Majuli - Biggest River Island

Not many people have heard about Majuli.

Or maybe they have heard about it but never thought of paying a visit. Majuli is the biggest River Island in the world and the first Island District of India. It is situated in the Brahmaputra river of Assam. This island has an interesting history which led to the emergence of a new religion, new culture and a new way of life altogether.

Majuli means a land between two parallel rivers. Assamese civilisation started in Majuli in the 16th century and people speak Assamese and Mising (tribal language). The lifestyle over there is just like other normal Assamese group of people. There are vehicles running on the well-constructed roads, traffic police controlling the traffic, school children catching their bus to home and adults going to work. Seeing the busy life of the people, one might just forget that he/she is in a river island.

The most amazing fact about the people of Majuli is that they are well civilised yet very close and attached to the nature. They would never want to harm or disturb other nature hence; no big industries have been opened up there. The government of Assam has not interrupted with the interests of the people, keeping in mind the ecology of the island as it is vulnerable during monsoon.

Worried about how to get there? Well it’s a beautiful ferry ride from the Brahmaputra banks of Jorhat. The ferry halts at another tiny island before taking the tourists to Majuli. The halt is Mou Chapori which means Honey coloured sand. Yes, the island is basically sandy and it is beautiful as it has a small resort for giving shelter to the tourists. The resort staffs cater to all the needs. What fascinates the tourists in Mou Chapori is that, at night the floating sensation of the sandy island can be felt while asleep. Isn’t that amazing??

After a night in Mou Chapori, the ferry heads to the main and the most awaited destination- Majuli. The fishermen and guides will welcome the tourists and stay by their side throughout the trip.

The main tourist attractions of the island are the Satras established by Srimanta Shankardev. He preached a monotheist form of Hinduism called Vaishnavism. Vaishnavism has spread out of the island as well and even today there are people all over Assam who are Vaishnaviites. Shankardev also introduced the famous dance called Satriya Nritya. The Satras show the old village lifestyle of thousands of years back. People living in the Satras walk barefoot, they do not eat meat and they even dress up with robes similar to the way Shankardev wore centuries back. This is how well they have preserved their culture.

One can literally smell the sweet earth and get lost in the beautiful scenery by the river. This is how well they have preserved and respected Mother Nature. So why not go and take the path not taken by many? Let’s experience the beautiful sun setting in the Brahmaputra turning the river into orange beauty. Last but not the least, making a wish by throwing a coin into the river during sunset is something every tourist does.

Trip to Majuli can be done in a day so tourists have to stay in Jorhat. For a luxury stay, the best choice is Welcome Heritage Thengal Manor which costs Rupees 28,125 for 3 nights. 3 nights are enough for the heavenly trip to Majuli and Jorhat. For a cheaper stay, you could go for Hotel Jora Palace which will only cost you Rupees 5,100 for 3 nights. So got to the Gateway of the North East, visit Upper Assam- The place of the Ahom Kings and enjoy the trip to Majuli.

(c) Sneha Choudhury
Article Source: www.mydiscountedtrip.com

Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh

When your mind is heavy and crave for something which is hard to obtain, Tawang Monastery is perfect to open out your soul and talk with the clouds. #ExploreNortheast

The Famous Gaden Namgyal Lhatse, popularly known as Tawang Monastery was founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in the year 1680-81. The monastery stands on the spur of a hill, about 10,000 feet above sea level and has ravines in the south and west, narrow ridge on the north and gradual slope on the east. It offers a commanding and picturesque view of the Tawang-chu valley. From a distance it appears like a fort as if guarding the votaries in the wide valley below. Tawang monastery is the largest of its kind in the country and is one of the larges t monasteries in Asia. Though it has the capacity for housing about seven hundred monks, the actual number of resident lamas (monks) at present is a little more than 450. This monastery is the fountain-head of the spiritual life of the people of this region.

The approach to the monastery is from the north along the ridge. Just near the entrance to the monastery there is a building housing the dung-gyur mani from where the water is fetched for use in the monastery. To the south of its is the kakaling, the entrance gate. The kakaling is a hut-like structure with its two lateral walls made of staone. It serves as a gate. The ceiling of the kakaling is painted with Kying-khors (Mandalas). The inner walls are painted with mural of divinities and saints. After passing through the kakaling there is a big gate further south which is without any door.

Further south stand the main gate of the monastery, which is fitted with huge doors and is set in the northern wall of the monastery. It is about 925 feet long and the height varies from about ten to twenty feet. There is another gate near the southern end of this wall. It is fitted with a huge door. Emergency Locksmith Charlotte NC could certainly secure this door with high security locks. Near it there are two slits in the wall to see out through all along the outer side of the eastern wall connecting this gate with the kakaling. It is said that the yarn given by the Vth Dalai Lama to Merak Lama enclosed the area bounded by the four walls.

A paved path runs from the main gate toward rear of the monastery and leads to a stone slabs court. Religious dances and outdoor ceremonies are held in this court. The entire eastern half of the monastery is covered with sixty residential quarter's called (Sha/Hut) for housing the resident monks. Each of these dormitories has been constructed by a group of villagers on voluntary basis. They also carry out the repairs and are responsible for its maintenance.

A three storied building stands on the western side of the court. It is the par-khang (Library). All the holly scriptures including. A long two-storied building flanks the southern side of the court. A part of this building is used as store for the provisions of the monks. The other part is occupied by the Dra-tsang buk and his entourage. A two storied building, on the eastern side of the court is called Rhum-Khang which is used for cooking the food-offerings for the rituals as well as refreshments for the monks on ritual days.

The most imposing building of the monastery is the assembly hall known as Dukhang. It is a three-storied building standing on thenorthern side of the court and houses the template and the Labrang (The establishment of the Abbot.) The inner walls of the Dukhang. are painted with murals of various divinities and saints. The altar occupies the entirenothern wall of th hall. On the left of the alter is the silver casket wrapped in silk containing the Thankas of Goddes Dri Devi (Palden Lhamo) the principle deity of the monastery, which was given to Merak Lama by the Vth Dalai Lama. The said painting came to be known as Ja-Droi-Ma, which means it had warmth of a bird, which symbolized that the Thanka was of a living type.

A colossal richly gilded statue of Lord Buddha occupies the middle of the northern side. It is seated on a platform and its body, rising up, terminates in a huge head above the first floor. It is the largest image of the monastery also has a Center for Buddhist Cultural Studies where young monks are taught Arithmetic, English and Hindi besides traditional monastic education.

In brief, this monastery is simply awe-inspiring and majestic in its appearance and grandeur. A visit of Tawang Monastery is most spiritually refreshing experience.

Where boats fly in the Water - Dawki River of Meghalaya

Anybody visited this place? Greenish Blue waters of the Dawki River in Khasi Hills in Meghalaya #ExploreNortheast

Dawki is 90 km from Shillong.

“If you are going to Dawki, make sure you find a good driver,” the driver who brought me to Shillong the night before had cautioned me, “it's a risky route.”

When a professional driver considers a particular route to be risky, you must worry. But after having seen heaps of soil on the highway, the thought of tumbling down a mountain didn’t scare me. Nothing can be more tragic in this world than dying in a landslide, and no driver, no matter how skilled, can ever foresee or evade a landslide.

The driver who was to take me to Dawki turned out to be a twenty-something Bengali man who was born in Shillong and had roots in upper Assam, but looked more like a mountain-hardened Khasi whom you could trust instantly. He was clearly born to drive in the hilly terrain.

 (With inputs from Bishwanath Ghosh)