Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Basistha Temple was constructed in 1764 by the
Ahom king, Rajeswar Singha. Located in the south east corner of
Guwahati, it is said that the
history surrounding the temple dates back to the
Vedic period. The
temple also houses an ashram, the 835 bighas land for which was a gift from the Ahom king himself.
As per legends, it is said that the ashram was founded by the great
Indian sage Vasishtha, after whom the temple and
ashram are named. The temple stands on the bank of the mountain streams originating from the hills of
Meghalaya which becomes the rivers Basistha and Bahini or Bharalu flowing through the city.
Legend of Basistha Temple
As per the
Kalika Purana, the Basistha Temple has been described as one of the
Shakti Peethas. The ashram associated with the temple has an interesting legend surrounding it. The sage Vasishtha once went to
Kamarupa to worship the goddess
Kamakhya and when the
demon king
Naraka tried to stop him, the sage cursed him. Vasishtha then built a hermitage at Sandhyachal and led his life meditating on Lord Shiva. It is believed that the sage died in this ashram.
Visiting Information on Basistha Temple
The Guwahati
railway station is the closest at a distance of about 15 km from the Basistha Temple and the
Lokpriya Bordoloi International Airport is the nearest at a distance of almost 33 km from the temple.
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