Shillong: Meghalaya's Bewitching Capital

Shillong is indisputably one of the best cities in the North-East. From being Assam's erstwhile capital city, Shillong has a long history and heritage. Apart from the Khasis, Shillong has people from every nook and corner of the world -- some come here to reminsce a refulgent heritage and culture while others have settled down here after marrying locals.

A bird's eye view of Shillong from the GS Road


A typical Shillong-pattern house

Shillong today has showrooms of several international brands like Sony. Residents of this classic city have a great taste for gadgets. Thanks to a highly literate mass, you won't find dummies strolling on the streets.

As you treat the city, you notice a striking contrast to North Indian cities. The roads are clean and the people have a great sense for anti-littering. That's the direct benefit of education.

As you trudge through Shillong you will notice that the cabs are bright-coloured. The Khasis have a great taste for colour and they make even the most drab thing interesting. The cabs are all from our desi Maruti company, yet the style in which they are remade is amazing.

The Legislative Assembly building of Meghalaya

Everything within the city of Shillong is so fresh and clean that you feel you are somewhere beyond India. Inspite of being a part of India much of the North-East is different -- both in terms of cleanliness and general tastes.

The Outskirts of the Shillong city

Barapani Lake: A Jewel in Meghalaya

The Barapani Lake walkway

The 100 kilometers drive from Assam’s capital city Guwahati to Meghalaya’s capital, Shillong, is a memorable sojourn through pristine nature. The journey is a vivacious blend of transcending nature that changes all too smoothy, from the typical rain forests to that of an alpine region. Assam’s typical bamboo and beatlenut trees disappear along the way as pine trees make a dramatic entry. As you move deep inside Meghalaya, almost about 17 kilometers from Shillong, nature showcases a beauty: the Barapani Lake – India’s largest artificial fresh water lake and a traveller’s delight. Barapani is known as Umiam Khwan and it is about 17 kilometers from Shillong.

Mist settled over the Lake in a winter morning

Nestled between low lying mountains on all sides, the Barapani lake is Meghalaya’s key hydro-electric project. The late offers water sports facilities like sailing, water skiing and water scooter driving. There are quite a few tourist resorts in the vicinity. The Orchid Lake Resort and the adjacent Lum Nehru Park offers a memorable holiday for visitors.

The morning sun brightens the lake
Barapani lake has facilities for water-sports

A view of the hydro-electric unit in Barapani

Guwahati: The Gateway to the North-East

Having toured much of India and its well-known places in North India, I was appalled at how most Indians and foreigners are misled by media publicity and rumour mongers to believe that all that is there to India is in North India. Alas! The actual facts are different.

To get a real account of the real India, me and my brother Ajoy decided to offer a vivid account of the actual North-Eastern part of India – an area suffering from years of neglect, ever since the days when India became independent, in 1947. Ironically, the Britishers were sensitive observers unlike most Indians now and they always held North-east India in high esteem.

The first destination we decided to cover in our sojourn was the city of Guwahati, Assam's capital city and the gateway to North-East. I carried my favourite Sony Digital Camera to capture Guwahati visually. We decided that our images would be authentic as we wanted to show locales as they are.

We roamed the whole day in Guwahati, in rickshaws, on foot, on local buses and autorickshaws. To our amazement most places In Guwahati appeared far better than North Indian standards – neat and clean and a citizenry with a high taste for sanitation, landscape beauty, and cleanliness. See them for yourself!

The Visual Tour of Guwahati...

Ajoy near Ganeshguri: Speckless clean environ
The traffic in Guwahati is disciplined, thanks to the highly literate citizenry.
The Guwahati Zoo: A well-planned wildlife sojourn for natives
The Zoo contains several exotic species of animals including the famous Assam Rhino.

A crossing on the Chandmari Road
Every crossing in Guwahati is a neat and boasts of a well-planned and visually appealing layout. The traffic is 'mentally sane' unlike north India and you will rarely find people 'peeing' all over. As you roam about a fresh breath of fresh air enchants your nostrils.
Ajoy walking on the pavement in Chandmari bridge
The Chadmari bridge overlooks the shallow mountain range at the backdrop and takes you deep inside the city, Pan Bazar and Fancy Bazar.

Overlooking the Great Brahmaputra River near Fancy Bazar
Ajoy wants me to strike a pose before the camera. I agree even though our long walk and intermittent rickshaw rides has left me utterly exhausted. This, given the excitement to be in Guwahati after those gruelling years in Delhi was a pleasure.
A newly setup flyover near Paltan Bazar
Although Paltan Bazar is extremely crowded and has dilapated buildings, residents ensure that there is a fine balance in the act. Smart job!
A cloudy day: soothing surmise
During cloudy days Guwahati is a pleasant place for philosophers and thinkers who can spend their time on something really creative. This mountain overlooks the entrance to the Guwahati Zoo
Christian Basti: Rising Ambitions
The area around Christian Basti is rapidly developing. It has some of the best multiplexes and restaurants. You can enjoy shopping is some of the best shopping malls here. The area boasts of a high lifestyle with classic appartments with all modern amneties on the rise. Residents of Assam are eyeing flats in this area.

