Island in Assam

Majuli, the largest riverine island in the world, nestles in the lap of the mightly Brahmaputra. This is where the 15th century saint and fountain head of Assamese culture, Sankardeva, first established a Satra or neo-Vaishnavite monastery, born of insightful discourses with his spiritual successor, Madhabdeva.

Today, Majuli is the principal seat of Vaishnavite faith, culture and practice. The treasures of Majuli are undoubtedly it's Satras. The first satra, set up by Sankardeva and Madhabdeva together, was Manikanchan Sanjog, now no longer extant. Subsequently, Majuli became the centre of 65 such satras. Of these, there are only 22 satras in Majuli today. Due to the annual floods and constant land erosion, Majuli today is only a fraction of it's original size of 1256 sq. km. recorded by the Imperial Gazetteer in 1901. This has forced many of the sattras to shift base to Assam's mainland.

Among those the main existing satras are Dakhinpat Satra, Garamurh Satra, Auniati Satra, Kamalabari Satra, Benegenaati Satra and Samaguri Satra. These Satras are the treasure houses of the songs and dances initiated by Shri. Sankardeva like "Bongeet" Matiakhara, Jumora dance, Chali dance, Motua dance, Nande Bringee, Sutradhar, Ozapali, Apsara dance, Satria Krishna dance, Dasavater dance etc.
A walk through the villages of Majuli is highly recommended to savour the warmth of the people and their simple way of life. Most of them practice agriculture, fishing and weaving. Boat making, dairy farming, pottery and handloom are other important activities. The weaving is particularly exquisite, making use of a whole range of colours in cotton and silk, found only in Assam.

Majuli also has an exciting bio diversity. If the visit is timed right, one can spot many rare and endangered avifauna species here, such as the greater adjutant stork, pelican and the whistling teal. Majuli produces about a hundred different varieties of rice without a drop of pesticides or artificial fertilisers. Among the fascinating arrays gorwn is Komal Saul, a unique kind of rice that becomes edible after just 15 minutes of soaking in warm water. It is usually eaten as a breakfast cereal. Bao Dhan grows under water and is harvested after ten months while Bora Saul is a sticky brown rice, used to make pitha, the traditional Assamese rice cake.

The government has initiated the efforts to save Majuli from the ravages of the Brahmaputra. Majuli is currently in the Tentative list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites and is undergoing scrunity as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Majuli is 20 kms fom Jorhat town. Buses ply regularly from Jorhat town to Neamati Steamer Ghat, the main ferryboarding point for Majuli. The entire journey takes about three hours, involving a half hour bus ride to Neamati Ghat, which has a few tourist information booths, lodging facilities and food stalls catering to transiting ferry-goers, and ferry ride to the southern tip of Majuli island. Though Jorhat remains the principal entry point, Majuli can be approached through Lakhimpur on the north and Dibrugarh on the east.

Festivals of Majuli

Rasleela is a three day festival held usually in mid-November. It celebrates the legendary love of Radha and Krishna and the devotion of the gopis to Krishna.

Ali-ai-ligang, held in February-March, is a colourful annual festival of the Misings, The ceremonial sowing of paddy starts on this day.

Bathow Puja, is a festival performed by the Sonowal Kacharis tribe where Lord Shiva, is worshipped with high veneration.

Paal Naam at Auniati Satra is a huge attraction, held at the end of Autumn.

Culture in Assam

A number of traditional festivals are celebrated in Assam, among them Bihu is the most important. Three Bihus are celebrated by the people of Assam, they are rongali or 'bohag bihu', celebrated at the onset of spring and the sowing season; kongali or 'kati bihu', when the farms are full with crops but the barns are empty; and the bhogali or 'magh bihu', the thanksgiving for the harvested crops. Rongali bihu is closely related to many Bihu songs and Bihu dances. The other traditional festivals celebrated by different ethno-cultural groups include Ali-aye-ligang, Hacha-kekan, Kherai, Porag, Awnkham Gwrlwi Janai, Chojun/Swarak, Me-dam-me-phi, Hapsa Hatarnai, Rongker, Sokk-erroi and Garja.

Bohag Bihu: Bohag Bihu is the spring time Bihu coming at seed-time. It also ushers in the Assamese New Year. It has an alternative name Rongali Bihu or the bihu of merriment, being associated youth, joy and mirth.

Magh Bihu is the harvest festival coming in winter and featuring big bonfires and feasts because of which it has the alternative name Bhogali Bihu or bihu of enjoyment.

Baisagu: Famous for its myriad of colours and merriment, `Baisagu' is generally celebrated by the Bodo-Kachari is in the month Baishakh or mid-April. It is the most cherished festival of the Bodos. The first day begins with the cow-worship. On the second day elderly members of the family offered respect. The supreme deity `Bathou' or Lord Shiva is also worshiped on this by offering him chicken and rice beer. There is age bar or sex bar dancing during this festival. The traditional musical instruments that are used in this dance festival are `Kham' (drum), `Jotha' (mnjari), `Khawbang' (Taal), `Gogona' (mouth-organ made of bamboo) and `Siphung' (flute). It is also customary at the end of Baishagu festival to offer community prayer at a particular place called, `garjasali'Bohaggiyo Bishu: The most fascinating spring festival of the Deoris. The Deoris are one of the four divisions of the Chutiyas, which are believed to have been members of the great Bodo race. Like other springtime festivals, Bihagiyo Bishu is also observed durinf rnid-april at a stretch for seven days with unrestricted joy and merrymaking. The Bihsu must be preceded by a Than Puja and evidently it must start on Wednesday. There is also much socio religious significance and arrangements, to be made before the puja. The Deodhani dance forms the most important significant part of the festival.

Assam

Assam has many desirable things to visualize and knowledge, together with the Kaziranga park, home to the planet notable and rare one horny odd-toed ungulate, the exceptional Majuli island, ancient Ahom fine arts marvels and diverse Golf courses backed by stunning heritage/luxury resorts and colonial tea bungalows. famed for its tea, wealthy flora and fauna and alternative rare species of life on the verge of extinction, there's maybe no a part of the planet wherever such a range of life exists ejection Africa. jaunt state and you'll notice everything, from spectacular scenery and rare life to spirited cultures and soul stirring places of journeying.

The largest of the states in the northeast of India is Assam whose capital, Guwahati, has an inspired location on the banks of the River Brahmaputra. Amidst Assam’s verdant lushness are two important game sanctuaries, Manas and Kaziranga, both best known for their population of one horned Indian rhinoceros, a species that faced extinction. Much of the rest of the state is devoted to tea plantation which yield the strong Assam leaf popular all over the world.The state of Assam is dominated by the mighty river Brahmaputra whose lush seven hundred kilometers valley is sandwiched between the Himalayan foothills to the north and the plateau of Meghalaya to the south. Although much of the valley is under cultivation, large tracts of woodland make this one of the most forested state in India. Assam the land of Mother Goddess Kamakhya, lies in the northeast corner of the India. Assam produce more than half of India's tea.It is not clear how the name Assam came into existence. The name "Assam" may be derived from the Sanskrit term "Asom" that means unparalleled, or one with no equal. The term "Asom" in Sanskrit also means undulated or uneven. The rugged nature of the land of Assam may also be a reason for her name.