Hello world !! To all those who are interested in travelling to Majuli island in Assam here is a post. On a road trip stopping over at Sivsagar and Jorhat .
Majuli as you guys will know is a island in Assam that is being slowly eaten up by the mighty Brahmaputra river. Initially it was around 1250 sqr kms now its about 350 sqr kms. The erosion is drastic . The way to get there from Jorhat is to reach Nimati Ghat, were there is ferry to cross over to the island. At the time of my visit there were only two ferry services in the morning , so we had to stay at Jorhat overnight in order to catch the ferry early morning. The hotel rooms in Jorhat where we stayed were clean and not very expensive , and the area we stayed at was near the main city ASTC bus stand. There were many small hotels there nothing very fancy but it served our purpose. Jorhat is a commercial place as well as the cultural capital of Assam. I found innumerable number of pharmacy shops around the place ,every nook and corner had one, may be it is because of a nearby hospital or medical college .
Since Nimati Ghat is about 10-13 kms from the main city center we set off early , the first ferry service was about 8.30 in the morning and the other about 9.30 am. The scene at the ferry crossing is absolute chaotic and colorful with vehicles and motorcycles waiting in line to cross over. Since the ferry and the bank was not aligned I had to take my vehicle down and then climb up to the ferry with boards kept for the purpose, and if its raining its really messy and slippery.The ticket per person in around 20 Rs and for the vehicle is around 800 buck. The crossing took around 2 hours and the mighty Brahmaputra which was full with heavy rains was a sight to behold.I felt it was more of a ocean than a river. We crossed many uninhabited Islands, some full of grazing Buffaloes and I wondered how it got there.
At Majuli we stayed at a place called La maison De Anand (House of happiness) which was situated in the far end of the island at a place called Garamur. Its a nice place run by a cute Mising couple and their relative , the accommodation was sufficient with small toilets.The USP of the place is that its all built in Bamboo with the foundation raised on pillars , and as per our guide and host Danny it was built by two french architects some 10 yrs back in the style of the Mising Tribes. The architects had spent their own money to construct the place as a gift to the Island.
The food was very appetizing, but you have to preorder everything since they have to get the stuff from the local market. The kitchen was really impressive all built in bamboo and I wondered how they light a fire there, right in the middle with a raised and hanging fire place, Mising tribe style.
The island is reputed to have around 22 sattras(monasteries)of the vaishnavite culture teaching vaishnavism to the people living in the sattras , though we could visit only three, each has its own Namgarh (prayer place) where morning and evening prayers are held. I observed 10 year old children to old people residing and living their lives there.
I also inquired about the well known tree planter of Majuli Jadav Payang who has been single handedly planting trees since the early seventies , trying his best to stop the erosion by the huge Brahmaputra, but couldn't meet him. We had a nice lunch of rice, local fish curry, some kind of mixed veggies , potato mash balls, and fresh lemons with green chillies in the main square of the village .
Another sattra dealt with mask making used in the local festivals during the season time . The best time to visit is from oct to early March. Some of the festivals held here are the Raas Purnima that takes place in the month of kartik , showcasing the life of lord Krishna in dance forms, there is also the Majuli festival where special events are organised, which brings many cultural troupes from all round Assam to participate here.A end of autumn and worshiping Lord Shiva are also festivals celebrated here.
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| Mask making |
Mask making
Mask making
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| The joy and pride of Assam |
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| Beautiful tea gardens of Assam |
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| On the way to Majuli |
weaving set up near Moran Assam
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weaving set up near Moran Assam |
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