folk festivals, traditional dances and theatre. There is an Artists' Village where resident and invited artists display and sell their creations. A section of the village portravs rural life in Assam through life-like statues and model thatched huts. Sahitya Bhavan in Kalakshetra has a huge collection of rare books and manuscripts. It is a repository of the literature of the region. Another section of the art complex is the Lalit Kala Bhavan. It organizes exhibitions and workshops on art and culture. A heritage park is also a part of the huge complex About a 45-minute drive east from Pan Bazaar, some of it through picturesque country roads, takes one to Basishtha Ashram. Located on the outskirts of the Garbhanga Reserve Forest, this serene temple complex is believed to have been the hermitage of the legendary sage Basishtha. Basishtha was one of the saptarishis or seven great sages of Hindu mythology. In the Ramayana he is said to have tutored Lord Rama and his brothers. The ashram is nestled like a well-hidden jewel some distance away from the Basishtha Chariali or the main crossing where NH 37 intersects Basishtha Road. An 18th century Shiva Temple built by the Ahom king, Kajeshwar Singh, greets the visitor as he steps into the sylvan environs of the hermitage. While the large mandapa of the temple is frequented by sadhus in Vermillion robes, the paid guardians of the temple precincts are the monkeys who ring the bells near the ashram gate when given a little morsel of food Devotees, used to the simian presence, light lamps and offer incense to the dvurapalas and lesser deities who flank the doorway to the garbhagriha. They then proceed inside to make offerings to a shivalinga, barely visible in the dimly lit interiors, and receive prasad. Steps leading down from the Shiva Temple take you to the smaller Ganesh Temple, with its curious conical spire surrounded by smaller similar-shaped turrets. A path carries on further to three streams, Sandhya, Lalila and Kanta, that flow down from the waterfall that cascades beside the ashram. On winter evenings, the flow of the streams is considerably reduced as compared to the gush during the rainy seasons. Yet, on any given day, families, lovers and tourists are to be found sitting on the giant rocks that flank the streams and soak in the tranquility. Today, both picnickers and devotees will find a host of culinary options at the modest eateries that have cropped up beside the car park outside the ashram. Heading westward towards the airport, a short way off National Highway 31, is Deepor Beel, a large freshwater lake surrounded by wetlands of immense biological importance. Covering a total area of 414 hectares, the lake (beel in Ahomiya) and its Surroundings support the livelihood of over 1,200 tribals in 14 villages around it, and also protect and nurture a unique ecological habitat. From the smaller phytoplankton to the giant water lily (Euryale ferox), the floating water hyacinth to deciduous forests rich in teak, sal and bamboo, it forms the 'lung space' that constantly replenishes the increasingly choked metropolitan air. It was designated a Ramsar site in November 2002 under the Ramsar Convention for the protection of wetlands. The beel is a natural habitat to as many as 219 species of endemic and over 70 species of migratory birds. During the winters, it is very common to spot congregations of more than 20,000 migratory aquatic birds. Some of the globally threatened species like the spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), lesser adjutant stork (Leptoptilos javanicus.), Baer’s pochard (Aythya Baeri), Pallas’ sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) and greater adjutant stork (Leptoptilos dubius) can be seen here. Close by, in Jalukbari, stands the Gauhati University campus overlooking the Brahmaputra. Established in 1948, the University is among the oldest in the northeastern states. Connecting the city of Guwahati with the northern bank of the Brahmaputra is the 1.5 km long Saraighat Bridge, built where the Brahmaputra is at its narrowest in its entire course through Assam. This was also the Site of the historic battle of Saraighat. Construction of this bridge began in 1958 and upon completion in 1962, it became India's first road cum-rail bridge. This helped create a railway link between the northeastern states with the rest of the country. The bridge remains of immense strategic importance and is heavily guarded by armed police. Across the Saraighat Bridge is the futuristic Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, built in 2007 for the National Games of India. Kamakhya Temple Kamakhya Temple, on Nilachal hill, eight kilometres west of Guwahati railwav station, is one of the most venerated shaktipeeths in India. The temple is dedicated to goddess Kamakhya, an incarnation of Sati. It is on Nilachal Hill, says the Shiva Purana, that the yoni or creative organ of Sati fell when Vishnu, in a bid to save the world from the Shiva's tandava nrittya or dance of destruction, cut her dead body into 51 pieces with his sudarshan chakra. The garbhagriha deep inside the temple, marks the sacred spot and is kept covered with red silken cloth. Inscriptional evidence dates the temple to 5th-6th century, however the present structure was built in the 16th century by the Koch king Naranarayan. The temple is perhaps the earliest of the surviving Koch monuments in Assam. It is said that in a battle with the Nawab of Gaur, Naranaravan's army suffered a crushing defeat and his brother Chilarai was taken prisoner. Chilarai prayed to goddess Kamakhya, who assured him of his imminent release. No sooner than she had spoken, that news reached that the Nawab's