Agnigarh

The amazing hillock, Agnigarh is located in the small town of Tezpur. It still stands as an eternal witness to the immortal love story of Usha and Aniruddha. The name 'Agnigarh' is derived from the words 'Agni' (meaning fire) and 'garh' (meaning fortress or wall) in Sanskrit.

History states that Usha was the daughter of King Bana, the ruler of Tezpur. The amazingly beautiful princess Usha had a mesmerizing beauty. Even the grandchild of Lord Krishna, Aniruddha was bowled over by her beauty. It is believed that Usha used to have dreams of Aniruddha. Her friend, Chitralekha used to draw images of princes of India to exactly know which is the one Usha is dreaming of. Finally Chitralekha was able to draw a portrait of Aniruddha to which Usha nodded a 'Yes'!

It is believed that Aniruddha was put into jail, a fort which was surrounded by fire on all sides. In other words he was hold captive in Agnigarh.

Lord Krishna was fumed at this news. This lead to the famous 'Hari-Hara yuddha'. 'Hari' is referred to Lord Krishna and 'Hara' to lord Shiva. Lord Krishna attacked the Bana's kingdom to rescue his grandson. But King Bana was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. So he pleaded Lord Shiva to help him. And he joined in the battle on Bana's behalf. The battle continued for days. Tezpur was all filled with blood and hence comes its name! 'Tez' means blood!

Finally, Bana agreed to send off Princess  Usha with Aniruddha. And they lived happily ever after!!

The hillock of Agnigarh is well maintained by Tezpur Municipal Corporation. The lush greenery adds to its charm.

The view of River Brahmaputra is not only pleasing to the eyes but the refreshing air acts as a fuel to the soul.

A climb of Agnigarh, though tiring, can never fail to amuse the people.