Calm amidst chaos….

“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.” 
― William Shakespeare

On a windy & dusty Sunday, I made a trip to a place I had planned to visit since 2013. In spite of being only about 30 kms or so away from where I live, and inspite of passing by the place quite a number of times, I simply could not manage a trip to this place. I guess, things happen only when they are meant to be. And so, one Sunday, I finally stepped inside the Assam Buddha Vihar, a Buddhist monastery perched on a hilltop in Amingaon, Kamrup, Assam.

I came to know about this place way back in 2013, when I read about it in a blog by a fellow blogger from Guwahati.  The place has changed quite a bit, as is evident from the pics put up by her and the one I saw during my visit.

The most striking feature of this place is the giant, white statue of Buddha set atop a hill. The colourful prayer flags, fluttering in the wind add to the aura of the place. Also, the stupa inspired structure, which looks like a viewpoint, added to the beauty of the place. In spite of being situated next to the highway and the trucks, buses and other vehicles speeding by in regular intervals, the quietness and serenity of the place was surprising and very refreshing too. It was a warm day and the climb to the top was little tiring too. After clicking a few photos, we perched on the big rocks under the shade of a tree and as the wind blew through my hair, the tiredness and fatigue seemed to fly away with it and i was left refreshed and with a sense of calmness. I soaked in the melange of quietness and the natural sounds around the place – the rustling of the dry leaves, the birds chirping and the wind blowing and also, the sound of a train passing by. It was such a delight to experience this, just a few kilometres away from the madness of the city.

This monastery was founded by a Buddhist lady called, C. S. Lama, after the death of her husband. The State Government also provided help to her in setting up the place. (More details about Ms. Lama & her work can be read here).

During our visit on that day, the door of the monastery was closed and there was no one around to ask anything. Keeping in mind the time of our visit, we assumed the monks and other people must be enjoying their afternoon siesta and we did not want to disturb them and so did not try to go inside it; after all, there is always a next time…. 🙂 🙂

I am sharing a few pics of the beautiful place here –

fluttering flags sending prayers in the air

The Monastery (1)

The Monastery (2)

On the climb upwards

the viewpoint

the view from top (1)

the view from top (2)

the Buddha

the Buddha

Posing in the viewpoint

The green view all around

A tiny Buddha at the feet of the giant Buddha

Greenery & prayer flags….

Sun sets in the distance

On the other side of the bridge was our destination