mother was dying of snakebite. Only Chilarai could save her from the jaws of death. Grateful, the Nawab ordered his immediate release. On his return, Naranarayan and Chilarai rebuilt the Kamakhya Temple. Legend however attributes a much higher force behind the construction of the temple. It is said that once, Kamdev, the god of love disturbed Shiva while he was meditating. Infuriated, Shiva turned Kamdev to a pile of ashes. Kamdev's wife Rati, pleaded with Shiva to bring her husband back to life. Moved by Rati's tears, Shiva agreed on condition that she built a temple to Sati on the spot where her yoni had fallen, on Xilachal Hill. It is also said that Assam's ancient name, Kamrup, was derived from the belief that it was here that Kamdev resumed his original rup or form. A sleep path up the hill to Kamakhya Temple is said to have been built by the mythological king, Narakasura. Flanked by wild flowers, the path is referred to as mekhela ujuwa path or the road where you have to lift your mckhela high. Today, the steps leading up to the temple are flanked by a host of shops selling puja paraphernalia. On the right is a carved, colourful gate that leads to the Tara Temple, one of the many subsidiary shrines devoted to eight manifestations of the Mother Goddess, the others being Bagala, Tripurasundari, Kamala, Matandi, Shvama, Bhairavi. Dhumawartand Bhuvaneshwari. Each has their separate shrines in and around the temple complex. As one enters through an elaborately carved archway, one is greeted by the imposing shikhara of the main Kamakhva Temple. The temple itself is reached by climbing down steep steps. It has a pancharatha base and hemispherical shikhara, embellished with honey-comb patterns, tagged by historians as the 'Nilachal' style. This departure in structural idiom set forth a new style in temple architecture, which was later adopted by the Ahom kings to erect their magnificent dols or temples in Sivasagar. Shaktipeeths One of the most popular legends associated with Devi worship is that of King Daksha and his son in-law, the great Shiva. Once Daksha invited all the gods tor a yagna, except Shiva. His daughter Sati, utterly humiliated with the insult meted out to her husband, plunged into the sacrificial fire and immolated herself. Overcome with sorrow, Shiva held her charred body and broke into the tandava nrittya, the dance of destruction, annihilating everything in his way. Durga Bhagwata records that Vishnu, to save the world, splintered Sati's body with his sudarshan chakra. Pieces of the body were flung in various directions and these spots became charged with primordial energy and came to be known as shaktipeeths. The Nilachal style is seen by several scholars as a fusion of Islamic and traditional Hindu architecture. Around the shikhara were built isolated angashikharas like the minarets around an Islamic dome. The saving goes that the artisans who built the Kamakhya Temple were brought from Koch Bihar and were hence more well-versed with Islamic architecture. The temple consists of three mandapas. The antarala has u plain do-chala roof while the jungha (outer wall) of the temple is decorated with ornate sculptures. A flight of steep steps descends into the garbhagriha or inner sanctum which is a dark, underground chamber. Here, a rock covered with red cloth symbolizes the spot charged with divine shakti and stays moist from the waters of an underground spring. Emerging from the garbhagriha on to the open, the temple faces a series of steps that lead to the Saubhagya Kund, overlooked by a Ganesh shrine. The story goes that the mythical warrior-saint, Parashurama once practiced tapasya or penance at the shrine of Kamakhya. Ambuvaci The most popular festival here is the 4-day annual festival of Ambuvaci. The festival of Ambubaci (June-July) celebrates the harmony between the reproductive female body and the cycles of nature. As the mother goddess is believed to be menstruating, for three days the temple is closed for worship. Devotees hold kirtans through the night while sadhus chant outside the temple to allow the divine mother her privacy. Ploughing the fields during these three days is forbidden. The festival is the celebration of the divine mother’s retreat from the demands of her devotees, who are constantly beseeching her. For these days, she resides in the solitude of her feminine nature and enjoys freedom from the concerns of her children. At the end of three days the temple doors are opened, amid great festivity. Devotees from far and wide throng the temple. A piece of red cloth is offered as prasad (consecrated item) and believed to convey wondrous blessings. Then, it is said, a pool sprang forth from the mind of Brahma and the Divine Mother appeared before Parashurama to take a dip in the lake’s cool waters. Upon seeing her, Parashurama spontaneously recited the Saubhagya Stotra, and the pool came to be known as the Saubhagya Kund or the Pool of Divine Benediction. Scholars hold that in ancient times, Nilachal Hill was the site of Khasi sacrificial worship. A natural spring in a cave here oozes out reddish water during the month of Ashadha (June-July). This is attributed by most scholars to the presence of Hematite, an oxide of iron, in the rock. The Khasis believed it to be the menstrual blood of the mother goddess and venerated it. From Kamakhya Temple, a road winds up to the hilltop where another shaktipeeth, Bhubaneshwari Temple, is located. Built in late Ahom period, it is said that Sati’s head fell here. The road leading to Bhubaneshwari Temple offers spectacular views of the surrounding landscape. On a clear day one gets a view of the city of Guwahati sprawled along the banks of the Brahmaputra.