Srimanta Sankardev was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of the Bhakti movement in Assam. He is credited with building on past cultural relics and devising new forms of music (Borgeet), theatrical performance, dance (Sattriya), literary language (Brajavali). Besides, he has left a literary oeuvre of trans-created scriptures, poetry and theological works written in Sanskrit, Assamese and Brajavali. The Bhagavatic religious movement he started, Ekasarana Dharma and also called Neo-Vaishnavite movement, influenced two medieval kingdoms – Koch and the Ahom kingdom – and the assembly of devotees he initiated evolved over time into monastic centers called Sattras, which continue to be important socio-religious institutions in Assam and to a lesser extent in North Bengal.
Nagaon district is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. At the time of the 2011 census it was the most populous district in Assam, before Hojai district was split from it in 2016.
Dola Purnima, also popularly known as Dolo Jatra, Doul Utsav or Deul, is a Hindu swing festival celebrated during the Holi festival of Braj region, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, Assam, Tripura and Bengal region. This festival is dedicated to the divine couple of Radha and Krishna. It is usually celebrated on the full moon night or fifteenth day of the Falgun month mainly by Gopal community.
Nagaon is a city and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is situated 122.6 kilometres (76 mi) east of Guwahati.
Ekasarana Dharma is a neo-Vaishnavite 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 devotion (bhakti) to Krishna in the form of congregational listening (shravan) and singing his name and deeds (kirtan).
Satra are institutional centers associated with the Ekasarana tradition of Vaishnavism, largely found in the Indian state of Assam and neighboring regions. Numbering in the hundreds, these centers are generally independent of each other and under the control of individual adhikara, though they can be grouped into four different Sanghati (orders).
Madhavdev (1489–1596) is an important preceptor of the Ekasarana Dharma known for his loyalty to his guru, Srimanta Sankardev as well as his artistic brilliance. Initially a sakta worshipper, he was converted to Ekasarana Dharma by Sankardev and became his most prominent disciple. He became the religious as well as artistic successor of Sankardeva after the latter's death in 1568. He is known particularly for his book of hymns, the Naam Ghosa, as well as a large selection of songs called Borgeets.
Namghar is a place 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 structure used for worship, they also function as meeting houses for congregations, as well as theaters for dramatic performances (bhaona). The Namghar, also called the kirtanghar, is also the central structure in the Sattras where the other buildings are positioned around it. Namghars are widespread in Assam, and very often more than one namghar exists in a single village, signifying many congregational communities.
Narayanpur is a developmental block (place) located in the Lakhimpur district of the northeastern Indian state of Assam, within the North Lakhimpur subdivision. It falls under the Bihpuria constituency of the Assam Legislative Assembly and is served by the Narayanpur Police Station. The town of Narayanpur, situated at the center of the block, serves as the headquarters of the Deori Autonomous Council, the governing body of the Deori ethnic group. Narayanpur is also notable as the birthplace of several famous Vaishnavite saints, including Mahapurush Madhavdev.
Prof Bhabananda Deka was a pioneer Assam economist and author who conducted novel research on the economy of the far eastern part of India. He was also a leading Indian-Assamese litterateur of the famed 'Awahon-Ramdhenu Era' of Assamese literature during the mid-20th century. He was the author of a total of 115 English and Assamese books including textbooks on a range of fifteen subjects including economics, ancient Assamese literature, philosophy, education, religion, mythology, archaeology, tribal study, poetry, drama, memoirs, civics, political science, biographies; he also edited books and journals. He also authored a variety of research papers and articles about the state of Assam, a state in the north-eastern part of India. He pioneered the writing of books on Economics in Assamese. His Assamese book Axomor Arthaneeti was the first ever research-based comprehensive book on Assam Economics, which was published for the first time in 1963. He was conferred with the honorary title of 'Asom Ratna' -- 'Jewel of Assam' by the intellectuals of Assam on 19 August 2007 at a public meet held under the presidency of Prof. (Dr) Satyendra Narayan Goswami.
Borgeets 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-16th centuries, are used to begin prayer services in monasteries, e.g. Satra and Namghar associated with the Ekasarana Dharma; and they also belong to the repertoire of Music of Meghalaya outside the religious context. They are a lyrical strain that express the religious sentiments of the poets reacting to different situations, and differ from other lyrics associated with the Ekasarana Dharma. Similar songs composed by others are not generally considered borgeets.
Damodardev (1488–1598) was sixteenth century Ekasarana preceptor from Nalaca, Nagaon. Damodardev was a follower of Sankardeva's Ekasarana dharma order. He started his own order after the death of Sankardeva that came to be called the Brahmasamhati, which admitted Brahmanical rituals and greater adherence to the caste system alongside the namadharma of Sankardev. He was succeeded by Bhattadeva.
Barpeta Satra is a well-known sattra situated at Barpeta in the Indian state of Assam. It was established by vaishnavite saint Madhabdev in 1505 shakabda. The earlier name of the satra was Barpeta Than.
Aibheti is a village situated in the western part of Nagaon district in Assam State, India.
The Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha, established in 1930, is the largest socio-religious organization in Assam.
Madhupur Satra is a religious institutional center associated with the Ekasarana tradition of Vaishnavism, situated in Cooch Behar, the Indian state of West Bengal. It was established by Assamese Vaishnavite monasteries for religious practices in the mid 16th-century during Koch kingdom (1515–1949). The great Bhakti Saint Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankardeva (1449–1568) and his disciple Mahapurusha Madhavadeva died here. Madhupur satra is also called as Dahmukutor than; 'dahmukut' means 'bhiti' or living houses of ten disciples (bhaktas) of Srimanta Sankardeva. The name satra originates in the Bhagavata Purana in Sanskrit (sattra), and is used in the sense of an assembly of devotees.
Bharali Namghar is a temple situated in Bharali village, India. Bharali is approximately 2 km away from Hatbor, a place of historical importance under the Kaliabor subdivision in the Nagaon district, Assam in India. People from the Nagaon district are mostly agriculture oriented and are guided by rich Sattria culture.
Surjya Kanta Hazarika is an Assamese litterateur, an eminent scholar, author, journalist, poet, publisher, playwright, lyricist, composer, cultural activist, feature film and documentary maker, social worker and philanthropist. Hazarika is a recipient of the Padma Shri Award in 2008 for his contribution to Literature & Education. He is the current president of Asam Sahitya Sabha.
Moiramora Doul or Moiramora Than is a historical site in India located at Khamtighat in Mancotta Mouza of Dibrugarh district. Presently, only the ruins of the Moiramora Doul or Than have been discovered. Now, Moiramora Satra is situated at the site of the ruins. The Moiramora Ruins are situated on the bank of the Dihing at Khamtighat. The site features stone sculptures of various postures and attitudes dating back to the early and late medieval period, characterized by native ethnic texture. The Archaeological Department of the Government of Assam has recognized the Moiramora Doul as a State Protected Monument.
