Have you ever heard of the smallest inhabited river islet in the middle of the Brahmaputra River? It's called Bhasmachal hill, and it's home to the Umananda Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The name 'Umananda' comes from two words: 'Uma,' Lord Shiva's wife, and 'Ananda,' meaning happiness or pleasure.
According to legends, the name 'Bhasmachal' originated from the act of Lord Shiva burning Kamdeva into ashes at this island, hence its association with 'Bhasma,' meaning 'Ash' in Sanskrit.
Legend has it that Lord Shiva was meditating on this hillock when he was interrupted by Kamadeva, resulting in Kamadeva being burnt to ashes by Shiva's anger. Kamdev’s wife, Rati Devi, pleaded for his revival, which Shiva granted.
According to another legend, the south side of this hill was connected to Guwahati, formerly known as Pragjyotishpur. A merchant named Pragjyotish owned a Kamdhenu cow. That cow came out in the morning and returned home at night. No one knew what she did the whole day. So out of worry, a person was assigned to look after her. The people saw that the place where the shivling emerged. There was a Bael tree before. The cow gave milk at the tree. After seeing that, the people informed King Gadadhar Singh of the Tai-Ahom dynasty about it. When he himself came, he saw the cow offering milk at the Bael tree. He thought there was surely some valuable treasure under the tree. They dug the place up. Then the Bael tree fell down, a shivling emerged. When he was sleeping, he saw a dream of Mahadev. He said, “I was away from the notice of humans, now that you have discovered me, if you want good for you, establish me.” On the instructions of him the temple was constructed in 1694 AD by Bar Phukan Garhganya Handique.
There are plenty of engravings and sculptures that adorn the rock walls of this temple. These engravings and sculptures depict the craftsmanship of the local Assamese artisans.The engravings done on the walls include Hindu gods like Surya, Shiva, Ganesha and Devi. Apart from these, sculptures of Lord Vishnu and his ten incarnations can also be found in the vicinity of this temple.
In 1897, a significant portion of the temple was damaged by a devastating earthquake, but it was later reconstructed by a wealthy local merchant, who also added Vaisnavite inscriptions to the interior. Despite the demolition, some parts remain scattered throughout the area, while others have been repurposed.
The temple celebrates Shiva Chaturdashi and Maha Shivratri every year with big celebrations. Thousands of people come to the temple during these festivals. Many devotees travel from distant places to pray and ask for blessings from Lord Shiva at the Umanansa temple.
