The Negheriting Shiva Doul(নেঘেৰিটিং শিৱ দৌল ) is a

Shiva temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

Dergaon Dergaon (IPA: ˈdɜːˌgɑ̃ʊ) is a town and a municipality in the Golaghat district of Assam, India.It is 282 km from the state capital Guwahati. Hemchandra Barua, the compiler of ''Hemkosh'' (the earliest Assamese-English dictionary) ...

Assam, India Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to ...

. Situated on a

hillock A hillock or knoll is a small hill,The Free Dictionary
"hillock" entry, retrieved December 18, 2007 ...

at about one and half km north from the

National Highway 37 The following highways are numbered 37: Australia * Newcastle Inner City Bypass * Nubeena Road (TAS) Canada * Alberta Highway 37 * British Columbia Highway 37 * Winnipeg Route 37 * Ontario Highway 37 * Saskatchewan Highway 37 * Yukon Highway ...

in the

Golaghat Golaghat ( ''Gʊlaɡʱat'' ) one of the largest subdivisions of the Indian state of Assam, later elevated to the position of a full–fledged district headquarter on 5 October 1987, is a city and a municipality and the seat of administrative ...

district of Assam, the temple was first constructed by the Dimasa Kacharis during 8th – 9th century AD. Later due to natural calamities it came into destruction. In 1765 it was re-constructed by Ahom king Swargadeo

Rajeswar Singha Suremphaa (reign 1751–1769), or Rajeswar Singha, the fourth son of Rudra Singha, became the king of the Ahom kingdom after the death of his brother King Pramatta Singha. Rudra Singha's third son, Mohanmala Maladev Gohain, was considered i ...

. The famous architect assigned to the job was Ghanashyam Khonikar.

History

It is believed that the stones used to construct the temple were existed in the bank of river

Dihing Dihing or Burhi Dihing (Dihong = wide river ) is a large tributary, about long, of the Brahmaputra River in Upper Assam in northeastern India. The river originates at above sea level in the Eastern Himalayas (the Patkai Hills) in Arunachal Pra ...

. Due to natural calamities the temple was destroyed and the remains were found in deep forest called Gajapanemara. However, as the Dihing river changed the course, the temple was again destroyed and merged into the river water. A devotee of lord Shiva found the ruined temple and the linga in the shallow water of river Dihing, now this place is known as ''Sheetal Negheri''. Ahom king

(1751–1769) brought the linga from the river and reconstructed the present temple and established the

Shivalinga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...

in it.

Architecture

The main temple is surrounded by four other temples namely the

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

and

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

temple. A

Banalinga Banalinga, a stone found in nature, in the bed of the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh state, India, is an iconic symbol of worship, based on either the scriptures or cultural traditions among the Hindus, particularly of the Shaivaites and Smartha ...

of 3 feet in diameter is established in the main temple. According to legend a

Rishi ''Rishi'' () is a term for an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mentions in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or ...

named Urba wanted to establish a second

Kashi Kashi or Kaashi may refer to: Places * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India **Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas **Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi * Kashgar, a cit ...

right on this place for which he collected many

Shiva linga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

s there.

The name

The place where the temple is located was once the habitat of a peculiar bird locally known as ''Negheri''. From this name the place has come to be known as Negheriting.

Maintenance

A priest named Bhudhar Agamacharji was appointed by king

for proper maintenance of the temple and also for the rituals to be performed. The Agamacharji family still performs worship and other maintenance works regularly. Customs of performing songs and dances called ''Deonati'' were prominent there in the temple.

The Monkeys

One of the attractions of the temple is the monkeys. The temple is the house of the

rhesus monkeys The rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies that are split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally b ...

where a sizeable population of this species is there.

Photo gallery

File:NEGHERITING SHIVA DOUL DERGAON ASSAM INDIA.jpg, SRI SRI NEGHERITING SHIVA DOUL

References

{{Authority control Hindu temples in Assam Shiva temples in Assam Golaghat district