MY VISIT TO MAHA MRITUNJAY TEMPLE AND BORDUWA THAN
Journeys with beautiful souls are a life time of experience. Never miss this experience. After all life is in the beauty of little moments. Isn't it so? Plan trips, lose yourself to the beauty of places that are magnetic and that provides you a casket of eternal happiness. Forge your journey. Fly!
Maha Mritunjay is a Shiva Temple located in the district of Nagaon, Assam. Located amidst pristine green surroundings it is indeed a best place to visit when one visits Nagaon. It is just few kilometers from the National Highway. I visited it with my Mam from Tezpur University. I believe travels are best when you have the company of some amazing people.
How to reach Maha Mritunjay Temple?
One can visit the temple from different parts of the country by coming to Guwahati which is the connecting city to other places of Assam and Northeast India. Here sharing with you some amazing pictures of this beautiful tourist destination in Nagaon.
How to reach the temple from Tezpur, Assam?
From Tezpur, Assam one can book a cab from the main ASTC Station and can then cross Koliabhomora bridge to reach the temple.
There are so many shops around the place. If you are someone who is interested in ethnic clothes you can even carry back home some beautiful Mekhela Sadar at a reasonable price along with the Gamusa which is an integral part of the larger Assamese culture.
When you come to Nagaon, do visit this place. It would definately give you a lifetime of memories with a mystic feeling with the delicious Khichdi from the temple premises and the prayers, diyas and the incense. It carries the message of the divine.
THE TRIP TO THIS BEAUTIFUL DESTINATION
It was a warm sunny day. I was feeling a bit drowsy. Whenever I have to visit somewhere and if that is something which is is so dear to my heart it so happens that I don't get good sleep the night before. I wake up several times the previous night. Something similar happened this time as well as I would get to visit two of my favorite places about which I had heard a lot from people around. I woke up early, dressed in a Muga Mekhala and a blue Sadar and Mam came at around 9 a.m and we left for Nagaon from Tezpur. As I crossed Kaliabhomora a smile passed through my lips and I felt I was experiencing something so beautiful. The feeling gave me a tingling sensation and I felt euphoric. My heart fluttered and there were so many butterflies inside. I was in a pensive mood and the hormones where playing their job well. One of the other reason was me getting to travel with Mam for such a long distance ever since I met her some years back. She gave me some oranges and few bananas to savour. And then our vehicle continued towards this dream destination of mine.
When we reached our destination the sun was already up and from a far away distance we could see the high raised Shivalinga, the main attraction of the temple. We brought our offerings from a near by shop, offered our prayers, explored the place around had Khichdi and then returned after exploring the small make shift shops with local exhibits. We tasted few phuska(snacks) in a shop after which we had sugarcane juice and then returned to our car.
As the car sped passed I was left awestruck by the grandeur and magnificence of this beautiful temple. The village roads gave us the perfect rustic feeling. We had some fun moments together and I felt a sense of gratitude to the universe for everything that I had received all these years, the jocund company of people, the love, cheerfulness and laughter of some beautiful souls who make my everyday beautiful.
Our next destination was the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva-Bordowa. I have grown hearing so many stories related to Bordowa Than. Ever since a child I had this wish that someday I would visit Bordowa Than. When I first told Mam about my wish to visit Bordowa Than she agreed and so our next destination as part of our trip to Nagaon was Bordowa.
PLACES TO SEE IN BORDOWA
Jai Guru Sankar
Sarvo gunakor
Jakeri nahi keu upam
Tuhari soron o renu
Hotokuti bareko koruhu pranam
Sankardeva, the Vaishnavite preacher of Assam needs no introduction. He has contributed immensely to the Assamese society. Some of the prominent places to see while one visits the Bordowa Than are-
1.Bat Sora
2.Kirtan Ghar also called Naam ghar
3.Monikut
4.Noibadya Griho
5.Akashi Ganga
6.Akashi Ganga
7.Patio Huna Gos
8.Silikha Gos
Immense contribution has been done for the Assamese culture by this Vaisahnavite preacher of Assam Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev. I consider myself so graced and blessed to have been brought up as part of Assamese culture. I got this opportunity to visit Bardowa with my teacher on 20.02.2022.It was that time of the year where there were so many blooms all around. The Simul trees with the red flowers appeared like an arch work in the sky, the orange blossoms of Palash flowers spread in the ground near the Kirtan Ghar. So much have I heard from my Papa as a child about the Vaishnavite preacher that I had a dream to visit this place and I consider this to be once in a life time opportunity to have been blessed by the universe with this visit at the very start of the year 2022.
