Ghanashyam dol Travel Guide

The Ghanashyam Dol is located in the historical city of Sivasagar, Assam. It is located at 26°57´´41´ N and 94°36´´08´ E. The district of Sivasagar has a unique place in the history of Assam. It is here Chao-Lung Siu-Ka-Pha, the Tai prince established the foundation of the Ahom kingdom with its first permanent capital at Charaideo. During the reign of the successors of Siu-Ka-Pha the capital of the Ahom kingdom was shifted time to time to Saragua, Gargaon and Rangpur respectively all in Sivasagar district. Rangpur continued to be the Ahom capital from the time of king Rudra Singha (1696-1714 CE) till it was last established at Jorhat towards the end of the Ahom rule. Since four of the five capitals of the Ahom kingdom are located in the present district of Sivasagar, the region witness a large number of monuments of that period standing high and mesmerizing hey days of the Ahom rule. A prominent monument of the period in Sivasagar is the Ghanashyam Dol, a terracotta brick temple that lies near present Joysagar College, Joysagar. Located on the bank of the Joysagar tank, it is in the vicinity of the Joysagar group of temples built by king Rudra Singha. It is also known as the Nati Gosain Dol. The art and architecture of this monument shows resemblance with the temples of Bishnupur in Bankura district, West Bengal.

The Ghanashyam Dol is unique among the Ahom monuments on account of its overall planning and execution. It is a brick built structure having terracotta carvings on its exterior. It has a square ground plan. Though it is call as dol it does not look like any other dols of the Ahom period or any typical Hindu temple. It does not contain any image. It has a small rectangular chamber attached with a rectangular corridor. The roof is char-chala type, jeweled with another char-chala type small roof on its top, thus making it a traditional Bengali at-chala type structure. The façade of the dol is facing south having three arched entrances. It has small arched windows to its west, north and east side walls respectively.

Ghanashyam House is a magnificent structure which bagged its name from the architect ‘Ghanashyam’. The monument is a terracotta brick temple which is nestled on the bank of the Joysagar tank. The present day Joysagar College is near the monument. Ghanashyam House is also known as Nati Gosain Dol or Ghanashyam Dol. Ghanashyam House’s artwork and architecture is inspired by Islamic architecture. The door openings with arches resemble Islamic architecture. Terracotta works can be seen all over the walls of the monument. The temples of Bishnupur in West Bengal are similar to the Ghanashyam House in terms of architecture. A common boundary wall covers the monument’s three independent structures. It also has a Kitchen House or the Bhog Ghar. The monument does not have any similarity with any typical Hindu temple and also does not have any picture. The windows in this monument face towards west, north and east side walls. The main cell of the monument has an arched entrance which is same as the typical feature of a mosque. Ghanashyam House’s history is vague. There are two beliefs on the construction of the monument. One opinion states that Ghanashyam Khanikar built this monument with the investment from Rudra Singha who was the Ahom king from CE 1696-1714. Singha brought Ghanashyam from Koch Bihar and made him his chief architect. The latter also constructed the capital city of Rangpur. As per the second belief, Ghanashyam constructed the Joysagar group of temples. He was then sent back to his native place but was captivated for secretly carrying a map of the Ahom capital. He was imprisoned for life and was sent to Rangpur. While incarcerated, he constructed the Ghanashyam House near the Joysagar group of the temples.