HAJO
26.250000,91.516700
Description
A relatively »small cell« by the side of a pond is said to attract both Hindu and Buddhist cavers, pilgrims and tourists by providing the obvious sight of a petrified »mass of butter« (keywords: secondary calcite formation, speleothem) in addition to a »stone linga and yoni (phallus and its counterpart), now shrined here by the Hindus« (WADDEL, L A 1892: 37; 1899 / 1991: 309-314). SITUATION: At the »north-west base of the hill … forming a strikingly bold and picturesque mass« (WADDEL, L A 1892, 1899 / 1991) at Hajo, a populated place or »village« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 13: 9) lies above the orographically right (locally northern) bank of the Brahmaputra river (India Road Atlas, Eicher Goodearth 2006: 45 H1) and at various distances (note 1) from Gauhati / Guwahati (note 2) along the road north-west of to Nalbari (26°25'N: 091°26'E). POSITIONS: Latitute Longitude 26°15'N 91°32'E nima.mil/geonames (accessed 16.11.2003) 26°14'50”N: 91°31'40”E AMS sheet NG46-10 Gauhati (U502 series, 1966 edition) 26°15'N 91°31'E IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 13: 8) 26°11'18”N: 91°47'26”E WADDEL, L A (1899 / 1991: 309). SITUATION 2009: »Some 30 km north-west of Guwahati« (LONELY PLANET, India 2009: 616). SITUATION 2005: »About 30 km from Guwahati, on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 545). SITUATION 1958: »7 miles« (11 km) north of Gauhati (BERTRAND, G 1958). SITUATION 1997: »… on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, 28 km from Guwahati« (LONELY PLANET, India 1997: 581). SITUATION 1993: About 24 km north of Gauhati / Guwahati: »Located on the north bank of Brahmaputra, 24 km from Gawahati, Hajo is an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims« (LONELY PLANET, India 1993: 537). SITUATION 1908: »Hajo.-- Village in Kamrup District, Eastern Bengal and Assam, situated in 26° 15' N. and 91° 31' E. on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, 15 miles by road from Gauhati. … Hajo is famous for a temple to Siva [Shiva] which stands in a picturesque situation on the top of a low hill. … The tahsil office and police station are situated about a mile from the illage, in fron of a large and shallow lake which was formed after the earthquake of 1897« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 13: 8). SITUATION 1902: »ha dso ga on. North of a small town in Assam not far from the place called sdong zam sde wa than on the border of Bhutan. This small town of Hajo in Assam has a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Hayagriba who resembles the Buddhist god Tamdin and is therefore worshipped by the Buddhists of Tibet who mistake Hajo for the Buddhist Kusanagari (Kusinera) the place where Buddha died. It is called by them tsam chog tong« (SARAT CHANDRA DAS 1902: 1325). SITUATION 1899: »The Hajo Hill, or rather group of hills, lies to the north (right) bank of Brahmaputra about 9 miles [15 km] north-west from Gauhati (Kamrup), north latitude 26°11'18" and east longitude 91°47'26", and four or five miles north of Sal-Kusa. The hill rises directly from the plain, forming a strikingly bold and picturesque mass« (WADDEL, L A 1899 / 1991: 309-314). CAVE DESCRIPTION: »The most holy site, according to the Buddhists [note 3], is a bare flattish shoulder of rock, about eight yards [7.5 m] in diameter, situated at the north-west base of the hill … A high cliff, close to the west of this spot, is called "the vultures mound hill" … A short distance beyond this spot, in the jungle, there is a roughly-hewn stone basin, about six feet [1.8 m] in diameter, called by the Lamas "San-gyama k-ko", or the pot in which the "Sin-je" - the death demons - boil the heads of the damned. The Brahmans on the other hand, assert that it is the bowl in which Siva or Adi-purusha brewed his potion of lust-exciting Indian hemp … Advancing along the pathway, leading up-hill, we pass a few columnar masses of rock lying near the path …[and] climbing up the hill we reach the temple of Kedarnath, which is approached by a very steep roughly-paved causeway … Adjoining this temple is the shrine of Kamalesvar [Kamaleshwar] or "the Lord of the Lotus." Here is a tank called by the Lamas Tso mani bhadra, or "the lake of the notable gem" … A small cell by the side of this pond is said to be the place where Buddha set down a mass of butter which had been brought to him as a gift, and the stone linga and yoni (phallus and its counterpart), now shrined here by the Hindus, are pointed to as being the petrified butter. Crowning the summit of the hill is a large masjid built by Lutfallah, a native of Shiraz, in 1656 …« (WADDEL, L A 1899 / 1991: 309-314). CULTURAL HISTORY -- religious industry: »Hajo is famous for a temple to Siva [Shiva] … It is an object of veneration not only to Hindus but also to Bhuddists, who visit it in considerable numbers, under the idea that it was at one time the residence of Buddha [note 4]. … The building has some claims to architectural beauty, but was damaged by the earthquake of 1897. A staff of dancing girls is attached to the temple and it enjoys a grant of revenue-free land of over 12,000 acres [48.6 square kilometres]« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 13: 8).
NOTE 1: Among the known distances between Gauhati (Guwahati) and Hajo are the following: 11 km »7 miles« (BERTRAND, G 1958). 15 km »about 9 miles« (WADDEL, L A 1899 / 1991: 309). 24 km »15 miles by road« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 13: 8); LONELY PLANET, India (1993: 537). 30 km LONELY PLANET, India (2005: 545; 2009: 616). NOTE 2: Gauhati 26°11'N: 91°44'E on the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 45 H1). NOTE 3: WADDELL, L A (1899 / 1991: 307-314) had heared from Buddhist lamas and laymen at Darjeeling about the pilgrimage to Tsam ch'ô dung, which, it was alleged, is second to the great temple of Buddh-Gaya, the most holy spot a Buddhist could visit. NOTE 4: It was one Lama Trashigang (bla ma bkra shi dbang), a disciple of Padma Karpo (pad ma dkar po), who was responsible for opening the Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage to the »false Kusinagara« at Hajo near »Gauhati in Assam to the south of Tsa-ri [Tsari]« (ARIS, M 1979: 112-114; 1986: 71-73, 77).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20.9 | KAMAKHYA GUHA | ||
| 21.2 | BHUBANESHWAR, Nilochal (Patal) | ||
| 21.2 | MANOBHAVAN GUHA | ||
| 23.5 | UMANANDA ISLAND (Cave on) | ||
| 23.5 | UMANANDA GUHA | ||
| 68.4 | TIROT, Niangdai (Krem) | ||
| 70.0 | SYIEM, Jowai (Krem) | ||
| 70.9 | BOREHOLE TE-2/W1, Ledung: Tshebar (Cave of) | ||
| 83.4 | PEMAGATSHEL, 1st (Cave near) |