The Sukreswar (Pron: ˌʃʊˈkreɪʃwə) Temple is an important

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

temple in the state of

Assam 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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The temple is located on the Sukreswar or

Itakhuli Itakhuli or Sukreswar Hill is a small hill on the south bank of the Brahmaputra at Guwahati. The past official residence of the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup District of Assam was located on top of this hill. The D.C. bungalow was vacated for t ...

hill on the south bank of river

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. I ...

in the Panbazar locality of

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

city. Leading down from the temple compound is a long flight of steps to the river. Sitting on the steps of Sukreswar ghat one can enjoy the scenery of sun setting on the river, boats moving across the river, people performing puja in honour of their relatives who have left this world, children and older people bathing. It has one of the largest Lingam of Lord Shiva.

History

It is believed to be constructed in 1744 by Ahom King

Pramatta Singha Sunenphaa () also, Pramatta Singha, was the king of Ahom Kingdom. He succeeded his elder brother Swargadeo Siva Singha, as the king of Ahom Kingdom. His reign of seven years was peaceful and prosperous. He constructed numerous buildings and t ...

(1744–1751)."The ''Sukresvara'' and ''Janardana'' temples at Gauhati and ''Phakua Doul'' in the precincts of the ''Hayagriva-Madhava'' temple at Hajo were also built during (Pramatta Singha's) time." King

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 ...

(1751–69) who also promoted cause of the Saiva cult made financial provisions for the Sukreswar Temple in 1759.

Notes

References

* Baruah, S.L., ''Last Days of Ahom Monarchy—A History of Assam from 1769 to 1826'', 1993 * Barpujari, H.K., ''The Comprehensive History of Assam'', p. 220, Volume Three, From Thirteenth Century A.D. to the Treaty of Yandabo (1826); Publication Board Assam, Guwahati-781 021. * * Hindu temples in Guwahati Shiva temples in Assam 1744 establishments in Asia {{india-hindu-temple-stub