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April 21, 2005
To the High Place of Sacrifice
View from hotel balcony
I booked into the Tourist Lodge, run by the Assam Tourist Association. These lodges are usually good value, and this was no different: a pleasant twin bed room with attached bathroom and private balcony for 220rs per night, or just under 3 pounds sterling. Last time I'd stayed here, the large Assamese flying cockroaches kept me running about, but this time they were no where to be seen. Perhaps they can sense the weather: on one evening, there was a huge thunderstorm with spectacular lightning display. I sat on the balcony, watched the lightning show, and listened to a programme on rural development from the local radio station.
Guwahati Barbers
My default-beard was getting a bit thick, so I sought out the local barber for a shave. I must have been the first foreigner that the young barber had dealt with, and he was rather self-concious, but did an excellent job with the standard cut-throat razor in use all over India. He shaved me twice, just to make sure the job was well done, and only charged 10rs.
Kamakhya Temple
Besides the Umananda Temple, its other, more famous brother is the Kamakhya Temple, about 8kms away. It is situated on a large hill overlooking Guwahati, and a bus takes you right to the top. The temple is very special, and is said to 'support' all other temples in India with its power. As befits such an important place of worship, it is dedicated to not one god but two; Shiva and Kali. The latter has her own sacrificial area; once humans were put to the sword here, but these days a procession of rather sorry looking young goats meet their fate, and the swordsman, when one is requested.
Queuing to enter the Temple
As expected with such an important temple, the queues to get in were very long, so I bought a ticket that enabled me to shorten the wait by a couple of hours. Once inside, there was still an hour's queue that snaked slowly past various shrines before descending into the womb-like inner sanctum, and its holy relics. The temple was built in the 17th century, in Assamese style, with immense inner pillars to hold up the huge roof. Inside, the stone-work has been blackened over the ages by the many oil lamps used for lighting and for worship.
The Temple's Tank
The temple closes for lunch at 1pm, so I made my way back to the shoe-counter to reclaim my sandals, then past the many offering shops to the entrance. Rather than rush back to town, I decided to walk down the mountain; an excellent choice as it turned out, as I had a chance to slowly enjoy the spectacular views over the river, surrounding countryside, and city of Guwahati. Every now and then, a train snaked its way along the valley floor; its loud horn echoing up the hillsides to merge with cries of the Kites that wheel and circle in the thermals. At one point, I stopped for a rest, and a chance to eat my snack of coconut biscuits. As I was enjoying the view, a pack of 8 or so monkeys sauntered by. Only in India !
A goods train
A passenger train
Posted by travellingtim at April 21, 2005 04:17 PM