Temple of Hayagriv Madhab : The Horse Headed God

Hajo is a place people in Assam invariably learn about in school, especially if they study in the state board rather than the more utilitarian, bland and deracinated CBSE. The existence of Hindu, Islam, and Buddhist shrines here have always been pointed out as a great example of secular and peaceful coexistence. It is not even very far from Guwahati but I’d never been to this place during my school days.

This time me when I was on a family trip to ancestral village, I managed to make my people take a small diversion and spare and hour for Hajo. They agreed but as usual it was a hurried affair and we just managed to see the Hayagriv Madhab temple and skipped the rest. Yes, another unsatisfactory trip this was! But let’s cut the whining and move on to what matters.

Hayagriva Madhab, as the name suggests, is a temple dedicated to Hayagriva, the horse headed avatar of Lord Vishnu. There are interesting theories about Hayagriva.

As is the case with most Archaeological sites in Assam, this place survives more as a living religious sites. Local devotees visit here to offer prayers, hoping for good fortune, and nobody cares much about history. I could not see any signage describing the history of the place. In fact there seems to be a confusion regarding its antiquity.

Jitaditya Narzary

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