Best Hindu pilgrim places in and around Guwahati in Assam
Guwahati, Assam's capital city is replete with a number of pilgrim places like Kamakhya Temple, Navagraha temple and many more. In this article we are discussing many such Hindu pilgrim places in and around Guwahati and nearby places. Details fo how to visit and what is the best time to visit these pilgrims places are given here.
Most visited Hindu temples in Guwahati
Guwahati is a beautiful city in the lap of Assam, enriched with bounty of Nature. It has important participation in making of history of Assam and more importantly in the scriptures of Hinduism like Puranas, myths and legends. As a pilgrim place for Hindus Guwahati is a must see for its temples, Devalois and holy water bodies.Kamakhya temple
Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati is one of the top Pilgrims place in Assam. Hindus from the world visit this temple to get the blessings from Maa Kamakhya. The main festival in Kamakhya Temple is Ambubaci mela during June. Kamakhya Temple is one of the top Shaktipeethas according to Hindu beliefs and mythologies. Purana's has the story that after Sati's death husband Lord Shiva could not bear the truth and roamed the three worlds. Sati's body deceased on Shiva's shoulders and it started falling in different places. All those places where Sati's body parts have fallen are considered Shaktipeethas and hold great place of importance for the devotees.
Ugra Tara temple
Ugro Tara temple is another Shaktipeetha is Assam where it is believed to have Sati's eyes to fall. Ugro Tara mandir is situated on the banks of Jorapukhuri. Basistha/Vashisth Temple in Guwahati
Situated on the Sandhyachal Hill, Basistha Temple is a favourite pilgrim's places. This temple was the Ashram hermitage of Mahamuni Vashisth. The convergence of three streams Sandhya-Lalita-Kanta has made this place a beautiful tourist spot as well.
Sukreswar Temple Sukreswar Temple is a temple of Lord Shiva. Ahom King Pramatta Singha have got this temple built. The temple is situated by the river of Brahmaputra on the Dakini(also called Jogini hill).Navagraha Temple
Navagraha mandir is a must visit for pilgrims. Navagraha means nine gods/planets. Hindus believe that these nine planets and their associated gods have tremendous impact on human lives. So people go to Navagraha Temple to offer prayer to these nine gods. Navagraha Temple is also situated on a hill named Chitrachal. Navagraha temple is also a centre for studying astrology in ancient Assam. The ancient name of Assam was Pragjyotishpura, meaning centre for study of Astrology. Navagraha temple is situated at just 3 km distance from Guwahati Railway Station.Umananda Temple on Peacock Island Assam
Umanada Temple is a pligrims place in Guwahati in Kamrup district and its scenice beauty is worth mentioning. Umananda Temple is situated at Peacock island)also known as Urvashi island, in the middle of the river Brahmaputra, just opposite the Kachari Ghat. This island is considered as the smallest inhabited island in the world. Umananda is another Temple of Lord Shiva. It was built by Ahom King Gadadhar Singha.
Interstingly, Umanada Temple also is situated on a hillock namely Bhasmachala or Bhasmakuta. Legend has it that Lord Shiva has meditated on this hill and his meditation was interrupted by Kamdeva, and Kamdeva turned into ashes as Shuva burnt him with his anger. Kamdeva got his life back in this place after his wife Rati pleased Lord Shiva with his prayer. That is why the name of this place became Kamrup. This place is considered crucial in Assam history.
You can reach Umananda temple by ferry of country boat.
Latest addition to Guwahati cities religious heritage is Balaji Temple. The location of Balaji Temple is Betkuchi. The Temple is like any othe South Indian architecture and reflect new age tehnology unlike the other temples of Guwahati.ISKON temple
Another attraction for pilgrims and toursits as well is ISKON temple. It is like any other ISKON temple and it is dedicated to Radha-Krishna. Every evening you can enjoy Kirtan of Bhagvad Gita and it is something pilgrims watch out for.Balaji Temple, Guwahati
This temple is a recent addition to the religious places of Guwahati. It is situated at Betkuchi area of the city. Balaji temple with striking South Indian architecture is unlike the other temples of this place. In the evening illuminated by electric lights the temple looks very beautiful.Other Pilgrim places near Guwahati
Hajo is an important pilgrim places near Guwahti.
Basically Hajo is a pilgrims place for three religions i.e, for Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.
Hayagriva Madhava at Hajo, an important destination for Hindus for Pilgrimage. But some Buddhists believe that the Hayagriva Mahhava temple is the place where Lord Buddha attained Nirvana. Hayagriva Temple is a temple of Lord Vishnu and is situated on Monikut hill.
Hajo is also considered a pilgrim's place for Muslims as well for its Powa Mecca or Poa Mecca. Powa means one fourth of a Kilo. The mosque in hajo is known as Powa Mecca and it is believed that a powa of soil was brought from the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. So visiting Powa Mecca of Hajo Assam is considered pious. The mosque is situated on Garurachal hill and it is also important as the tomb of Pir Giasuddin Auliya. Pir Giasuddin Auliya was an Islam saint who spread Islam to this part of thw world. Powa Mecca mosque was built by Sujauddin Mohammed Shah in 1657 AD.H Conclusion
If you go on a pilgrimage to Guwahati and miss the sight seeing that it will be a huge mistake. The beautiful city, on the lap of nature is full of other tourist attractions. Assam Zoo and Botanical Garden, Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Museum, Accoland etc are some tourist spots you should not miss. Especially if you want a glimpse of culture, religion, art and craft of Assam and the North East states you must visit Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra(known as Kalakshetra). All these places are well connected by bus and other public transports.
Excellent information about pilgrim places around Guwahati. These places were not readily available in other websites.