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Why Malayalam superstar Mohanlal wants a careful study of the history of India’s northeast

Why Malayalam superstar Mohanlal wants a careful study of the history of India’s northeast

Away from the public glare, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal made a private visit to Assam’s Kamakhya temple and recommended the beautiful shrine, which welcomes everyone regardless of caste or religion, as a must visit place.

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Mohanlal with R. Ramanand at Kamakhya temple Mohanlal with R. Ramanand at Kamakhya temple

Assam’s famous Kamakhya temple had a celebrity visitor but hardly anyone in the state had any inkling of it. Away from the public glare, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal made a private visit to the temple and offered prayers like any common visitor. He was accompanied by scriptwriter R Ramanand.

Nestled atop the Nilachal hills in Guwahati, the Kamakhya temple is one of the oldest and most revered centres of Tantric practices. After the visit, Mohanlal wrote a long post on social media, about the significance of Kamakhya temple and his fascination for tantra since he first heard about it from his uncle Gopinathan Nair. “Kamakhya is a temple dedicated to Yoni. Yoni means the place of origin. Where we all come from. The urge to return to the source is innate in us. That is the first reason to come here,” wrote Mohanlal.

He then went on to describe how, after landing in the state, he found out about the history of Assam and Ahom kingdom.  “This is the place where the Ahom kings ruled for about 600 years. I don't remember learning in history textbooks about the Ahom kings who fiercely resisted Mughal-British rule. We should study more carefully about north-eastern states including Assam which is helpful for India’s national integration,” read the post.

The Ahoms, led by Sukaphaa, a Tai prince of Mong Mao, now in Myanmar, reached Assam in 1228 and set up the Ahom Kingdom. The Ahoms, considered responsible for unification of Assam, continued to rule large parts of the state till 1826 when the British finally occupied it.

The 60-year-old actor, also known as Lalettan, described the history of the Kamakhya temple: “The history of the Kamakhya temple goes back even beyond the history of the Ahoms. In the Puranas, we see stories related to Narakasura about Kamakhya. Kalika Purana calls Kamakhya as Kali in Kirata form…Pandit Nayan Jyoti Sharma, who helped us in the temple, said that the temple is as old as the Dwapara Yuga. Historians have been able to date it to the 7th century. Indeed, the concept and worship of the Yoni in Kamakhya is as old as the human race.”

Recommending it as a must visit place, Mohanlal, who doesn’t use his surname Nair, said that the “beautiful temple welcomes everyone regardless of caste or religion”.  The actor, who was last seen in the film 12th Man, also revealed his plan to visit Umananda, a river island in the middle of Brahmaputra, the largest river in India. The island is home to an ancient Shiva temple which attract a large number of devotees from across the country.

Writing about his excitement for the journey through the mighty Brahmaputra, Mohanlal also remembered Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika, who composed several evergreen songs on the river.

Edited By: Priti Kalita
Published On: Aug 17, 2022