Enchanting Island: Majuli

Crested in the bosom of the mighty Brahmaputra and fondly tucked up by Subansiri and Kherketia rivers with loving care, Majuli enjoys the privilege of being the largest fresh-water river island in the world, in Upper Assam. The in scape of its landscape cannot escape from the imagination of anyone travelling through it. Its individual distinctiveness is that, it is the freedom of the wind, the freedom of the rivers, the vistas of freedom opening up one after another, the freedom of the birds and the pristine primitiveness, simplicity and innocence of the people living for centuries at close proximity of nature that sways, excites and thrills the imagination of the tourists.

The story of Majuli echoes the land itself, an arduous expanse of shimmering mass caught between the fury and favours of a monstrous Brahmaputra. Growth and decline, hope and disappointment, all play out across the centuries at this river island. The river, of course, brings with it a circle of life. Majuli is a mix of beauty and culture intertwined in a harmonious way which sets the soul free and takes life to another level.

To get to this largest river island, a huge ferry is boarded from Jorhat in Upper Assam. The colourful tapestry of the Assamese past has been carefully preserved in the 20 satras that dot the island. Though there exist other such Vaishnavite monasteries in Assam, Majuli remains one of the biggest centres. Accommodating 40 to 500 disciples each, these ancient buildings pulsate with dance, drama and kirtan, components integral to the satra way of life. It's a peek into the medieval: the big tank, the sanctum sanctorum or 'namghar' at the centre, surrounded by a quadrangle of huts.

The island comes on its own during festivals and rituals. This cultural ambiance is not confined to the satras alone. Every one on the island, has assimilated these traditions in daily life. The central point of the land is the namghar, where periodically people gather to sing and pray, who are so much away from the outside world and live in a world of their own with a different joy in their hearts.

Being a wetland, Majuli is a biodiversity hotspot for flora and fauna, sheltering many rare and endangered species of birds. At night wild geese and ducks fly in flocks high above one's head to far-away destinations. Wild birds of a thousand kinds-local as well as migratory swarm the beels and rivers in Majuli. Flowers abloom in the winters, one can look out at the green expanses, and the cattle grazing, listen to the song of the birds and the flute of the shepherd, and for a moment get carried back in time.

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