01Across the river
Pilgrims from Guwahati cross the Brahmaputra by ferry to Rajaduar and walk up to the temple. The shrine holds Govinda, and beside it stands a namghar, the prayer hall of Assamese Vaishnavism where the names of Hari are sung in the way Srimanta Sankardeva taught. The older building fell in an earthquake, and the present temple dates from the 20th century.
02Five days of Doul
Doul Jatra, held on the Phalguna full moon, runs here for five days. Govinda is carried to the doul, a raised platform, coloured with phakua powder and swung, and devotees sing borgeets and Holi songs. Thousands come across the river for it. Hindus of the Brahmaputra valley keep Doul as the most joyful of Krishna’s festivals, and on the last evening the colour-soaked crowd walks Govinda back to his sanctum with drums, cymbals and the sound of khol.
Take the ferry from Guwahati’s Fancy Bazaar ghat to Rajaduar, or cross by the Saraighat bridge; the river is best from November to April.
