 |
| Steps to Sukreswara temple |
 |
| Sukreswar temple |
 |
| Sukreswar Temple Premises |
 |
| Temple Hall |
 |
| Sukreswara Linga in the sanctum |
 |
| Sukreswar Ghat |
 |
Sukreswar Temple Tower
|
Sukreswar or
Shukleswar temple located on the southern banks of the river Brahmaputra is one
of the prime attractions of Guwahati city. It is in Pan bazar locality in the heart of the city and has a very
beautiful scenic background with the river Brahmaputra flowing beside it. In
this temple one can see one of the largest Shiva lingas in India. As per legend
Sage Shukracharya lived here and did penance and worshipped Shiva here on this
hillock called Sukreswar Hill or Itakhulli hill. In Kalikapurana this hill on
which the Sukacharya used to stay was named as Hasti Giri as the shape of the
hill resembles the round hump of an elephant.
One has to climb steps to reach this temple. In a large
space the temple is seen with a spacious hall and inner sanctum. In the hall
one can see the beautiful idols of Shiva Parivar—Lord Ganesha with his mount
mushaka, Lord Subrahmamnya with six faces mounted on a peacock, Lord Shiva and
His consort Parvati. These idols are made of panchaloha and seem very bright
and shining. In the inner sanctum one sees a very large Shiva Linga made of dark grey-colored stone. Many people consider it to be the sixth Jyothirlinga.
Originally a temple was here belonging to 10th century. In 1744 the
Ahom King Pramatta Singha renovated the temple. In 1759 King Rajeswar Singha
gave much wealth in charity and promoted Shiva Cult during his rule. This
temple is open from 6.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Archana, Abhishekam and Arati are performed
here every day. During Maha Shivaratri and Shiv Chaturdasi special poojas are
done and thousands of devotees are seen visiting this temple.
Just beside this
temple there is a ghat called Shukleswar Ghat with the river Brahmaputra
flowing by. There are steps here to go down and offer pooja to the river. It is
considered that the funeral or post-death rituals done here will give salvation
to the dead person. There is ferry service from here to go to the other side of
the river. The scenic beauty especially during sunrise and sunset is extremely
fascinating.
 |
| Janardana temple |
 |
| Janardana temple sculptures on the walls |
 |
Janardana Temple Hall
|
 |
Janardana temple Entrance |
Near this temple
there is another temple for Vishnu called Janardana templebelieved to be built
in 17th century by Pramatta Singha. A Buddhist idol is seen in the
sanctum and is considered as an incarnation of Vishnu. A combination of
Buddhist and Hindu architectural styles are seen in this holy shrine with milky
white walls and carved figures of various gods and goddesses. The prayer hall is
quite spacious and serene. Many Hindu and Buddhist devotees come here to
worship the deity and do meditation. This temple opens at 5.30 a.m. and
closes at 8.00 p.m. One can see both temples and can also enjoy the scenic
beauty of the Brahmaputra river. The nearby tourist places are Dol Govinda temple
(1.5 kms) Assam State Museum (4kms.) and
Guwahati planetarium (3kms).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
25th November, 2018 Somaseshu Gutala
No comments:
Post a Comment