Basistha Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Guwahati is served by Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Borjhar, about 20 km west of the city centre.

• By train

  Guwahati railway station, in the Paltan Bazaar area, is the busiest railway station in the city.

• By road

  Buses are the major means of public transport in Guwahati.

Why devotees come here

Basistha Temple is a Shiva temple in the south-east corner of Guwahati, Assam. The ashram around it is believed to be the home of sage Basistha, and the legend of the site goes back to him.

The temple is tied to a legend. The ashram here is believed to be the home of sage Basistha, and a cave about 5 km inside the ashram is where he is believed to have meditated. Inside the temple, the sunken sanctum is believed to hold the impression of the sage's foot.

The site has evidence of a stone temple from around 1000 to 1100 CE. The temple standing today is a brick building, octagonal at the base, with a many-sided spire called a sikhara rising over it. The Ahom king Swargadeo Rajeswar Singha built it during his reign, from 1751 to 1769.

The ashram lies about 10 to 12 km from Guwahati, on the edge of Garbhanga reserve forest. Three streams, Sandhya, Lalita and Kanta, are described as mythical and said to come down from the Meghalaya hills, and the temple stands on the bank of them. The forest is home to a population of elephants.

Festivals

• ShrabanShraban festival

  Kamrup (Metro) district takes special security and health measures at the temple and at Sukreswar Devalaya during the festival.

Tips for your visit

• Heavy traffic has built up at Basistha Chariali on NH-37 for several years, and residents have asked for a flyover.
• The temple stands on the bank of three streams, Sandhya, Lalita and Kanta, near the Garbhanga reserve forest.

Questions people ask