MAJULI – THE LARGEST RIVER ISLAND OF THE WORLD

 

We just missed the ferry carrying our vehicle by five minutes. Actually, we had to come all the way from Sibsagar to Nematighat via Jorhat covering around 55 km.

Our journey was to Majuli, the largest river island of the world located on the Brahmaputra in Assam.

We had a desire to visit the place for quite a long time but the plan did not materialize for some reason or other. 

My journey started from Kolkata to Sibsagar via Dibrugarh with the desire to visit upper Assam. After a brief stay in Sibsagar with my relative, both of us planned to visit Majuli which was also unseen by my relative, though he was posted in Assam for almost a couple of years.

Since Majuli is an island and there is no bridge on the Brahmaputra, the passengers and vehicles are generally transported through ferry. Each ferry has the capacity to transport four vehicles at a time along with a few hundred passengers and around fifty-two wheelers.

When we reached the place called Nematighat, the boat leaving earliest had already loaded four vehicles and we had to wait for another one hour for the next ferry. We utilized the time by strolling near the ghat area and having lunch as it was already noon.

Our ferry started exactly at one o clock in the afternoon. The journey on the river was for one hour against the tide. We enjoyed the cool breeze along with few drops of rain. The scenery of both sides of the river was excellent with lush green fields on the horizon and rippling waves of Brahmaputra.

Since the journey was unplanned, we did not have a chance to book any hotel or homestay. But we kept few homestays on our bucket list based on a search on few websites.

On reaching Kamalabarighat, on the other side of the river,  we did not lose time in searching the homestays and hotels and based on ambiance, facilities, and price, we finally selected a homestay which was in the centre of the island.

Tiredness, fatigue, and rain hindered our mobility of the day and we chilled on the balcony of the homestay with a cup of tea and snacks.

Evening rain and thunderstorm disrupted stroll around the place and we had to stay indoors enjoying the drizzle and sound of water drops falling on the trees and roof of our room.

The homestay was an ethnic Assam house, slightly above the ground level with the thatched room, bamboo floors, mud walls and naturally airconditioned.

We requested our host to serve ethnic Assamese food which of course included fish from Brahmaputra and vegetables cooked in their style. The food was really enjoyable with a taste different from lower Assam.

Frequent power cut added with the tiredness of journey forced us to take early bed and plan for the next morning was to visit a large portion of the island along with “Satras”.

Actually, Majuli, other than being a river island has the significance of having many “Satra”. Satras are more of a school boarding cum pilgrimage where young people are being imparted education on the preaching of Shankardev.

Each Satra has a temple and a residential complex where students stay, serve, and avail of religious education. Satras are treasure troves of cultural artifacts. Among all the Satras, we could visit around seven which are popular and big in size viz. Garamur, Dakshinpat, Akaya, Gobindapur, Kamalabari, Kamarkuchi, Shyamrai and few others on the way. Throughout the day, we managed to visit and interact with the students and priests-cum-teachers who are known as Satradhikar.

The next morning, after breakfast we had a trip to a village where “Messing” tribes resided. With the help of a local resident, we had a glimpse of their lifestyle, including their dwelling houses and activities of men, women, and children.

The only connection through the land is the North Lakhimpur district of Assam and daily one bus plies between the mainland of Assam and the island.  

As the frequency of the ferry services reduced because of Sunday, we had to rush to jetty within eleven o clock so as to avail earliest available ferry to return to Nematighat.

Though our trip was only for a couple of days, yet it was an eye-opener for us, to have witnessed the lives of the people residing on an island facing natural calamities like rain, storm, flood and waterlogging.

We salute the residents of Majuli, who despite facing so much hardship, welcomed and greeted us with smiling faces and sincere hospitality.

Brief Information about Majuli

Majuli is the largest river island which has been converted to a district with a total land area of 553 sq km and a population of 167000. Majuli is surrounded by the river Brahmaputra and river Subansiri but continuous erosion is reducing the land area of the island. The major attractions of the island are 22 Satras some of which are more than 500 years old. The major tribes are Messings, Sonowals, and Deoris and non-tribals are Kochs, Kalitas, Ahoms, etc.

How to Reach Majuli

The nearest airport and railway station is Jorhat which is around 33 km via Nematighat. It is better to avail own vehicle so as to have full sightseeing of the island. Otherwise, auto and taxi services are available from Jorhat to Nematighat and after crossing the ferry, auto services and hired cars are available from Kamalabarighat in Majuli.

The tourists can also come from North Lakhimpur by bus since the bridge has been constructed on another side. There is only one bus service in a day plying between North Lakhimpur and Majuli. Otherwise, the trip can be made by hired car also.

Boarding & Lodging

There are few hotels and homestays in Majuli. The quality of the hotels is not up to the mark but the homestays are much better. There are eateries near Kamalabarighat and essential items are also available. Pilgrims visiting the Satras generally stay in Satras with basic amenities. Power problem and network problem is a major issue in the island, especially during monsoon.