Sri Sri Ugratara Devalaya — Attraction in Assam

Ugratara is considered to be one of the very important Shaktipeeth (Power shrine) situated at the heart of the Guwahati City.



Ugratara Temple @flickr Tamjyoti Bose

The "Shakti Peethas" (holy places of cosmic power) are places of worship consecrated to the goddess Sati. They are distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent. This goddess Sati is the incarnation of Parvati, the benevolent goddess of harmony, marital felicity and longevity. According to the legends, Sati immolate herself when her own father Daksha performed a yagna but didn't invite her and husband Lord Siva. Lord Siva immerged in grief and anger, started dancing with the remains of Sati's body, destructing the whole universe slowly. The other gods intervened to stop this dance, and the Vishnu 's weapon, or Sudarshana Chakra, cut through the corpse of Sati. The various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed sites which are known as Shakti Peethas today. Ugratara temple is believed to be the placew where Sati's navi fell.

There different descriptions od Shakti peetha in different Puranas. Kalika Purana describes seven Shaktipeethas. These seven peethas are mainly concentrated on and around Kamakhya Shakti peeth (Assam). One of these is called "Dikkara Vasini". Dikkara vasini has two forms, Tikshna kantha and Lalitha kantha. Tikshna kantha is black and pot bellied, also called as Ugratara or Ekajata. The Ugratara Dewalaya(temple) is dedicated to this form of Dikkara Vasini.

Around 1730 AD, Ahom King Siva Singha excavated two large tanks on the east of the current temple. Three years later he built a smal but beautiful temple on the banks of these tanks. These tanks are now called Joepukhri (Jurpukhuri), Jur means 'couple' and 'pukhuri' means tank in Assamese.

Unlike other Hindu temples, Ugratara doesn't have any idol or image of the deity.Inside the temple core there is a small pit filled with water whihc is considered as Goddess. The 1897 devastating earth quake damaged this temple too. But later it was repaired. There is also a Siva temple (Sivalaya) behind the main temple.



Ugratara, Sivalaya and the Jurpukhuri

The Ugratara Devalaya is situated In the heart of the Guwahati city, in the Uzan Bazar area. It attracts large number of pilgrims every year. The 'Navaratri' is the most celebrated holy festival in this temple every year. Traditionally The temple practices animal sacrifices to please the goddess. Ugratara is believed to the the aroused, or demonic form of Sati. In this form she loves liquor, meat and utter devotion. That is why goats, cocks, ducks and even buffalos sacrificed in the temple. During Durga Puja and Kali Puja the temple campus sees...

Ugratara temple

The Ugratara temple of Guwahati, Assam is said to be a "Shakti Pitha", a temple built over body parts of Goddess Sati as per Hindu mythology. It is believed that here a portion of the navel of the Goddess fell, and petrified into a stone block which is kept inside a small 'Kund' (water body) in the sanctum of the temple. The antrum of the temple houses two metallic (made of Ashta Dhatu, an alloy of eight metals) idols of Goddess Kali, one new and the other old. It is said that once the idol (at that time only one idol was there) was stolen and all efforts to get it back failed. After six months a new idol was made to be installed in the temple. But surprisingly, the stolen idol was recovered by police and brought back to the temple before the new one was installed. So, both the idols were installed for worshipping.

The temple has 3 parts - a wide hall or Mandapa in front, an antrum in the middle with two idols of the Goddess and a sanctum behind with the water filled octagonal "Kund" where the rock regarded as the petrified navel of Goddess Sati is kept. It is said that this "Kund" is connected to the river Brahmaputra, and it's water level falls and rises along with the water level of Brahmaputra.

On top of the sanctum there is an elongated dome shaped tower or Shikhar. As a whole the temple is built as per Nilachala style.

Behind the temple there are two big ponds collectively called "Jor Pukhuri" (Twin Ponds).

One interesting thing in this temple of Goddess Ugratara is a large number of pigeons which walk and fly here and there fearlessly. These pigeons are dedicated to the Goddess, and are marked with a vermilion spot on their forehead.

The Shiva temple

Every Shakti temple is accompanied by a temple of Lord Shiva, known usually as the Bhairava of the Goddess.

At Ugratara temple complex, there is a white coloured temple built in the Nilachala style with a tall elongated dome shaped tower or Shikhara.

The antrum of the temple houses a small Narayana idol and a beautiful marble statue of Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of Learning and Knowledge.

The octagonal sanctum houses a big Shiva Lingam...

Dedicated to Sati Devi, the 1st partner of Lord Shiva, Ugratara Temple is an important Shakti Temple which is flocked by several religious tourists and local inhabitants annually. It is located towards the eastern part of the city of Guwahati and was built by old Ahom ruler, Siva Singh during the year 1725. Beside the temple, lies the famous Jol Pukhuri. There is no actual idol which is worshipped but a small ditch of water which is considered to be the great form of Goddess Ugratara. Goddess Ugratara is venerated like the Kamakhya Goddess with lots of offerings and sacrifices. Legend says that Goddess Ugratara likes consuming meat, coconut, liquor and much more. Several devotees shower such offerings to the Goddess for earning her blessings and showing their love and devotion for her

Once you visit Ugratara Temple, you can give a puja to the Goddess Ugratara or simply witness a puja. The best time to visit Ugratara would be during the time of Durga Puja when the temple lights up with mirth and joy and several extensive prayers are sent out in extraordinary manners. During this time, several buffaloes are sacrificed to appease the Goddess Ugratara. While you’re at Ugratara Temple, you can also visit the historically important and beautiful JorPukhuri which is blessed with lots of man-made and natural beauty.

You can visit Ugratara Temple by simply boarding buses, taxis or autos on hire in Guwahati with minimal costings. The road conditions are good which lets you enjoy a short, pain-free ride.

Ugratara Temple experiences a very pleasant weather all year around which makes it a very prime travel place of Assam. In summers, the temperatures go as high up as 36 degree Celsius which makes it a bit warm yet not enough to ruin your tour. Monsoon pelts down quite heavily during July to September. Winters, i.e., October to March, are a comfortable season to visit Ugratara Temple when the temperature ranges from 10 to 25...