Assam Diaries Part 2

Sualkuchi was not on my tour itinerary. It was a backup. It was not on my list of places that I MUST see. It was more of an "if we had time to spare, we could go there" option.

Haflong, 350 km from Guwahati, was on the list, it was where I wanted to go. Assam, a plainland, has only one hill station and that is Haflong. Unfortunately, we couldn't go to Haflong. That entire week, Assam was ravaged by rain and floods in many districts. The railway station in Haflong was damaged and all the trains were canceled. 

Majuli Islands was on my list, it was another place I really wanted to see. It is supposedly the largest river island. However, there is a warning that the island will disappear in 20 years! As it is, large parts of the island is submerged in water for months. Assam is the state that has the rare distinction of having both the largest and smallest (Umananda Island) river islands. For Majuli Islands, we had to go to  Jorhat and from there, drive for 10-15 kms to a jetty and take the boat to Majuli. The boat leaves at 1:00 p.m every day. But due to the rise in the water of the river and the rains, the jetty was not an option. Also, there were no hotel facilities in Majuli and homestay was the only stay option available. Those too were limited and the ones we checked online, didn't look feasible or there was no contact number of the owner for us to call and enquire/book. We had to drop the plans of both Haflong and Majuli.

So we decided to see Sualkuchi, Hajo and Dipor Beel instead. Sualkuchi and Hajo both are in Kamrup district. Since we had the hired car, it was easy to cover all three in one day. 

Sual Kuchi is called the Manchester of Assam because it has a large number of handloom units. Some say around 2000 units! It is 35 km from Guwahati. It is a weaving village specializing in silk - Eri, Muga and Paat. 

Weaving is done here on the backstrap loom at home. 

We visited one of those looms. It was so dingy, barely lit, and no fan. The constant sound of the loom was overpowering. It seemed like a LOT of hard work. It is a pity the demand for handwoven silk textiles is dying in India, and mostly in demand outside the country. The handloom owner showed us the different materials packed neatly, with a proper seal that it is genuine silk, and placed in cupboards - all for export. At the time we went, there was an exporter lady who had come to place an order and check the quality. The skill of weaving is handed down generations. In his case, his father taught him but his only daughter may or may not take this up as her profession.  

The new approach to the village - beautified and welcoming. Apparently, a lot of foreigners visit the village, looking for genuine muga and eri silk textiles. 

Hajo Hayagriva Temple

Hajo means hill. It is said to be the meeting point of Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims. The temple was constructed in 1583 by King Raghu Narayan. It has an image of hayagriva madhav. Budhists believe that Gautam Budha attained nirvana in the Hayagriva Madhava temple and it was here that he died. 

Hayagriva means horse-necked one. It is the horse-headed avatar of Vishnu. The purpose of the incarnation was to slay a demon who had the neck of a horse and the body of a human and hence was called hayagriva. 

Hayagriva is a special prasadam (the offering made to God) or sweet made in my native village Udupi. It is made from jaggery, coconut, and bengal gram. 

We had been there in the afternoon. There were very few devotees at the time and the place was serene. It was so calm and peaceful. It felt like we were lost, trying to find ourselves, in some far-away place. It was the perfect spot to just "be." Time had stood still and we were in no hurry to find our way back. 

The steps leading to the temple:

If you are in Guwahati, definitely make time and visit this temple. The journey and the destination - both are worth it.

The view of the temple lake below which has a very large tortoise in it:

Dipor Beel

Below is the image from the internet. I was fascinated by it. 

Dipor Beel is a place more for the locals to spend a quiet evening than for tourists to take the trouble to go all the way there. Yet, it is one of the places that frequently crops up when you search for places to see in Guwahati. I say, pass this one. Mostly, young lovers frequent this place, and occasionally, families looking for a drive away from the city. It is a great place for bird-spotting but bird watching takes time and patience, both of which are in short supply for a tourist.