Situated within the Kamlang Reserve Forest on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit River, the Parasuram Kund lies 21 km north of Tezu in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. The kund is dedicated to the great sage Parasuram, who was the 6th avatar of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism. The kund has become a popular site of worship and people from far across the nation, even from Nepal and the other nearby states of Manipur and Assam visit this holy place. It is said that the waters of the kund is as sacred as the waters of the Ganga River.
Legend of Parasuram Kund
According to the Hindu legends, it is believed that Lord Parasuram on the orders of his father Rishi Jamadagni beheaded his mother Renuka with his axe. Parasuram"s father claimed that Renuka had committed a sin by having lustful thoughts after seeing a young couple frolicking in water and thus asked one of his sons to kill her. None of his 6 sons except Parasuram could oblige. However, the handle of the axe was stuck to his hand and he could not remove it. Pleased with his son"s obedience, Jamadagni asked Parasuram to ask for a boon to which he asked for the immediate resurrection of his mother. Renuka was brought back to life but Parasuram had committed a heinous crime which could not be wiped away instantly. He repented for his crime and on taking the advice of eminent rishis of that time; he arrived at the banks of Lohit River to wash his hands in its pure waters. It was a way to cleanse him of all the sins. As soon as he dipped his hands into the waters the axe immediately got detached and since then the site where he washed his hands and dropped the axe became a place of worship and came to be known as Parashuram Kund by the saints.
Another legend states that in the 18th century, a saint who came through Chowkham re-established the site of the Parasuram Kund. It is said that this saint was driven out from his village as he was thought to be a swindler. The villagers were thereafter afflicted by an unknown disease. Meanwhile, the saint had hidden himself in a cave around the kund away from the angry villagers. Soon after the villagers sought him out and offered him fruits, flowers and begged for forgiveness. This re-established kund was existent till the year 1950 until the massive Assam Earthquake of 1950 that shook the whole of the North-East and the kund was completely covered. A very strong current now flows over the original site of the kund but massive boulders have in a mysterious way embedded themselves in a circular formation in the river bed thus forming another kund in place of the old. The kund is surrounded by dense forests of Ruddraksha trees, the fruit of which is considered sacred to Hindu ascetics as well as general believers of the faith.
The Parasuram Temple in Parasuram Kund
The Parasuram kund itself is a small temple pilgrim complex and behind the temple premises there are idols depicting the legendary story of Lord Parasuram beheading his mother, Renuka. In the inner small temples, there are presiding idols of Lord Vishnu and Parasuram.
Festivals of Parasuram Kund
The Parasuram Kund is famous for the annual fair that is held during Makara Sankranti, which normally falls in mid-January every year. There is an endless stream of pilgrims, nearly about 70,000 devotees and sadhus that take a holy dip in the water in the chilling cold. It is believed that if a person once takes a dip in the kund, his sins would be wiped out forever just like Parasuram"s was after he committed matricide. The fair held during this time brings forth a sense of community among the different tribes and the people across the nation and beyond visiting the Makara Sankranti fair. Shopkeepers from the different states showcase their wares like wild cows, rare fur-rugs and other curios are brought and shown at this festival. The festivals held here show the artistic skills of the various tribes. At midnight, the auspicious ceremony of Makara Sankranti begins and devotees start bathing in the kund. The Bazaar Welfare Committee (BWC) has been providing necessary facilities to the traders with the support from the district administration to make the fair a successful event.
Visiting Information on Parasuram Kund
The nearest airport is the Dibrugarh Airport which is at a distance of about 200 km away from the Parasuram Kund. At an approximate distance of about 160 km, the Tinsukia railway station is the closest to the kund.
