The Rudreswar Temple or Devaloya is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is located in the village of Rudreswar, under Sila Sindhurighopa Mouza (revenue circle), on the northern bank of the river Brahmaputra, in Guwahati, Assam State. Ferries and Motorboats services is available from Fancy bazaar to the nearest point.
One has to walk for a kilometer to reach the hill temple. One can find a signboard adjacent to the steps leading to the temple and next to the boating point. Guwahati Sri Rudreswar Temple was built using the architectural design of Ahom and the Mughals. The design of the temple is an imitation of the Mughal mausoleum.
Sri Rudreswar Temple Timings: 6.00 am to 09.00 pm
Rudreswar Temple History:
In the latter part of his reign, Swargadeo Rudra Singha announced his desire to extend Assam westward to the Karatoya River in present-day West Bengal and Bangladesh, which was considered the border of the ancient kingdom of Kamarupa. Some sources also indicate that his ambition was to include part of the sacred river Ganges in his domain.
Since Bengal was under the Mughal rule, he began to prepare for a massive military expedition against the Mughal Empire. An army of around 400,000 soldiers was assembled at Guwahati, which included various hill and plains tribes, including the King of Cachar and the King of Jaintia of present-day Meghalaya. His efforts were in vain. Before his preparations were completed, he suffered from a fatal illness and died in August 1714 in his camp at Guwahati. His body was taken to Charaideo, in the present-day Sivasagar district, to be buried according to the ancient Tai-ahom custom.
According to some sources, Rudra Singha was cremated according to Hindu customs in northern Guwahati, while some indicate that only one of his little fingers was burned in this manner. His second son, Pramatta Singha, after ascending to the throne, decided to build a temple to Lord Shiva in Guwahati in memory of his father. The place of his father’s death was chosen for the construction of the temple.
The temple was completed in 1749. After the completion of the temple, Pramatta Singha established a Shiva Linga in the temple and named it Rudreswar Shiva Linga, in honor of his father Swargadeo Rudra Singha. The temple was called Rudreswar Devalaya and hence the village in which the temple was built is also known as Rudreswar. The king arranged for the priests and the people to maintain the temple and a large area of land given in the name of the temple.