The Condition of Surya Pahar - a Neglected Archaeological Site

Situated in the far western corner of Assam is Surya Pahar, a small hill with the potential of becoming a revered and historical site. A few miles from the town of Goalpara lays this site, which archaeologists recently predicted might fundamentally change our understanding of the history of Assam. But unfortunately due to lack of funds, the archeological endeavor stooped early and the excavated structures lie at the mercy of the weather, people and animals.

Historical Significance

Surya Pahar is an interesting archeological site. It represents a confluence of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism as revealed by the statues and engraved figures found at the site. Several granite Shiva lingams are seen in the vicinity of the hill; statues of Buddha and Mahavira also line the hill. To add to all these, legend says there were 100,000 Shiva lingams buries around the hill and once it was one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in the region.

The name Sri Surya Pahar means the abode of the Sun God. The small and relatively modern Sun temple shows that the Sun was worshipped there. In fact, references are available in the Kalika Puran that there were two seats of Sun worship in Assam; Sri Surya Pahar was one of them. Inside the temple, a carved stone slab is still worshipped as Surya. The inner circular carving has been identified as Prajapati. The outer circle includes twelve lotus petals, each seated with a figure of Aditya. The Adityas depict the twelve-solar divinity of Dharti, Mitra, Aryaman, Rudra, Varuna, Surya, Bhaga, Vivashan, Pushan, Savitri, Tvastri and Vishnu. Other figurines like the twelve armed Vishnu, covered with a seven hooded canopy standing erect on a lotus, worshipped as Dasabhuja Durga, Ganesha, Harihara, Shivalingas,  and Vshnupadas - point to the historical significance of the place.

Among the identified Jain figures is one of the first Tirthankaras, Adinath, carved in sitting posture with two bulls in the base. In addition, the 25 votive stupas of different sizes show that there was Buddhist influence in Kamarupa and that too, much earlier then the rest of India.

In addition to being a confluence of the three religions, which is evident from the innumerable sculptures, Sri Surya Pahar can also be called a garden of medicinal plants, most of which await identification.

Archaeological Find

Although, the rumors have it that this historically significant hill has a lot of history behind it, there was no initiative from any government organization either to protect it or to fund projects to excavate the past. The only thing that has protected this exposed idols and engraved rocks is the reverence of the local people. The yearly held Surya Pahar Mela, mainly by the locals and priests, who reside in the hill, generate income that help preserve this historically significant place.

A few years ago, due to the initiative of some prominent archaeologists, a project was funded to unearth the history of the hill. The project hit the jackpot within a few days; a few Shiva lingams and a few houses were unearthed. The work continued for a while with great vigor. All findings confirmed the long-held belief that a thriving civilization held sway here some centuries ago. The intricate and scientific designs of the houses that have the same feel as that of the modern houses, with artfully designed bricks led to the conviction that it was a major discovery. The enthusiastic archaeologists even predicted that this might even change the understanding of the history of Assam. Some scholars even referred to the accounts of Chinese traveler, Huen Tsang and to the unearthed relics to claim that it was Sri Surya Pahar and not Guwahati that was the ancient land of Pragjyotishpur, the capital of the Kingdom of Bhaskarbarman. The finding of the nearby archeological site of Pagletek is cited to strengthen this claim.

But surprisingly, within a couple of months everything fizzled. All the excavated findings remain unattended and their significance unpublished!
By Kaushik Phukan, Seattle