Spiritual PlaceHindu temple

Nagsankar Temple

Assam temple believed to date to the 4th century, with a pond of over 500 rare soft-shell turtles

Photo: Nagsankar Mandir · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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01 — The story

The Nagsankar Temple stands in Nagsankar Mouza near Sootea, east of Tezpur in Assam, 15 km west of Biswanath Chariali. It is believed to have been built in the 4th century by King Narasankar of Nagakha. The shrine was first known as Navishankar, a name that later changed to Nagshankar.

The temple's large pond is home to more than five hundred soft-shell turtles of rare kinds. They include the Indian softshell turtle, Nilssonia gangetica, which the IUCN lists as Vulnerable, and the South Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle, Chitra indica, which it lists as Endangered.

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02 — About

Coming soon

We’re still writing about Nagsankar Temple: its history, what’s there and why it’s worth the trip.