Madan kamdev - Archeological Wonder of Brahmaputra Valley
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Madan Kamdev, the mini Khajuraho, is a scenic place for tourists and a true heaven for archeologists. Discovered
as early as 70s, situated in a green eden on the Dewangiri hill of Kamrup district, Madan Kamdev is a mavel speaking the glory of Assam's medieval era.
It requires a beautiful drive of just 40 from Guwahati, over the Saraighat bridge on the mighty Brahmaputra, to the hillock of Dewangiri and Madan Kamdev.
A place not known to the modern world till just four decades back. It was only 1977 when a excavation project by Indian Archeological Department revealed a hidden
medieval world of rich culture under this hill. This new discovery is known as Madan Kamdev and is a thrill to the tourists.
A Sculpture at Madan Kamdev
Spreaded over a length of half a kilometer, a vast area, ruin of 13 temples including the main temple, Madan Kamdev, speaks the glorious years of a lost kingdom.
The art in the sculptures in the temples portray expressions of erotic acts which can be or else seen only in the famous Khajuraho temples of Madhya Pradesh.
The scupltures include embracced postures of Madan (Uma) and Kamdev (Maheswar), innate acts of Elephatns, lions, human and other animals. Such erotic sculptures fill
the walls of the temple which is an architectural marvel. Apart from such Khajuraho like art, the temples also contains beautiful statues of six-headed Bhairav,
four-headed Shiva, six-headed Vishnu, Kalpavriksha, various Apsaras, etc.
Madan kamdev is not only an archeological wonder, it's also an eden inside the green forests of Dewangiri hill. The scenic beauty and chirping birds around the ruins of
temples make it heavenly. The rive Madankuri flows below the hill and also a vast swampy land extends to the Gopeswar hill on the west.
There are mythological accounts of the Madan-Kamdev. The myth says that Lord Shiva burnt the God of Love Kamdev to ashes for disrupting his tapas. Kamdev later is reborn
in this place.
Madan Kamdev - A Video Tour
The true history of Madan-Kamdev is still under the cloud for the historians and archeologists. The first evidence of some ruins in the Madan-Kamdev was reported by
British Captain Daltan in 1855. His article was published in Asian Society of Bengal mentioning the ruins of around 15 lost temples in the region. Unfortunately further
research was not carried out. In 1949, Taranikant Sarma tried to resurrect the history of the land in Assam Research Scoiety magazine. But until 1976 the Madan-Kamdev
came back to sleep again, when Archeological Directorate of Assam took some initiatives. An exploration mission was finally held and it finally revealed the hidden
treasure ot the world. The archeological pattern points to 10th to 12th century. It was the era of Pala dynasty in Assam. So, there is a reason to believe that the temples
are built by the Pala kings. But there are no hard evidences, nor any inscriptions found in Madan-Kamdev.
Madan-Kamdev is incomparable in its arts and beauty, its the true wonder of Brahmaputra Valley. There is still scope of excavation in the area and the hope for more
discoveries still lies in Madan-Kamdev.
How to Reach
Nearest city is Guwahati. Reach Baihata Chariali from Guwahati, after the Baihata junction take National Highway 52 towards Mangaldai. Its just 3 km on that highway
from Baihata.
