Umananda Temple in Assam India
Built in 1694 by one of the ablest and strongest rulers of the Ahom dynasty, King Gadadhar Singha, Umananda Temple is located at the Peacock Island in the middle of River Brahmaputra, opposite the Kachari Ghat in Guwahati. According to legend, Shiva is said to have resided here in the form of Bhayananda. The original Umananda Temple structure was immensely damaged during the 1897 earthquake and was later reconstructed by a rich local merchant who inscribed the interior part of this temple with Vaisnavite slogans. However, the present day Umananda Temple has inherited several rock-cut figures that passionately speak of the artistic skills of the ancient Assamese craftsmen. Approachable through a flight of steep steps, the main shrine beholds sculptures of all principal Hindu gods including Surya, Ganesha, Shiva and Devi, along with Vishnu and his ten incarnations.
The mountain on which Umananda Temple is built is called Bhasmacala. Umananda is the presiding deity of this temple and is believed that worship on the 'Amavasya Day' (Lunar Eclipse), if it is Monday, brings the highest bliss. This temple is visited by several devotees on such occasions including Shiva Ratri and Shiva Chaturdashi; the Shiva Temple of Umananda is conveniently reached by motor-boats and public ferries that ply from Kachari Ghat, or the Umananda Ghat bringing in scores of devotees. However, October to April is the only suitable time to be here, as at other times, this ancient Umananda Temple faces the fury of floods and rising waters of River Brahmaputra during the rainy seasons.
