MAJULI : GOD'S CREATION

 

Majuli, world’s largest river island

Where is Majuli?

Majuli is a river island on the Brahmaputra River in Assam. It also happens to be the second largest freshwater river island in the world and the largest in Asia. It is an isolated place. Isolated in terms of the incessant crowd and hustle of the mainland, nature has quietly seeped in here and seduced its inhabitants into a life of tranquility. The Brahmaputra flows to the south of the island while the Kherkutia Xuti joins the River Subansiri in the north.

The island was once quite large spanning an area of more than 1500 sq km. But the Brahmaputra waters have not been so kind and eroded about one-third of the island. Majuli now has an area of only 352 sq km. The Brahmaputra is still eroding this island. But it is large enough to have several small villages within it and it has been now declared as a separate district. The place is the home to a number of tribes mainly the Mishings.

The Satras of Majuli:

Some 600 years back during the medieval times, a Hindu saint Sri Sankardev made Majuli his home and preached a new way of life. It was a period of renaissance in Assam; there was a cultural evolution with changes in the art, music, dance and religion. And all these happened in the heart of Majuli. Sankardev propagated Ek-Sarana-Hari-Naam-Dharma, a form of Neo-Vaishnavism. And Satras (also known as Xatras) are the institutions that disseminate the principles and devotional practices of Neo-Vaishnavism. There are officially 31 Satras in Majuli. The noted ones are Dakshinapat Satra, Kamalabari Satra, Auniati Satra, Garamur, Bengena-ati and Samaguri Satra.

The mask-making village at Samaguri Satra:

Majuli is now quite famous for its masks. The new Samaguri (Chamaguri Satra) Satra is the centre of mask making culture of Majuli. Once you enter the room, you can see different types of masks. These masks are also used in Bhaona performances. Hem Chandra Goswami is the one-man army behind the masks of Majuli. Now his family members are also making masks.

How to reach Majuli:

Majuli is not a difficult place to reach. You have to first reach Jorhat that is well connected to Guwahati by flight, train and road. From Jorhat, you can take an auto or a shared vehicle to Nemati Ghat.Regular ferries ply from Nemati Ghat to Kamalabari Ghat in Majuli. The first ferry from Nemati Ghat is at 8:30 AM and the last one is at 4:00 PM. From Majuli, the first one is at 8:00 AM and the last one is 3:00 PM. The ferry ride to Majuli itself is a ride of a lifetime.