Umananda Temple pops up as one of the must-see destinations when in Guwahati. So, when I had a few hours to kill in Guwahati I decided to pay a visit to the Temple. After a cab ride of thirty minutes, I reached the Umananda Ghat. “It is a pleasant spot to spend the evening” was the first thought that crossed my mind.

The huge board at the ghat read below description:

“The Umananda Temple is located in the small peacock island amidst the mighty Brahmaputra. This quiet place of worship is named after and dedicated to Lord Shiva. The name “Umananda” comes from the two words “Uma”- Parvati and “Nanda”-‘Shiva’. The peacock island is the smallest inhabited river island in the world and possibly one of the beautiful too. The temple is nestled in the laps of this serene island whose shores are washed by the mighty Brahmaputra. It is a heaven for nature lovers. The surroundings of the temple are undisturbed and serene and thus prove to be a perfect place just to sit and enjoy the beauty of the area. The auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri observes a lot of gaiety and religious fervour in the temple.

The temple is situated on the top of a hill called Bhasmachal. The island was originally built in 1694 A.D by King Gadadhar Singh. However, it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1897 and later rebuilt.

Apart from being a place of worship, the Temple is also a pleasurable exception to the typical places of worship. This place has a serene environment which makes you want to sit down for a while and absorb the beauty of the place”

How to reach Umananda Temple: The temple is easily accessible by ferries. The ferries are readily available from the Umananda ghat. You can see the temple right from the ghat, a few minutes ferry ride will take you right at the temple entrance. The ferry charges a nominal fee for the to and fro journey to the temple.

My Experience at Umananda Temple:

After visiting the Maa Kamakhya Temple I can say this for sure that the visit to Umananda Temple was peaceful to bits. The serene ferry ride and the chaos free temple premises is definitely a gush of fresh air. I also spotted Golden Langur in the temple premises. It is an endangered species and only occurs in Bhutan and Assam. After offering my prayers to the deity and taking a stroll in the temple premises I sat for a long time just soaking in the peaceful ambience of the temple. As the sun started setting and the call for the final ferry ride back to ghats started I decided to make a move. The visit to Umananda Temple was very different from all the other temples that I have visited so far. It was refreshing and peaceful.

Enjoy the photostory around the Umananda Temple:

Some random photos from the temple:

Time to get back to the ghat.

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