Hayagriva Madhava
Hayagriva Madhava Temple is Assamese and situated on the Monikut hill. The hill is situated in Hajo of Assam which is around 30 km to west of Guwahati. The present temple structure was constructed by the King Raghudeva Narayan in 1583. According to some historians the King of Pala dynasty constructed it in 6th century. It is a stone temple and it enshrines an image of Hayagriva Madhava. Some Buddhists believe that the Hayagriva Madhava temple, best known in the group of Hindu temples, is where the Buddha attained Nirvana. At this imposing temple, the presiding deity is worshipped as the Narasimha incarnation of Vishnu by the Hindus. The rows of elephants are seen on the body of the temple and they are fine specimens of Assamese art. There is a big pond known as Madhab Pukhuri near the temple. Doul, Bihu and Janmastami festivals are celebrated every year in the temple. Moreover, this temple preaches both Hinduism and Buddhism, which attract Buddhist Monks from far flung places. Sayani, the first wife of Kalia Bhomora Borphukan donated a family of paiks and also a plot of land for their maintenance to the Hayagriva Madhava temple during the reign of Ahom king Kamaleswar Singha.
History of Temple
After recovering the Vedas, Lord Vishnu went to the north-east corner of the great sea and slept in His Hayagriva form. While he was sleeping, the demons came back and challenged the Lord to a fight. A big war commenced and the demons were finally killed by the Lord. According to another legend, Hayagriva was the name of the demon that stole the Vedas from Brahma and was finally killed by Vishnu. However, the first legends find much more popularity than the latter. The entire Hayagriva Madhava Temple is divided into three parts – the basement, the center and the Sikhara. The Sikhara has a pyramid like structure, which continues right up to an apex point. This entire structure rests over enormous brick pillars and is considered as an addition to the original structure of the temple, possibly constructed by the Koch king of the 15th era, King Naranarayan. There is a huge entrance hall made of bricks and measuring about 40 feet by 20 feet. A flight of stone steps leads you into the 14 sq ft Garbhagriha, which contains image of the residing deity and its podium. The entrance to this shrine is made of four blocks of granite and is about 10 feet high and 5 feet wide. This opens into an anteroom, made of stone and about 10 feet by 10 feet. Two stone screens, cut in the form of lotus flowers, lay on either side of the room with apertures for the entry of light and air. The exterior of the temple has huge sculptured figures, representing the 10 Avataras, with Buddha as the ninth. Hayagriva Temple was initially demolished by Kalapahar and rebuilt by the Koch King Raghudev in 1543. Just close to this temple, a smaller temple was constructed by the Ahom King Pramatta Singh, where Doul (or Holi) is celebrated on a large scale every year.
How to reach
By Air
The nearest airport is situated in Guwahati, which is the chief commercial center of the state. Flights from this airport (Gopinath Bordoloi Airport) connect Hajo to vital destinations within and outside the state, like New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai,
Chennai, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tezpur, North Lakhimpur and Silchar. Besides this, the airport also serves as a base for the Indian Air Force.
By Rail
The closest railhead from the township of Hajo is also situated at Guwahati. There are regular expresses connecting this place to major citites, like New Delhi, Kolkata, Bangaluru, and Mumbai and also to places within the state, like Dibrugarh,
Tinsukia etc. From this railway station, situated in the Paltan Bazaar locality of Guwahati, one can easily avail a bus or hire a taxi to get down at Hajo.
By Road
The town of Hajo has a good network of roadways, to various parts of Assam. Road links to this region is mainly through the Guwahati-Nalbari Road and Guwahati-Barpeta Road. The town is approximately 25 km from the Adabari Bus Stand in
Guwahati. Apart from this, city buses are also available from the Kachari City Bus Stand, near the Judge Field area of Guwahati.