Urvashi Island on Brahmaputra River in Assam – Hindu God Sculptures Are Revealed When the River Recedes

When the Brahmaputra River recedes after rainy season at Guwahati in Assam, the island of Urvasi reappears and reveals rock-cut Hindu God Sculptures which includes a panel with ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, sculptures of Lord Shiva and Ganesha and on a lone rock overlooking the river is a female form that some historians describe as that of Urvashi, the celestial nymph in Hindu Puranas.

The sculptures are only visible during the dry period. The small island north of the CJM court in Guwahati does have one feature that stands out tall through out the year – a pillar made of brick and mortar.

Assam Tribune Writes about this unique Urvasi Island which emerges from underwater for a short period with Hindu sculptures 

According to the Kalika Purana, Urvasi, the celestial nymph was called upon to pay obeisance to the Goddess Kamakhya. The sculpture, however, does not face the Nilachal hill where the Kamakhya temple is located; instead it looks out northward.

According to archaeologist Dr HN Dutta who is acquainted with the ancient objects, “The origins of the sculptures could go back as far as AD 11 century.”

Although the island is not marked by the remains of a temple, engraved outlines on rocks seem to suggest a temple ground plan. Some experts are of the belief that in the hoary past the present island could have actually been connected to the south bank.

Although tourists have not yet been introduced to the site, which is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, the Guwahati-based Vivekananda Kendra has carried out a comprehensive photo documentation study of the entire island. One day the photos could be valued material to historians and researchers as the Brahmaputra is certain to cause further damage to the rock cut figures and inscriptions.

A senior archaeologist, who preferred anonymity, said that efforts should be made to translocate the historic objects from the island to a safer place where they could be stored for posterity. “The technology is there to remove the sculptures and transfer them to another place...unless that is done, there will be a time when the Brahmaputra’s incessant scourging would obliterate them forever,” he stated.