Majuli is the meeting place of Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavadeva. Majuli is the largest river island in the world. Majuli Island is situated between Majuli and the Brahmaputra, the heart of Sattriya culture. This is how it is known in the world court. The island also has some history, amazing events and culture, language and tradition of the people living on the island.
Why was the island situated in the middle of the Brahmaputra river named Majuli ?
The common people think or know that the name Majuli is because it is located in the middle of the river as soon as they hear the name of Majuli. But there is disagreement about the origin of the world’s largest river island called “Majuli”.
According to the prevalent legend of the people living in Majuli, majuli had covered parts between the Dihing river and the Brahmaputra before taking shape as a river island. Since then majuli has happened.
From the point of view of the origin of the name “Majuli”, litterateur Atul Chandra Hazarika Dev has broken the treaty and shown that “Maa”+”Julie” = Majuli is. where “Maa = Maa Lakshmi” and “Julie = Jolonga/Bhandara.” “Once upon a time, majuli seems to have been called the jolonga or storehouse of Maa Lakshmi, because the crops and fish were in a state of starvation.
According to Gazetter of Bengal and North East India, the name Majuli means a large chapri or island in the middle of the river i.e. the land between the flowing rivers. There is no end to the name. The origin of the name Majuli also has mythology.
Majuli’s boundary
It is bounded on the east by Sivasagar district, on the north by Lakhimpur district, on the south by Jorhat district and on the southwest by Golaghat district. On the south is the Brahmaputra river and on the north by the River Kharkutia and Subansiri.
Can one go by bus to Majuli or is ferry the only means of communication?
You also think that the water is engulfing the surroundings as soon as they hear that the river is an island. But one can also travel from Guwahati to Majuli by bus or private vehicle. There are several ghats if you want to go to Majuli by ferry. The ferry ghats from Nimatighat in Jorhat to different places in Majuli are Kamalabari, Aflamukh, Salmara, Dakhinpat, Sumoimari Ghat. These ghats are located in Majuli.
Majuli is the largest river island in the world located on the banks of the Brahmaputra river in Assam. Majuli is recognized as the world’s largest inhabited riverbank island in the Guinness Book of World Records. Apart from being the largest river island, Majuli is also the center of Vaishnava culture of Assam. Majuli was earlier part of Jorhat district. However, Majuli has been recognised as a separate district since 2016.
Majuli is said to be the seat of Sattriya culture, because there is a cultural atmosphere through the satras in Majuli. Madhavadeva’s first meeting with Srimanta Sankardeva took place in 1522 at the Satra founded in Belguri to promote religion and culture. This union of Shankara-Madhava has been called ‘Mani Kanchan Connection’ in Assamese literature.
The main satras in Majuli at present are Dakhinpat Satra, Garhmoor Satra, Auniati Satra, North Kamalabari, Auniati, Bengenaati Satra and Samguri Satra.
Major tributaries of Majuli district: Tuni and Subansiri are the two major tributaries of Majuli district.