eSouvenir - Guwahati - The Land of Mother Goddess Kamakhya

GUWAHATI: The land of Mother Goddess Kamakhya

Dr. Suresh Chakravarty

Guwahati, the land of “Mother Goddess Kamakhya” is the Gateway to the North East as it is the major cultural, political, educational, transportation and commercial hub of North East India. The largest city of Assam and North East, a major riverine port city along with hills surrounding all sides and one of the fastest growing cities in India. Situated on the South bank of the Brahmaputra, the only mighty male river of India, Guwahati is also known as the “City of temples”.

The ancient cities of Pragjyotishpura and Durjaya (North Guwahati) were the capitals of the ancient state of Kamarupa. Once known as ‘Pragjyotishpura’ (the light of the east), Guwahati derives its name from the Assamese word “Guva” derived from the Sanskrit word Guvaka, meaning areca nut and its plant and “Hati” meaning rows, the rows of areca nut trees.

Photo Credit: Kunal Dalui

Guwahati’s myths and history go back several thousands of years. Although the exact date of the city’s beginning is unknown, references in the epics, Puranas, and other traditional histories of India, lead many to assume that it is one of the ancient cities of Asia. Epigraphic sources place the capital of Kamarupa kingdom in Guwahati. The Kalika Purana mention that Kamarupa was inhabited by Kiratas. Located within Guwahati is the ancient Shakti temple of Goddess Kamakhya in Nilachal hill (an important seat of Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhism), the ancient and unique astrological temple Navagraha in Chitrachal Hill, and archaeological remains in Basistha and other archaeological locations of mythological importance.

The Ambari excavations trace the time period of the city of Guwahati between the 2^nd century BCE and the 1^st century CE, in the Shunga- Kushana period of Indian history. During earlier periods of the city’s history it was known as Pragjyotishpura, and was the capital of Assam under the Kamarupa kingdom. Descriptions by Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) reveal that during the reign of the Varman king Bhaskaravarman (7^th century CE), the city stretched for about 30 li (15km or 9.3 mi). Archaeological evidence by excavations in Ambari, and excavated brick walls and houses discovered during construction of the present Cotton College’s auditorium suggest the city was of economic and strategic importance until the 9^th-11^th century CE.

Forces of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji suffered a disastrous defeat in the hands of Raja Prithu in Kamrup during Tibetan expedition. The entire army of Bakhtiyar Khalji was defeated by native forces, which forced him to retreat.

The city was the seat of the Borphukan, the civil-military authority of the Lower Assam region appointed by the Ahom kings. The Borphukan’s residence was in the present Fancy Bazaar area, and his council-hall, called Dopdar, was about 300 yards (270m) to the west of the Bharalu stream. The Majindar Baruah, the personal secretary of the Borphukan, had his residence in the present-day deputy commissioner’s residence.

The Mughals invaded Assam seventeen times, but were defeated by the Ahoms in the Battle of Itakhuli and the Battle of Saraighat in outskirts of Guwahati. There was an ancient boatyard in Dighalipukhuri, probably used by the Ahoms in medieval times. Medieval constructions include temples, ramparts, and other structures in the city.

The Brahmaputra river flows to the north of the metropolis. The city is bordered on the south by the foothills of the Shillong plateau and to the east by the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary. The Bharalu River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, flows right through the heart of the city. To the south-west of the city lies Dipor Bil, a permanent freshwater lake with no prominent inflows apart from monsoon run-off from the hills that lie to the south of the lake. The lake drains into the Brahmaputra, 5km (3.1 mi) to the north, and acts as a natural stormwater reservoir for the city. There are also multiple hills within the city limits.

The city has a comparatively high quality of life. A 2006 survey ranked Guwahati 17^th among all the large and medium-sized Indian cities. The city provides competitive residential and working environments and beautiful landscapes, pleasant climate, modern shopping areas, modern apartments, and bungalows, and considerably developed social infrastructure. A centrally funded four-lane, ambitious East-West Corridor will pass through Guwahati and connect all the state capitals of Northeast India. Completion of the project will boost the vital upliftment of the whole region.

The city still needs attention to improve its infrastructure. Funding from the Asian Development Bank is providing assistance to improve Guwahati’s transportation infrastructure along with a substantial amount from Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for its development.

Dispur, the capital of Assam, lies in Guwahati. The passing of the North Eastern (Reorganization Areas) Act in 1971 by the Indian Parliament accorded Meghalaya the status of a full-fledged state. After the creation of Meghalaya as a separate state, Shillong continued to be the joint capital of both Assam and Meghalaya. However, in 1972, the Government of Assam decided to shift the capital to Dispur. Accordingly, the first sitting of the Budget Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly was held at Dispur on 16 March 1973. Dispur houses the Secretariat of Assam Government, the Assam Assembly House, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Regional Office, the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) House and the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC).

Guwahati Municipal Corporation is the local body responsible for governing, developing and managing the city. It is divided into 31 municipal wards. Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is an agency responsible for planning and development of the greater Guwahati Metropolitan Area and for revising the Guwahati Master Plan and Building Bylaws to cover an area of 3,214 square kilometres (1,214 sq mi) by 2025.

Guwahati consists of four assembly constituencies: Jalukbari, Dispur, Gauhati East and Gauhati West, all of which are part of Gauhati (Lok Sabha constituency).

