Dakhinpat Satra

Dakhinpat Satra, situated in the south-east corner of Majuli. It is one of Assam's most well-renowned and principle monastic Satra, established by Banamali Dev Goswami in 1654 under the patronization of Ahom King Jayadhwaj Singha. This Satra particularly belongs to Brahmasamhati sect, founded by Damodardev.

Ceremony performed by the Satra Monks.

Dakshinpat Satra
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictMajuli
DeityJadhav Rai
FestivalsRaasleela
Location
StateAssam
CountryIndia
Architecture
TypeAssamese
CreatorBanamalidev
Completed1654
InscriptionsAssamese
Brajavali

Satra

Banamali Devgoswami, a prominent disciple of Vamshigopal, established the Satra under the patronization of Ahom King Jayadhwaj Singha, who endowed extensive land grants and provisions for the smooth functioning of this Satra.[1] The prestige and affluence of the Satra were further enhanced by Chakradhwaj Singha, Udayaditya Singha and Sulikpha who are considered to be the disciples of Banamalidev.[2]

Illustrated manuscript of Dakhinpat Satra.

The main idol worshipped here is of Lord Jadav Rai.[3] Dakhinpat Satra played a very important role in political and administrative affairs during the Ahom reign. It is also one of the Chari-Raj Satra, other viz., Auniati, Garmur, and Kuruabahi. The Satra belongs to the Brahmasamhati sect, founded by Damodardev and admitted some brahminical rites along with general devotional practices and took a rigid view on caste distinction.[4]

The monks of the Satra are called Bhakats and lead a life of celibacy. The head of the Satra is called Sattradhikar, next to him is the Deka-Adhikar or the successor to the Satradhikar. All pontiffs of the Dakhinpat Satra belong to the lineage of Banamalidev (1576-1683). Therefore one brother of the Satradhikar is allowed to marry and continue their lineage.[5]

Culture

Dakhinpat Satra is well known for its annual Rass festival and Brahmaputra Puja, held after every twelve years. Performance of many other Sankari culture is performed regularly within the Satra premise. The Satra has a collection of hundreds of manuscripts, many being illustrated with paintings.[6] It also possesses a large number of valuable artifacts from the Ahom reign.[7][8]

List of Satradhikars
  1. Banamali Devgoswami
  2. Ram Devgoswami
  3. Krishna Devgoswami
  4. Aatma Devgoswami
  5. Kam Devgoswami
  6. Saha Devgoswami
  7. Ronti Devgoswami
  8. Bishnu Devgoswami
  9. Bibhu Devgoswami
  10. Bashu Devgoswami
  11. Shuva Devgoswami
  12. Nara Devgoswami
  13. Narayan Devgoswami
  14. Hari Devgoswami
  15. Ramananda Devgoswami
  16. Nanigopal Devgoswami (present–)

Notes
  1. "The King's zeal for the new religion grew more and more, and he brought Vauamali Deva, a learned Vaisnava scholar from the court of the Koch king, Prana Narain for teaching the tenets of the religion to his subjects"(Nath 1978:138)
  2. (Sarma 1966:81)
  3. (Choudhury 2018:72)
  4. (Shin 2017:247–249)
  5. (Choudhury 2018:76)
  6. "India, Manuscripts of the Dakhinpat Satra (Monastry) of Majuli". Culture in Crisis. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  7. Staff Reporter (15 September 2010). "Strong security needed to protect Dakhinpat artefacts: Shiela Bora". assamtribune.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  8. Staff Correspondent (15 September 2010). "CM lays foundation stone of museum at Dakhinpat Satra". assamtribune.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.

References
  • Sarma, Satyendranath (1966), The Neo-Vaiṣṇavite Movement and the Satra Institution of Assam, Gauhati University: Department of Publication
  • Cantlie, Audrey (1984), The Assamese Religion, Caste and Sect in an Indian Village, Taylor & Francis
  • Choudhury, Sudeshna (10 March 2018), "Heritage culture of majuli with special reference to dakhinpat sattra", University, Gauhati University, hdl:10603/228968
  • Nath, Rajmohan (1978), The Back-ground of Assamese Culture, Assam{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Shin, Jae-Eun (2017), "Transition of Satra from a Venue of Bhakti Movement to the Orthodox Brahmanical Institution", in Ota, Nobuhiro (ed.), Clustering and Connections in Pre-Modern South Asian Society, Tokyo: Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, pp. 237–257
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