History, Pilgrimage, and Amplifying Difference at Bhuban Hill

Every year in February, on a night of full moon (jalua), Zeliangrong Nagas from the northeastern Indian states of Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland journey toward Bhuban Hill to reach Naga Bhuban cave in the district of Cachar, Assam. This site is located just below another auspicious pilgrimage (yātrā) destination, the Bhubaneśvar Temple dedicated to Śiva in his form as Tribhuvaneśvara (“Lord of the Three Worlds [i.e. the Universe]”), and probably constructed by the Kachari kings of Cachar during the Middle Ages. It represents an important landmark to the surrounding areas because it appeals to a number of religious traditions: indigenous Naga religious movements – Heraka, Poupei Chapriak – and Hindu (see below). Seldom discussed or analyzed in the annals of academic scholarship, this article illuminates the significance of this site to the local landscape, while contributing to the broader theoretical and methodological discussions on pilgrimage in South Asia and the study of religions.