Majuli (Assam) - The World’s Largest River Island
Majuli, the biggest
river island in the world, is located amidst the river Brahmaputra in Assam.
Originally this island was spread over an area of about 1250 square kilometres.
However, due to erosion, its size has now decreased considerably. According to
the records of 2001, it covered an area of about 421.65 square km only.
The island of Majuli, which is popular as a ‘pollution free fresh water island’, is located
at a distance of about 20 km from Jorhat town and about 200 km east of
Guwahati, the largest city in the state. It is accessible by ferries, which can
be taken from Jorhat. From east to west, Majuli measures 90 km and from north
to south, it is around 16km. Most of the areas in the island are covered by
water.
Originally, the
island of Majuli was a long and narrow piece of land, which during ancient
times was known as ‘Majoli’, meaning ‘land in the middle of two parallel
rivers’. It was called so because it had the River Brahmaputra flowing in its
North and the River Burhidihing flowing in its South. Both these rivers met at
Lakhu.
During 1661–1696
frequent earthquakes occurred, which led to a disastrous flood in 1750. Due to
the flood, the Brahmaputra got divided into two anabranches, one of which
continued to flow along the original channel, while the other started flowing
along the Burhi Dihing channel, which lead to the formation of the Majuli Island.
Majuli is the
centre for Vaishavinism in Assam and is popular because of the Satras or
monasteries and hermitages located here. The religious beliefs of Saint
Sankardeva and Madhavdeva are preached at these Satras.
There are about
25-26 Satras still present in Majuli, the prominent ones being the Satras of
Garmur, Kamalabari and Auniati, which attract tourists and reflect the rich
culture and tradition of the land.
Majuli is also considered as the cultural capital of Assam and the cradle of Assamese civilization
for more than 500 years. The Satras located in this place have well preserved
antique items such as weapons, jewellery, utensils and other things that are of
cultural importance.
Pottery in Majuli
is also very famous because it is made from beaten clay that is burnt in ovens
fired with driftwood, which is quite similar to the ancient Harrappan
Civilisation. The culture and dance forms of this place remain unaffected by
modernisation even today. The handloom work done by the tribes living in this
place is well known.
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