Sadhu in front of the Sivadol temple at Siva-sagar.
The town, dedicated to Lord Siva- its name literally meaning the ocean of siva- is strewn with tell-tale ruins of a powerful empire. The most prominent temple is the Sivadol, standing tall at 104 feet (32 m), drawing large crowds on Shiv Ratri. Sivasagar presents the unique spectacle of industrial transformation of a silent town in the backdrop of relics of bygone days. Situated at a distance of 350 kilometers from Guwahati, Siva-sagar(earlier known as Rongpur) was the capital of the Ahom Kingdom since 1699 -to 1788.