Guwahati is one of the fastest growing cities in India. Population of Guwahati in 2021 is estimated to be 11 lakhs (approx.). It is estimated that Guwahati metro will house 2.8 million residents by 2025. According to the 2011 census, there were around 957,352 people living in Guwahati city, of which around 558,532 population spoke Assamese., 198,544 speaks Bengali, 138,056 speaks Hindi, 16,331 speaks Bodo and 4.81% speaks other minority languages like Manipuri, Nepali, Telugu, Punjabi and others. Guwahati is the major educational hub of Northeast India. Among the esteemed institutions is the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT), an autonomous institute dedicated in the field of technical studies in India. Cotton University, erstwhile Cotton College is yet another century-old institution in the fields of Science and Arts.

It has numerous educational institutes and colleges such as Gauhati University, Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences, Assam Science and Technology University, Gauhati Commerce College, K.C. Das Commerce College, Handique Girls College, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati,B. Borooah College, Dispur College, Regional Dental College, Guwahati, N.E.F Law College, National Law University and Judicial Academy, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Government Ayurvedic College, Guwahati, Assam Engineering College, Assam Institute of Management, Assam Don Bosco University, Assam Down Town University, Royal Global University, Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education NE Regional Centre, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati Campus and Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Guwahati, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, and ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig.

There are various private schools too like Delhi Public School, Sanskriti the Gurukul, Holy Child School and Faculty Higher Secondary School.

Guwahati features the multi-purpose Nehru Stadium which hosts mainly cricket and football; while the Kanaklata Indoor Stadium in the R.G. Baruah Sports Complex (in the Ulubari locality) is one of the oldest sports complex in the city. The North-East Frontier Railway Stadium of Maligaon, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex of Paltan Bazaar and the Judges Field are other prominent sporting venues of the city.

The sporting infrastructures specially constructed for the 33^rd National Games in 2007 include a large stadium at Sarusajai – the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, the Dr. Zakir Hussain Aquatic Complex, and the Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi A.C. Indoor Hall. Other new sports structures include the Maulana Md. Tayabullah Hockey Stadium at Bhetapara, the Deshbhakta Tarun Ram Phookan Indoor Stadium at Ulubari, Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium at Amingaon, Chachal Tennis Complex and Tepesia Sports Complex. The renovated sports complexes include Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium at Khanapara, Rudra Singha Sports Complex at Dispur and Gauhati University Sports Stadium. The Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium was also the main venue of the 2016 South Asian Games, which was held from 5 to 16 February 2016. The stadium also hosted the Himalayan Region Games in 2017 and the FIFA U-17World Cup in India in 2017. It will also host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India in 2020 including the opening match.

Guwahati is home to the professional football team NorthEast United FC of Indian Super League, who play their home matches at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. It presents one of the finest football atmospheres in India.

ACA Stadium, also known as Bhupen Hazarika Stadium, a cricket stadium located at Barsapara is the home of Assam cricket team. It has a seating capacity of 40,000. It is the largest cricket stadium in Northeast India and 2^nd largest in East India. It hosted an India vs Australia T20 match in 2017 in its international debut. The first ODI in the stadium was held in 2018 between India and West Indies.

The newly built ropeway over the River Brahmaputra.

Fancy Bazar

View of Guwahati City

Guwahati is one of the main tourist hubs in the entire Northeast India. The city is endowed with many beautiful places of tourist attraction. Every year thousands of tourists visit the place to appreciate its beauty. Guwahati is blessed with ancient temples, ponds, lakes, museums, heritage sites and sanctuaries. The mighty Brahmaputra River is one of the major attractions of Guwahati. It is the lifeline of Guwahati. Other tourist attractions of Guwahati include Deepor Beel, Digholi Pukhuri, Guwahati Planetarium, Accoland, Guwahati Zoo, Assam State Museum, and Srimanta Sankardeva Kalashetra. Among the many temples in Guwahati, the first name that comes to mind is the famous Kamakhya temple. People not only from India but from abroad come to visit the temple to seek the blessings of Goddess Kamakhya. It is a Sakta temple dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya. It is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Pithas. Situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city , it is the main temple in a complex of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas of Saktism, namely, Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. Among these, Tripurasundari, Matangi and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven reside in individual temples. Originally an autochthonous place of worship, the Kamakhya Temple became identified with the state power when the Mleccha and then with the Pala kings of Kamarupa, and finally the Koch and the Ahoms patronized it. The Kalika Purana, written during the Pala rule, connected Naraka, the legitimizing progenitor of the Kamarupa kings, with the myth of the goddess Kamakhya representing the region and Kamarupa kingdom. In July 2015, the Supreme Court of India transferred the administration of the Temple from the Kamakhya Debutter Board to the Bordeuri Samaj. It is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus and especially for Tantric worshipers. Other famous temples in Guwahati include the Aswaklanta temple, Doul Govinda temple, Iskcon temple, Basistha temple, Balaji temple, Ugratara temple, Navagraha temple, Sukreswar temple and Umananda temple and many others.

Shopaholics would also find Gauhati a hub for shopping both contemporary and traditional items. In the many markets in Guwahati one will find the beautifully made silk items like “pat silk” and “muga silk”. Assamese traditional jewellery is yet another splendid work the city has to offer to the tourists.

All in all compared to the other well known cities in India, Guwahati may be small or lacking in one way or another, but nothing is ever perfect in this world. As a resident of this city for 45 years I've seen it grow in front of my eyes. It isn't the same anymore but amidst all the roads, buildings and flyovers that are being made everyday, one can still feel the spirit of the city, never wavering, unyielding and standing tall like the hills that surrounds it. It may be a small city but in these small city we find a different kind of peace and solace not to be found anywhere else.

Dr. Suresh Chakravarty is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the Gauhati Medical College Hospital, Guwahati. He is the Chairman of the Souvenir committee for the 22nd Annual National Conference of Indian Association of Private Psychiatry.

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