Temple

Located in the middle of river Brahmaputra in a Peacock Island, Umananda Devaloi (Umananda Temple) is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple was built by Ahom King Gadadhar Singha in 1694 AD. The temple was almost destroyed after the earthquake in 1897. It was later reconstructed by a rich local merchant.

Legend

It is believed that once Lord Shiva resided there in the form of Bhayananda, which is why the hillock is also known as Bhasmacala. According to the Kalika Purana, before the beginning of the creation, Lord Shiva sprinkled Bhasma at the place and started sharing His knowledge to His consort Devi Parvathi.
Another story says that once Kamadeva disturbed Mahadev when He was in deep meditation. The angry Shiva turned Kamdeva Madana into ashes for which the place is also called as Bhasmacala.

Architecture

The one-storey edifice of the Umananda Temple is built with the typical ancient Kamrup architecture. Inside the red colored dome shaped temple, the shiva linga is placed.

Darsan Info

Umananda Temple is open everyday from 7AM - 5PM.

Darsan Dresscode

No specific dress code for visiting Umananda Temple.

Culture

The North-Eastern state of Assam is one of the largest states in India and is blessed with excellent weather, flora and fauna. The state is blessed with the mighty Brahmaputra River that is one of the major sources of water for irrigation and livelihood for the local people out there. The national parks and reserves of Kaziranga and Manas are often visited by the tourists to explore the widest range of rhinos in India.
Defining Assam will be incomplete without mentioning about the heavenly tea they produce. The Assam tea has achieved the international reputation for its strong flavor.                                                   
Besides the breathtaking views of nature, Assam boasts of its century-old cultures that they have preserved till date. It is said that Assam is the meeting ground of innumerable cultures. Today's Ahomiya people or the inhabitants of Assam are said to have their origins from the different racial stocks including Indo-Iranian, Burmese, Mongolian, and Aryan groups.                                                                        
The Ahomiyas have a strong cultural background. With their indigenous form of music and dance, Assam has created a place in the cultural platform across India and the world.  Bihu, Tea Folk's Jhumur Dance, Bagurumba, Deodhani, Bhortal Nritya, Satriya Nritya are some of their finest performing arts.
Assam also houses some of the ancient temples of the world. During the era of the Kamrupa Kings, the temples were mostly built. Kamakshya Devi Temple, Umananda Temple, Nabagraha Temple, Vasistha Temple and Ashram, Bhuvaneswari Temple, Janardana Temple etc are some of the worth mentioning century-old Hindu shrines, enriched with legends, history, and architecture.

Temple Rituals

Regular puja and aarti.

Additional Info