Satras as in Assamese are Vaishnavite monasteries spread particularly in the World's largest river island Majuli and in some other places of Assam
The immaculately drawn pictures on the walls is such aesthetically appealing.
THE JOURNEY ON ROUTE FROM TEZPUR,ASSAM TO BORDUWA
After we left Mahamritunjay temple we reached Bordowa in our cab.A gate with some beautiful sculptures invited us to the birth place of the Vaishnavite preacher.
Let me first start with an introduction to the life and teachings of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva. His father's name was Kuhumbor Bhuyan and his mother's name was Satya Sandha and he grew up at his grandmother's place and she was known as Kherhuti. He wrote a poem at a very early age at the tool of Mahendra Kandali
Karotol o Komol o
Komolo dolo noyono
So much he has contributed for the development of Assamese literature that it would take an entire life time to read all of those. His most significant contribution to Assamese literature is the writing of the Kirtan puthi where depictions about the life of Krishna, his birth, raas lila in Brindaban etc. has been described.
I had a great time in this place first by lighting diya and then offering my prayers in the Kirtan Ghar. The most amazing part was seeing the footprints of Srimanta Sankardeva inscribed on a stone plate. An old bhakat helped me understand the meaning of the inscription. Then I roamed around the place which was an enthralling ,mystic and a delightful experience. It pulled at my heartstrings as I let myself soak in the divinity of the place around. With Mam then I visited Akashi Ganga and saw the turtles in the waters basking in the afternoon sun. Nearby I saw so many people feasting to Khichdi. When you visit the place you can also see the Ranga Monso dedicated to Sankardev's Grandmother Kherhuti. The inscriptions in the walls are so alluring. It has the depictions of the Avatars of Bhagawan.
Then I saw the hashi gos-the bark of which was used for writing the manuscripts and then the Pati Handa gos. After this we decided to return after clicking some photos and making few videos.
Here are some pictures of this wonderful place and the links to the videos. Have a look.
And then we returned. Mam was sharing one of the stories related to Jagannath when once his brother said that as Lakshmi has taken food in a lower strata of the society so they won't take the food prepared by her. Then Lakshmi said that she would stay outside. And then she went to stay separately near the sands of Puri in a temple. Along with her the kitchen items and all her other belongings also went. Then both the brothers understood that Lakshmi needs to come back.
There is this ritual when during the Rath Yatra at Puri the Raths carrying Jagannath, Balubhadra and Suvadra use to go to the premises of Gundicha temple also referred to as mausi ma. Lakshmi is left in the temple premises and then when the rath returns she used to break the raths and then is treated with Rasagulla.
We decided to take the route by Aambagan to reach Tezpur. On our way we stopped at Samaroh Dhaba where I had some wonderful delicacies particularly my favourite butter nun and butter paneer.
Here is a link to a YouTube video of this dhaba located in the eternal city of romance, Tezpur
Mam treated herself to Prawn curry, Vegetable pulao and raita. There was a slight change in the weather and I saw splashes of lightning outside. I was feeling cold and draped myself fully in the blue sadar. Then it started raining and by the time we left Samaroh it was still raining. We run and got into our vehicle waiting outside and then Mam dropped me in our hostel gate Pobitora Madam Curie Women's Hostel. I came to my room and after few hours laid in my bed losing myself to the beauty and goodness of a place so well spent with an amazing person of my life, my teacher.
Meet you in the next blog. Keep travelling. Stay happy and healthy. Love you all.
Sayonara!
Dedicated to Sradhanjali Madam with so much love and gratitude.
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