There is a lesser known temple in Kalipur, Guwahati dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Its name is Chakreshwar temple. The name Chakreshwar has been derived from Sudarshan Chakra which was weapon of Lord Vishnu. This is a very beautiful temple on the bank of mighty Brahmaputra. It is an excellent place to visit with a very serene environment. It has an awesome view of Brahmaputra river. At the entrance of the temple, there is a sculpture of Lord Krishna on a chariot.
The main deity of the temple is symbolized in the form of a rock which has an impression of Lord Vishnu’s Chakra on it. This is known as Chakrashila. According to mythology, when Lord Vishnu dismembered Sati’s lifeless body, his Sudarshan Chakra had struck this rock. There are also idols of Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman, Ma Bhairavi, Narasimha, and Parshuram.
The legend has it that when Sati’s father was performing Yajna, he did not invite Sati and her husband Lord Shiva. When Sati visited there without invitation, her father insulted her and Lord Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and burnt herself by self-immolation. When Lord Shiva got this news, he placed the dead body of Sati over his shoulders and started his tandava dance. The more Lord Shiva danced, the more destruction arose. Lord Shiva carried Sati’s body and roamed around the universe with it. It caused huge destruction. So Lord Vishnu cut down Sati’s body into 52 pieces. Wherever a piece of the dead body of Sati had fallen, that place is called a Shakti Peetha. The nearby temple of Ma Kamakhya is also a Shakti Peetha.
There is a vertical pillar in Brahmaputra river with idols of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi on it sitting on Sheshnag which serves as an indicator of height of the river water. The water touches the feet of Lord Vishnu during the rainy season.
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