Ugratara Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Borjhar serves Guwahati. It is about 20 km west of the city centre.

• By train

  Guwahati railway station in Paltan Bazaar is the busiest station in the city. Kamakhya Junction is another station in Guwahati.

• By road

  The temple is inside the city, and buses are the main public transport in Guwahati.

Why devotees come here

Ugratara Temple stands in Uzan Bazaar, in eastern Guwahati, Assam. It is a Shakti shrine, and it is an important Shakti Peetha after Kamakhya Temple. The sanctum has no idol; a small pit of water is worshipped in its place.

Ugra Tara is the deity of this temple, and she is seen as another form of Parvati. The temple is dedicated to Sati and is an important Shakti Peetha, after Kamakhya Temple. Legend says the temple stands where Sati's navel fell to the earth after she died. In another legend, Shiva orders Ugra Tara to drive away the people living in Kamakhya.

Ahom King Siva Singha built the present temple in 1725, after he excavated a tank three years earlier. An earthquake later destroyed the upper section, and a local citizen rebuilt it. The sanctum has no image. A small pit filled with water is worshipped in its place, and a Shiva shrine called a Shivalaya stands beside the temple with a pond behind both.

The architectural style is known as Nilachal. The temple is counted among the ancient Hindu temples of Guwahati, alongside Kamakhya Temple and Basistha Temple.

Festivals

• The main festival celebrated at this templeNavratri

  Navratri is the main festival celebrated at this temple, when devotees come to pray.

Tips for your visit

• Give the driver either Uzan Bazaar or Latasil, since sources name the area both ways.
• A Shiva shrine stands beside the temple, and a pond lies behind both.

Questions people ask