Umananda Temple on the peacock island of Brahmaputra river is a popular Hindu religious place in Guwahati and a tourist attraction as well.
The ancient Lord Shiva Temple is admired for its architectural specialties.There are carvings on the walls on the temple which are remarkable.
The Golden Langoors and river dolphins are also an attraction not to be missed.The other unique attraction of Assam , you must see , is one horn Rhino for which you need to head over to Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat/Nagaon district.
Umananda Temple / Peacock Island History
The temple was originally constructed by the Ahom King Gadadhar Singh in 1696 and was later on rebuilt by a local merchant after earth quake of 1897. There is a large number of devotees who visit this temple in the month of February on the occasion of Shivratri.
According to Hindu religious epics, lord Siva is said to have resided here in the form of Bhayananda.It is said that Lord Shiva had sprinkled ashes i.e. ‘Bhasma’ at the place and gave knowledge to his wife ‘Uma’.Being husband of Uma he was called Umananda.
Another significance is that Kamadeva was also burnt to ashes on his effort to interrupt Lord Shiva from meditation on a hill rock called Bhasmacala.
The peacock island on which , this temple is located , happens to be the smallest river island on the river Brahmaputra. It is even visible from the famous Chakreshwar temple in Kalipur area.
The tourist can approach this place only motor-boat which takes about 15-20 minutes. Fortunately, there are several river cruise boats and ferry service to carry passengers.
Umananda Temple Ferry Timings
While Government boat ferry services are quite cheaper (RS 20 round trip) you may end up paying more to private ferry services which is comparatively expensive (Rs 150 or more !).
To Reach from Guwahati , you can take a boat from Sukleshwar Ghat or Fancy Bazaar Ghat but they may be expensive.
The lesser expensive ferry services to Umananda is available from Kachari Ghat. These ferry services operate between 7 AM in the morning to 4PM in the evening.
Around 20-40 passengers travel in one way ferry service.The distance between Kachari Ghat to Peacock island is approximately 1 kilometer.
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