हिंदीOn this day
Ruined

Madan Kamdev

A hillside of fallen temples at Baihata Chariali near Guwahati, littered with carved stone from the last centuries of the Kamarupa kingdom.

Built: c. 10th–12th century, Pala kings of KamarupaWhere: AssamDeity: Bhagwan Shiva and Kamadeva26.32° N, 91.73° E
  1. c. 10th–12th century
  2. 1977 onward
Photo: BhuyanBhaskar · CC0

01Where Kama was reborn

After Shiva burnt Kamadeva to ash, Rati prayed, and the god of love was given back his form. Tradition in Kamarupa holds that he regained it on this hill, and so the place is Madan Kamdev. The site was forgotten under forest until the 20th century. Clearing and excavation by the Assam state archaeology department from 1977 brought out the plinths of some twenty temples and a heap of sculpture: Uma-Maheshvara, four-headed Shiva, Ganesh, Vidyadharas, lions, and panels of musicians and dancers.

02What the stones show

The carving belongs to the Pala dynasty of Kamarupa, who ruled from Durjaya near Guwahati between about 900 and 1100. How the temples fell is not recorded; earthquakes are frequent here and the Brahmaputra valley saw repeated invasions after the 13th century. Many of the best pieces are now kept on the site in a small museum shed and in the Assam State Museum.

The life of this place

  1. c. 10th–12th centuryTemple group built under the Pala kings of Kamarupa.
  2. 1977 onwardAssam state archaeology clears and excavates the ruins.
Visiting

About 35 km north of Guwahati on the road to Mangaldoi; open daylight hours.

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