Union home minister Amit Shah will be visiting Assam for two days from May 9 on the eve of the first anniversary of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in the state. He will land in the temporary helipad near the famous Kamakhya Temple on his visit to the India-Bangladesh border in Mankachar. Did you know that this Kamakhya temple is not in Guwahati atop the Neelachal hills?
This temple was built by Great Koch King Narayana, and is located in Thakuranbari in Garo Hills of Meghalaya on the Mankachar border of Assam near the tomb of Mir Jumbla, General of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Legend has it that Maa Kamakhya’s body was divided into 52 parts and wherever each part fell, a temple was built to honour and worship her. Consequently, Kamakhya’s navel fell at Thakuranbari in Meghalaya’s Garo hills and thus the temple came into existence.
“We don’t have any information whether the Union Minister shall visit this Kamakhya temple on his visit to Mancachar. This temple was built by the king and our forefathers were brought here to perform puja. Since then, we have been serving as priest in this revered temple. The main temple here is of Devi Kamakhya. Apart from the deity of Kamakhya, the compound also houses other temples namely Siva, Durga, Shakti, Hanuman, Santoshi. Though this temple is small and still unknown, it is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindu devotees who come from all over India,” said Om Prakash, the priest, who has been performing the puja at the temple for the last 40 years.
Located about 45 km from Tura in West Garo Hills, Kamakhya Temple is also identified as Kali and Maha Tripura Sundari.
“We have cleaned the temple premises keeping in view of the Union minister’s visit to our area. Situated on the Assam-Meghalaya border and in Garo hills of Meghalaya, people from Assam are in the management of the temple. We have Garo representatives too in the committee. The most interesting feature of Thakuranbari is that it is just a few meters away from the Kamakhya temple separated by a BSF camp. We have visitors from across the country including Muslims,” said Khudiram Paul, member of Maa Kamakhya Mandir Management Committee.
Assam has four Kamakhya temples, one being the famous Shakti Peetha in Guwahati, which is deemed as the highest seat of Shakti worship. Others are in Silghat (Nagaon), Khetri (Kamrup) and West Garo Hills near South Salmara district of Assam along the India-Bangladesh border.
Shah, during his visit to Mancachar, is scheduled to visit the Indo-Bangladeshi border and interact with the BSF personnel. Though the itinerary is yet to be informed officially.
Shah will inaugurate the super-specialty centre of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in the evening of May 9. Sources in the health department said the new wing of GMCH will have a cardiothoracic and neuroscience centre (CNC) where four departments — cardiology, cardiothoracic, neurology and neurosurgery have been set up.
According to health officials, the initiative will be a stepping stone to turn Assam into a health hub of South Asia after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated seven cancer care hospitals in the districts on April 28.
Shah will address a public rally in Guwahati on May 10.
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