A Visit to the Kamkhya Temple

Me and my brother Ajoy made this trip in July 2005 and explored the facets of Kamakhya including the ancient route

The Temple of Kamakhya
Nestled atop the 160 metre high sacred Neelanchal Parbat (Blue Mountain) or Kamagiri, overlooking the city of Guwahati, is the ancient temple of Kamkhya. The temple is one of the most famous religious landmarks of Hindu religion and its history speaks volumes about the rich historical treasure of the state of Assam.

The Kamakhya Temple is one of the famous Shakti Temples of India. It is regarded as one of the main centres of Tantricism. Some scholars and religious leaders are of opinion that Tantricism originated here. Some others also point to the fact that the original name of Guwahati (Pragjyotisapura) was associated with Solar worship or it was a seat of astronomical studies. Whatever be the fact, there are very few relics that could show the real facts.
The Prototype kamkhya Temple This small prototype temple is meant for devotees who are in a hurry and do not have the time to stand in long queues. A smart short-cut to worship!

Kamakhya preserves shrines of ten different aspects of the devi, such as Kali, Tara, Suruchi, Bhubane-Swari, Bhairavi, Chinna Masta, Dhumavati, Bagala, Matangi and Kamala.

According to records available, the original temple constructed by Viswakarma was destroyed in the early part of the 16th century AD, by the vandalism of the iconoclast Kalapahar. The present temple was rebuilt by Naranarayan, one of the illustrious kings of the Koc kingdom, in 1565 AD. However, the sculptures and carved components in rocks dates back to 6th Century A.D.

Ajoy explores the pond near the temple
According to the legend, the pond was constructed by Lord Viswakarma. The Pandavas are believed to have bathed here during exile while they were scouting the jungles of Assam.

The emergence of Kamakhya as a presiding deity of ancient Pragjyotisapur, mediaeval Kamarupa, is connected with the aryanisation of the land under the reign of Narakasura who founded the kingdom by defeating the Kiratas. Kamakhya, the Yoni Goddess, was worshipped by the aboriginals of the state and subsequently she was aryanised.

The legend
The legend attached to the history of Kamakhya temple dates back to the mythological age. According to the legend, Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva (one of the holy Trinities in Hindu mythology) took her life at a ‘Yagna’ ceremony organized by her father Daksha. Dahksha had hurled insults on Lord Shiva during the Yagna which compelled Sati to kill herself. On hearing the news of his wife’s death, Shiva, the destroyer flew into a rage and punished Daksha by replacing his head with that of a goat. Thereafter, Shiva picked up the corpse of his beloved wife Sati and performed the dance of destruction -- Tandava. The intensity of Shiva’s fury was so overwhelming that it took several Gods to pacify his anger. Amidst these, Sati’s corpse was cut into 51 parts by Lord Vishnu ‘Sudershan Charka’. Sati genitalia or ‘Yoni’ fell on the spot which is today the Kamakhya temple.

Stone carvings enroute the ancient way



Another legend on the temple goes that after Sati’s death and the fragmentation of her body by Vishnu, Kama, the demi-God of love, was sent to end Shiva's mourning. Lord Shiva grew furious and opened his third eye reducing Kama to ashes. Rati, Kama's wife, prayed to Shiva to restore her husband. On being pacified by Rati’s worship, Lord Shiva brought Kama back to life but without his original grace and beauty. Shiva agreed to restore Kama to his original self if they erected a temple on the yoni of Sati at Neelanchala. Thus the first temple was constructed by the demi-Gods themselves with the help of their principal architect, Viswakarma. Once the temple was built Kama was restored to his original state. Legend also points to the fact that it took Viswakarma about a day to construct the temple and its ponds and stairways.
Enroute Kamakhya
As you drive up towards the temple, you can stop to witness a panoramic view of the outskirts of Guwahati city.



Other Legends...
There are several popular legends associated with the building of the temple and its environs. Brahma, after having created the universe, arrogated to himself the supreme creative force. The goddess Sati noticed this arrogance of Brahma and created out of her own body a demon named Kesi, who rushed towards Brahma to swallow him up. Brahma fled in terror and took refuge in Vishnu. The demon then built a city called Kesipura and began to harass the three worlds. Brahma cast aside his vanity and in the presence of Vishnu offered a hymn of propitiation to the goddess. The goddess was satisfied and burnt up the demon to ashes. As a sign of atonement Brahma was to create a mountain out of the ashes of Kesi, the burnt demon. As a symbol of her creative force the goddess placed her yoni on the mountain of ashes. Brahma then brought luminous light from the sky and placed it on the yoni signifying that creation was to be the joint responsibility of the male and the female.

Our Trip...Visually
The Sacred Pond
This sacred pond seen at the backdrop has old tortoises which locals believe are as old as the temple itself. The water of this pond is sacred and devotees are not allowed to bathe here or wash their feets.

View of the City
Guwahati city is a traveller’s delight when seen from the Kamakhya Temple. I shoot the scene as Ajoy sights the panoramic view.

Trecking Downhill through the Ancient Route
Down the ancient route me and Ajoy enjoyed the steep slide amidst tantriks smiling at us. We also saw several stone carvings that date back to 6th century A.D.
The Ancient Entrance
This was the ancient entrance to the Kamakhya Temple. This is believed to have been created by Lord Viswakarma.