Hajo

Hajo, a place just 32 kms from my house in Guwahati, and I knew so little about the place and the people. So off I rode to Hajo. It took me 2hrs to reach the main town. Not that the road condition was bad, but the view all along the way was just fantastic. The river Brahmaputra and the enveloping hills on both the sides ensured that I made many pit stops in admiration. With early morning rains bringing down the mercury level, it was a great day for biking.

My 1^st climb was the Garurachal Hills to see the shrine people call Poa Mecca, a place of pilgrimage for the Muslim community. On top of the hill is a mosque and the tomb of Gyasuddin Aulia. It is said that Gyasuddin Aulia , an Iranian prince, made the first attempt to impregnate Islam in this part of the country(supposedly 12AD). Legend has it that the preacher had bought a lump of earth from Mecca and enshrined the same at the spot where the mosque was built at a later period. 

The present preacher there was kind enough to educate me on the history and importance of the shrine. With his due permission I took a few pictures.

Tomb of Gyasuddin Aulia

I came across this inscription and the preacher explained to me that it was in Persian, stating that the mosque was built by Sujauddin Mohammed Shah, the son of Shah Jahan, in 1657.

Now, I tried taking this picture from all possible angle. But the telecom tower just won’t go away. With meagre government funds, I guess the earning from having the telecom tower installation helps the caretaking society to keep the shrine in shape.

My next stoppage was at the Manikuta Hill. A flight of stairs lead me to the famous Hayagriva Madhav Temple.  The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu( Supreme God as per Hindu Mythology) and houses an image of Lord Vishnu resembling that of Jagannath at Puri, Orissa.

I stopped to feed the turtles and the fish in the adjacent pond.....

Some historians date the temple to the 6^thcentury( reign of the Pala Dynasty). The present structure , made of stone, is believed to be constructed by King Naranarayan in 1583, after being destroyed by Kalapahar(claimed to be one of Sulaiman Karrani's generals).

On request , the priest gave me a very elaborate tour of the temple. The presiding deity is worshipped as the Man Lion incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The exterior of the temple is sculpted with figures that represent the 10 incarnation/avatars of Lord Vishnu.

I was surprised to know that the temple is a pilgrimage site for the Buddhist too. The Buddhist  believe that Buddha attained Moksha or Nirvana in this place and that the image inside the temple is that of Buddha

During Bihu, the Bulbuli(bird) fights are organised here with great enthusiasm.

I was then shown this gateway called the ‘Jagannath Dwar’, which points/leads to the Jagannath Temple at Puri, in Orissa.

Below live the artisans who work on Bell metal and Brass, an industry Hajo is famous for.

It is interesting to know that, since time immemorial, all the brass and bell metal utensils used in the Hayagriva Temple is made by the  Moria Community—a muslim community. No wonder Hajo is said to be the meeting place of the 3 religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam.


My next stop was “Bhimar Charia”, just about one and a half kilometres from the Hayagriva Madav Temple. As per Hindu mythology, the Pandavas had taken shelter in here during their agyatvas (during the period in hiding). One can see the stone bowl used by Bhima (one of the bigger Pandava brothers) during this agyatvas.

Some say that this bowl was used by Bhima to eat. But a picture from another angle shows some steps on the inner side of the bowl. Maybe he might have used it to have a bath( Helmet to scale).

Another kilometer from there, on the Madan Achal Hill were the Kedar Temple, Kamleshwar temple, Durga temple and the Ganesh temple(Kaal Ganesh).

The Kedar temple

Kaal Ganesh

As I climbed down the steps, the sun was high…….. and the steps were made of granite. I felt that it would be a better idea to visit the temples during winters, unless , one wants to experience what walking on fire feels like.

On my way back I saw some smaller temples too, believed to be constructed during the Ahom reign.

Finally, on reaching Guwahati, I visited the park on the north bank. It has been built in memory of the famous Battle of Sarighat, where the Ahoms under the command of Lachit Barphukan , defeated the mighty Mughals.

Battle of Saraighat

The Park

Near Hajo is a place called Sualkuchi, the textile centre of Assam. Its next on my "To visit List".