Navagraha Mandir, Guwahati
Navagraha Mandir is an ancient temple located at Chitrachal Hills in the city of Guwahati, Assam. The temple's Sanctum Sanctorum houses Graha Lingams of Nine Celestial Bodies in accordance with Vedic Astrology. The Graha Lingams of various planets here are – Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Rahu, Shani, Ketu, Bṛhaspati, Buddh and Shukra.
History
This is one the most ancient temples of Assam. Many legends and folklores are associated with the Navagraha temple. Exact information about who first founded this temple is unavailable. Although, it is speculated that the Koch Kings had built the earliest temple structure in the 16th Century. According to an inscription on the temple premises, the temple had suffered extensive damage in the great earthquake of 1697 and was later rebuilt with the help of a pious king, the Ahom Swargadeu Rajeswara Singha who rebuilt the entire temple structure in 1752. Enshrined in this temple are Nine Graha Lingams, representing the nine Celestial bodies, each covered with a colored garment symbolic of each of the celestial bodies.Connected to this Navagraha temple a nine-cornered pond was dug down in the valley south of it. This pond is known as Silpukhuri.