We landed by an Indigo Flight at Guwahati
airport at around 3.30 PM.At Air port I booked ,from pre hired taxi counter for
our guest house.The counter boy charged Rs 300/=for destination.To our surprise
the distance was hardly 3.8 Km and we reached there within 15 minutes.We were
cheated by “pre hired taxi counter boy”.
Whenever one plans a trip to North East, one
must keep in mind that the sun sets here around two hours before the rest of
the country.It is said that North East is wet ,due to an early Sun set in comparison
to rest of India.
After getting energized with tea and some snacks,
we were ready to explore City life of Guwahati by night.Taxi driver stopped in
Paltan bazar.
Palton Bazaar of Guwahati
While roaming on streets of Guwahati, I
realized that it is not a small town, but fairly big and growing. Real estate
business seemed to be booming like any other city in India. The city lies in
the plains of Assam sandwiched between the hills of Meghalaya on one side and
the mighty Brahmaputra on the other side, leaving it without much room to grow.
Kamakhya Temple
We
were ready for whole day roaming in Guwahati.Guwahati is dotted with a number
of ancient temples.The most famous among these is the Kamakhya Temple. Kamakhya is the renowned Goddess of Desire
whose famous shrine is in the heart of Nilachal Hill.Kamakhya temple is
considered most sacred and oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas on earth.It is the
centrepiece of widely practiced, powerful Tantrik Shaktism cult in India. The temple sits atop the Nilachal Hill
about 800 ft above sea level.
The Nilachal hill believed to be a 'Khasi' sacrificial site earlier, now has a group of ancient temples on the top; the largely eminent of them is the Kamakhya temple. The temple of Goddess Shakti or Kamakhya is the oldest and most revered centre for Shakti worship leading to the spread of the Tantrik Hinduism sect.
Legend has it that
this is the spot ‘where Sati used to retire in secret to satisfy her passion with
Shiva, and it was also the place where her yoni fell after Shiva danced with
the corpse of Sati.The middle chamber leads to the sanctum sanctorum of the
temple in the form of a cave, which consists of no image but a natural
underground spring that flows through a yoni-shaped cleft in the bedrock.’
Traditionally, it
is believed that prayers accompanied by the sacrifice of an animal tend to get
heard better…so a courting couple prays with a pigeon offering:
And
so the population around the temple, included pigeons and goats and buffaloes
amidst bridal groups, colorful priests, tantrics–making it a visual treat and
friendly to camera.
Umananda
Island (Peacock Island)
Next
ride was for Umananda Island (Peacock Island), the
smallest river island in the midst of river Brahmaputra flowing through the
city of Guwahati.The British named the island Peacock Island for its structure. Umananda Temple is a late 17th century
Shiva Temple located at Peacock Island in middle of river Brahmaputra.
According to mythology, Shiva created the island for his wife Parvati's happiness and pleasure. Shiva is said to have resided here in the form of Bhayananda. According to a myth, Shiva burnt Kamadeva with his third eye on Umananda when he interrupted Shiva's deep meditation.
According
to the Kalika Purana, it was believed that Goddess Urvashi, who brought nectar
for the pleasure of Kamakhya, resided here. Therefore, the island on which this
temple is constructed is also known as Urvashi Island.
A
walk along river Brahamputra
Th
One of the most sought after sightseeing activity in Guwahati is to enjoy a
walk along River Brahamputra.It seems impossible to visit this city and yet not
lose yourself for a few minutes by the majestic Brahmaputra River. Typically, a
lot of people start their day at the banks of the river while sipping chai or
energising with a fresh workout.
Statue of Ahom general
Lachit Borphukan with soldiers and cannons. built over a concrete pedestal in
Brahmaputra
A
35-feet-high statue of Ahom General Lachit Borphukan is erected in the middle
of the Brahmaputra near Machkhowa in Guwahati. The soldiers and the cannons are
made of fiberglass. The total size of the pedestal on which the statues rest
is 12 by 12 by 1.5 meters and it stands on a well 8.5 meters wide. The main
statue stands four feet above the pedestal while the soldiers are placed below
Lachit.The pedestal is placed five meters above the High Flood Level (HFL) of
the river and 50 meters below water.
Lachit Borphukan
(1622-1672) was the Commander-In-Chief in the famous battle of Saraighat.
He
refused to let the Mughals rule the North-East. He saved Ahom kingdom from
Mughals. A greatest warrior in the history of North East India. The Mughal army had been assigned from
Dhaka and had set up a camp on the north bank of the Brahmaputra at Hajo, now
in Kamrup district of lower Assam.
Much
weaker, the Ahom Army defeated the Mughal Army by brilliant uses of the
terrain, clever diplomatic negotiations to buy time, guerrilla tactics,
psychological warfare, military intelligence and by exploiting the sole
weakness of the Mughal forces—its navy.
At
some distance from Alfresco Park on bank of river Brahmaputra,where
I was walking, heard musical band with a
large gathering.As per curiosity,I walked there.I was amused that a
grand occasion was there: 2nd
River Brahmaputra Art Festival’ to showcase artists from 25 countries was going
on.I loaded my camera to capture that
moment.It was showcase illustrious artists from at least 25 countries.
The
39 year-old young Indian artist who displayed his art works in various national
and international exhibitions said, “It took years to expose my creative soul
to the world audience. Besides attending exhibition in different festivals,
River Brahmaputra Art Festival is a sort of dream comes true with a unique
feeling and emotions.
Deka
studied fine art in Khairagarh, Chhattisgarh. After finishing his course he
shifted to Mumbai in search of a better platform. Poverty instills fear, stress
and sometimes depression; strained childhood pushed him to make extra effort in
life. Deka has been flourished with experiences participating exhibitions held
in London, New York city, Moscow, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand
and Egypt.
For
travellers who love nature and adventure, Guwahati is an ideal place and has
much places to visit, some of these are: Deepor
Beel Wildlife Sanctuary. Saraighat Bridge. Assam State Zoo, Pobitora Wildlife
Sanctuary, Tea gardens, Alfresco Grand cruise in mighty Brahmaputra River.
Travelogue
of Guwahati: The Door to Seven Sisters Paradise, written, photographed and
posted by Engr Maqbool Akram with help of Wikipedia and materials available on
net with thanks.
