Guwahati

Guwahati stands on the Brahmaputra among the hills of western Assam, in the region associated with ancient Pragjyotishpura and Kamarupa. Its name is commonly explained from the Assamese words for areca nut and market. On Nilachal Hill above the river stands the temple of Kamakhya, a major centre of goddess worship whose long history is woven into the religious life of the valley.

The Koch king Naranarayana rebuilt the Kamakhya temple in 1565, with his brother Chilarai associated with the work. The present shrine incorporates remains of an earlier stone temple and combines a rounded dome with elements of older Indian temple architecture. Its hilltop setting commands the country around the Brahmaputra, where worshippers came to honour the goddess from many parts of the region.

Guwahati also became a focal point of conflict between the Ahoms and the Mughals. Ahom forces under Lachit Borphukan recovered it in 1667 and defeated a Mughal advance on the river at Saraighat in 1671. The Mughals later regained the city briefly, but the Ahoms took it again at Itakhuli in 1682. The Ahoms then re-established the authority of the Borphukan at Guwahati, governing their western territories from the city. The river, so important to the city’s life, was also the setting of the struggle for control of the valley.