Assam Preps Negheriting Temple for Major Tourism Boost

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister plans to turn the historic Negheriting Temple near Dergaon into a top-tier tourism destination. The hilltop site houses a rare Panchadevata shrine. Worship here centers on five deities: Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Ganesha, and Surya.

The temple is old. Historian Chandradhar Barua links the site to the Pauranic period in the Journal of Assam Research Society. Tradition says Urba Muni once hoped to build a second Kashi here. The site fell into decay, but Ahom ruler Swargadeo Rajeshwar Singha later restored it.

Names carry history. The term ting comes from the Kachari language, meaning an inhabited area. Others link the name to the negheri bird or the traditional negheri khopa hairstyle worn by Ahom-era dancers. These dancers once performed inside the temple.

Architecture follows the Panchayatana style. It features a large main tower with four smaller surrounding shrines. A massive three-foot Banalinga sits in the sanctum. The complex holds rich relics, including the ancient Dewaliya Shil stone and figures of Krishna, Brahma, and Ganga.

"The temple thus represents not only religious continuity but also the Ahom-era practice of reviving and patronising important sacred institutions." The state now faces a tight deadline. They must boost tourism without wrecking the site's spiritual soul or archaeological integrity.