Hajo
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Hajo
Village in Kamrup District, Eastern Bengal and Assam, situated in 26° 15' N. and 91° 31' E., on the north bank of the Brah- maputra, 15 miles by road from Gauhati. Population (1901), 3,803. Hajo is famous for a temple to Siva which stands in a picturesque situation on the top of a low hill. It is said to have been originally built by one Ubo Rishi, and to have been restored by Raghu Deb (a.d. 1583) after it had been damaged by the Muhammadan general Kala Pahar. It is an object of veneration not only to Hindus but also to Buddhists, who visit it in considerable numbers, under the idea that it was at one time the residence of Buddha. The building has some claims to architectural beauty, but was damaged by the earthquake of 1897. A staff of dancing-girls is attached to the temple, and it enjoys a grant of revenue-free land of over 12,000 acres. The iahsjl office and police station are situated about a mile from the village, in front of a large and shallow lake which was formed after the earthquake of 1897.
