Sri Surya Pahar Goalpara

 

Sri Surya Pahar

Location and geography

Sri Surya Pahar in Assam is called the second Kashi. The total consists of 7 small hills adjoining the banks of the Brahmaputra in Goalpara district, with an area of about 583 hectares. It is situated at a distance of 132 km from Guwahati and 12 km from Goalpara.

A multi-religious holy land
The site is replete with inscriptions and artifacts of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religions. The broken portion of an obsolete 'Panchayat Nivarna' temple, which had idols of Surya, Vishnu, Durga, and Ganesha, is a witness to the era.

Hindu images: The worship of various deities, including the 12-armed Vishnu, Dasabhooja Durga, and Prajapati Chakra, similar to the image of Chittagong city, is seen here.

Buddhist kilns: On the northwestern slope of the hill, there are about 25 Hinayana Buddhist stupas and three monolithic stupas, which indicate the spread of Buddhism from the 1st century BCE to the 9th-10th centuries CE.

Jaina painting: Adinath and other Tirthankaras are carved next to the Buddha, which reveals the presence of Jainism from the 9th century.

Legend: 99,999 Shivalingas
It is said that Vedavyasa had installed 99,999 Shivalingas here to build the second Kashi. Although this number is not scientifically confirmed, mounds of rock and hundreds of large and small lingas are still visible.

The archaeological sources
ASI has been excavating since 1984 and has unearthed various temples, dwellings, artistic terracotta, temple tiles, masks and ornaments, cisterns, potsherds, stupas, inscriptions, and coatings. 93 of the 96 objects on display at the museum

The Sun and the Birth of the Name
'Shri Surya Pahar' is named in Kalika Purana as the center of Sun worship. In a circular foliage engraving, there are 12 Upaditya images—the central butterfly and the outer 12 Aditya sun gods.

According to the belief of the locals, it was once the main Surya Puja ghat.

The Evolution and Decline
1st century BCE–9th century CE: Rich in Buddhist artifacts.

9th-12th century: Growth of Hindu-Jain religion, opening of Panchayat Mandir and Stupa.

12th century—After the Sen era: The stage of distortion and abandonment for the stupa.

20th century: Reconstruction: Under the initiative of Baba Tirtha, the construction of a small sun temple and the Magha Purnima fair began.

Pragjyotishpur—Gupta dynasty
Based on the accounts of Chinese traveler Huen Tsang and Havanath of Pragjyotishpur, it is believed that Surya Pahar was the capital of Kumar Bhaskar Varman (600-650 AD) and not Guwahati.

Heritage and Tourism
Preserved under the care of ASI, more than a hundred works of art are displayed in the museum. Thousands of devotees and tourists gather here during the 'Sri Sri Surya Mela' in January-February every year.

Conclusion
Sri Surya Pahar is an unknown 'living school' where centuries of history—Buddhist stupas, Hindu-Jain idols, Kashi quests, Sun worship, and Pragjyotishpur marks—are all adorned together. According to the literature and archaeologists, these ruins may be a storehouse of unknown information in the future.