Dakshinpat Xatra is a well-known Xatra (socio-religious institution) on

Majuli Mājuli or Majuli () is a river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam and in 2016 it became the first island to be made a district in India. It had an area of at the beginning of the 20th century, but having lost significantly to erosion it c ...

island in the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

, in the Indian state of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

established by Vamshigopal disciple Satradhikar Sri Vanamalidev in 1584. He was honoured and treated with much respect by the reigning Ahom kingdom monarch

Jayadhwaj Singha Sutamla (1648–1663) Jayadhwaj Singha was the 20th king of the Ahom kingdom. During his reign the Mughal viceroy at Bengal Mir Jumla II invaded and occupied his capital Garhgaon as a result of which he had to retreat to the Namrup area, a ...

who made liberal gifts to the Xatra. An ornate gateway engraved with religious motifs, animals and flowers forms the entrance while inside similar sculptures and paintings with divine overtones adorn the walls of the

Namghar Namghars ( as, নামঘৰ) literally ''Prayer House'' are places for congregational worship associated with the entire Assamese community and the Ekasarana sect of Hinduism, in particular, that is native to Assam. Besides forming the primary ...

and heighten the aesthetic appeal of the sacred precincts where the idol of Mahaprabhu Jadavarai is worshipped. Dakshinpat Xatra is a treasure house of dances contributed by Shri Shri Sankardeva such as the

Borgeet Borgeets ( as, বৰগীত, lit=songs celestial, translit=Borgeet) are a collection of lyrical songs that are set to specific ragas but not necessarily to any tala. These songs, composed by Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva in the 15th- ...

, Matiakhara, Jumora, Chali, Noyua, Nande Vringee, Sutradhar, Ozapali, Apsara, Satria Krishna and Dasavater among others while it is also a storehouse of antiques of cultural importance and an advanced centre for the performing arts. Due to constant flooding and erosion in Majuli, a new Xatra had been built in Chatai,

Jorhat Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India. Etymology Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...

, but two decades after its completion, the Dakshinpat Xatra has not yet moved to the new location. Filial Piety Rituals

Satradhikar and Bhakats

Monks known as bhakats live in Xatras under the supervision of a Satradhikar and Dakshinpat Xatra currently has about 90 to 100 celibate ''(udasin)'' bhakats. Xatra Satradhikars are elected from other Xatras where marriage is permitted. The chosen young man is brought into the Xatra as a teenager and trained in the Vaishnava religion, philosophy and life. During the period of training the young devotee is called "Deka-Adhikar", or young pontiff. The Satradhikars have taken great pains and precautions to preserve the relics and manuscripts of the saint

Srimanta Sankardeva Srimanta Sankardev( শ্ৰীমন্ত শংকৰদেৱ )(; ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of im ...

written on strips of bark from the "Sanchi tree" (''

Aquilaria malaccensis ''Aquilaria malaccensis'' is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. It is threatened by habitat loss.Barden, Angela ( ...

'') in his own hand in the humid and semi-tropical climate of Assam. Name of present Satradhikar is Sri Sri Nonigopal Dev Goswami

Raasleela

During Raasleela, several thousand devotees visit the holy Xatra every year with the occasion now observed as one of the National Festivals of Assam. Xatras are socio-religious institutions in the Assam region that belong to the

Mahapuruxiya Dharma Ekasarana Dharma (literally: ''Shelter-in-One religion'') is a neo-Vaishnavite monolithic religion propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century in the Indian state of Assam. It reduced focus on vedic ritualism and focuses on d ...

. The Xatras are not merely religious institutions but play cultural and historical roles in society. A dance form initiated by Srimanta Sankardeva and later developed within the Xatra is thus called ''Sattriya'' and forms one of the eight classical Indian dance styles.

List of Satradhikars

*Damudar Devgoswami *Balu Devgoswami *Paramananda Devgoswami *Banamali Devgoswami *Ram Devgoswami *Krishna Devgoswami *Aatma Devgoswami *Kam Devgoswami *Saha Devgoswami *Ronti Devgoswami *Bishnu Devgoswami *Bibhu Devgoswami *Bashu Devgoswami *Shuva Devgoswami *Nara Devgoswami *Narayan Devgoswami *Hari Devgoswami *Ramananda Devgoswami

References

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External links

Dakhinpat Satra
A Cultural & Religious Monastery Of Majuli Majuli Ekasarana Dharma Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Vaishnavism Satras (Ekasarana Dharma) Majuli district