Nagshankar Mandir

Nagshankar Mandir is Shiva temple located at Batia Roka,Assam.

Nagasankar Temple is a famous temple located in Nagasankar Mauza near Sootiya, east of Tezpur in Sonitpur district of Assam. It is believed that this temple was built by King Narasankar of Nagakha in the fourth century.

The Nagasankar temple is at a place called Nagasankar, Sutiya, 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Biswanath Chariyali, between the border of Sonitpur district and Biswanath district. The exact history of the temple is not certain. It was constructed around the fourth century BC. Happened in.

History
According to a belief, the Nagasankar temple was built by a king named Nag Shankar of the Lohitya dynasty at the end of the fourth century. Nagasankar ruled East Kamrup (ancient name of Assam) in 378 AD. He was a great king and sent his representatives to his contemporary Ashoka the Great of the Maurya dynasty.

According to another belief, this temple was built by King Nagamatta. Nagamatta is another name for Arimatta, the powerful king of Assam. Arimatta also has an important place in mythology. He is believed to be the son of the river-god Brahmaputra, who blessed the beautiful wife of King Ramachandra with a son.

According to a legend related to Nagshankar temple, when Shiva traveled the universe carrying Sati’s body, his navel part fell in Nagshankar temple. Hence, the name of this temple was earlier Navishankar and later it became Nagshankar.  This type of myths not only makes the tradition more powerful but also increases its social importance. Songs, chants etc. related to temples are not just a means of entertainment; These convey the message of knowledge to the people about the various duties, responsibilities, moral ideals etc. assigned to them in their life cycle.

The Ahom king Su-sen-fa repaired the Nagasankara temple in 1480. This work enabled the king to extend his kingdom to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River and win the trust of the people of the region.

Nagasankar Temple Tortoise
Nag-Sankar Temple has a large pond which houses more than five hundred rare varieties of soft shell turtles [9] which always make the atmosphere of the temple a center of attraction for the visitors.

The presence of species confirmed in the Nagashankar temple pond are Nilsonia gangetica or the Indian softshell turtle, classified as vulnerable and Chitra indica or the South Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle, listed as endangered by the IUCN. .