Fast Facts :

Place : Goalpara, Assam

Alias : An art gallery of the Archaeological ruins.

Major Attractions : The Modern Shrine and the Ruins

Sri Surya Prahar Ruins is one of the famous archeological sites which are located over a distance of around seven miles from the city of Goalpara. To reach this place you can travel by Dobapara road, the city which is close to the headquarters of Assam district. There are several ruins that are even today preserved here and are known for tourist attractions. Among all the archeological places that are located in Goalpara district, the most famous site is the Sri Surya Prahar hills, which occupies the significance of both religious and artistic history of the Assam state. The Sri Surya Prahar Ruins is implies the spirituality of the Assam state in India.

Symbolizing the Three Hindu Religious Sects :

The Shri Surya Prahar Ruins is simply known as "a picture gallery of the archaeological remains." In this place, there are many beautifully carved sculptures which signify the spiritualism and culture of India. Among the sculptures, only three Hindu religious sects represent the Saktism, Vaishnavism, and Shaivism. When you visit the bottom of the Sri Surya Prahar hill you can see an extensive area that is covered with a huge amount of Shiva Lingas, which are cut down from the granite stone. As per the local tradition that holds here, there are around 99,999 lingas which were found here to replicate this magnifying place similarly into the second beautiful city of Kashi.

A Modern Temple :

On the top of the Sri Surya Prahar hill, a modern religious temple is situated for the devotees who hail from far away places to witness this sacred place. The spiritual shrine is constructed from the old bricks where the walls are plastered with rough mud. The ruin is sheltered with roof of folded iron sheets. The holy shrine also encloses a spherical stone tablet which measures an area of around 4 ½ feet in perimeter. On this huge slab of stone there are various images of planetary gods that are engraved on it; among them the most famous illustration carved is of Surya.

It also contains some sculptures in the central figure while few of them are within the circle. The carvings are also furnished with another stamped circle. Originally, it is a figure of male who has four hands. The objects that are held in his hands are not been recognized properly since it is an old construction. The idol of a holy deity which is placed in the Sri Surya Prahar Ruins is mainly four-faced, where the fourth one is set on the backside which is nearly not visible. The Surya god is placed in a seated position on his vehicle which cannot be easily identified with meticulousness.

According to the archeologist, the image that is sculptured below the god is guessed as the swan which was his vehicle. The vehicle which is depicted as Vahana of Brahma or Prajapati is the most famous. The figure which is engraved in the centre is encircled by twelve small sculptures, which are commonly placed in a sitting position. In this figure, each of the small sculptures is mainly one faced with two arms holding a particular object possibly depicted as lotuses.

The Twelve Adityas (Hindu deity) :

In this sacred shrine, at the centre the figure is known as 'Kasyapa' who is frequently called as Prajapati or also the "creator of beings". The Lord Surya is simply known as 'Aditya', who was the son of great ‘Aditi.' She was the only wife of the famous 'Kasyapa'. According to the Sanskrit literature, and the Hindu mythological stories, the twelve Adityas are considered as the sun gods. Thus, all the twelve small sculptures that are engraved in the circle might be known as the twelve Adityas. If you look closely, at the center a miniature figure is carved which depicted the father of twelve Adityas. According to the Kalika Purana, it states that the 'Sri Surya Mountain' was an eternal residence of the Sun deity Surya. This place is also known as the "Yatra Deva Adityahsatatam Sthilah", which represents in Sanskrit language. The Sri Surya Prahar ruins showcase the popularity of the Sun adoration in the ancient period of Assam. At present, around thousands of pilgrims come to worship lord Surya and also to explore the beautiful place which is considered as the most iconic place in the state of Assam.