Majuli

Majuli (also spelled Majoli) is the largest river island in Assam, a state in Northeast India. It is bordered by the Brahmaputra River to the south and east, the Subansiri River to the west, and an anabranch of the Brahmaputra to the north. The island is inhabited by members of the Mising, Deori, and Sonowal Kachari tribes, and serves as a hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture. It is accessible by ferry or boat from Jorhat, which is located approximately 250 kilometers northeast of Guwahati. Majuli became the first island in India to be designated as a district in 2016. Majuli has been listed on the UNESCO Tentative List since March 2004, classified under the Cultural category as part of its World Heritage nomination process.

Largest river island

Majuli is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's largest inland river island, with it being bordered by the Subansiri River to its north and the Brahmaputra River to its south. However, the Encyclopædia Britannica cites Bananal Island in Brazil as the largest river island in the world.

History

Formation of the island Majuli is a long and slender river island located in the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India. It developed as a result of geomorphological changes caused by floods and shifting river courses. The island lies between two channels: the Brahmaputra to the north and the Burhi Dihing to the south. The Brahmaputra and one of its major tributaries, the Dihing, once flowed parallel and close to each other. Between 1661 and 1696, a series of earthquakes set the stage for a massive flood in 1750, reshaping the region. The extreme flood of 1750 appears to have diverted part of the Brahmaputra's flow through the Dihing channel, about 190 km upstream of its former confluence. Its southern branch became known as the Burhi Xuti, while the northern branch turned into the Luit Xuti. Over time, the Luit Xuti diminished and became the Kerkota Xuti, while the Burhi Xuti expanded into the present-day main channel of the Brahmaputra.

Chutia period The land between the Dihing and the Brahmaputra, corresponding largely to present-day Majuli, was originally part of the Chutia kingdom. The Buranjis record that the Chutia official Manik Chandra Barua received news of an Ahom invasion of the Dihing–Majuli region and marched against them. Battles between the Chutias and Ahoms were fought at Dihing-mukh (present-day southern Majuli), Dikhou Mukh, Shira ati and Cheruakata in the Majuli region. At that period, Dihingmukh was located in today's Bokakhat-Kaziranga (Lakhau-Mohura) region, where the Dihing flowed into the Brahmaputra river. The Darrang Raj Vamsavali, a text from the Koch period, mentions a tradition about the region being formerly under Chutia kings. The chronicle states that during the Koch invasion of 1563, Nara Narayan proceeded from Majuli towards Garhgaon and that the Chutia king had formerly ruled "there" (sithawe meaning "at that place"). It then gives an account of how the Ahoms killed the Chutia king by deceit and annexed his kingdom.

Ahom period Following the Ahom conquest, it was reorganised as the Mung-klang (Dihing) province of the Ahom kingdom, administered under the newly created office of Dihingia Gohain or Thaomung Mungklang by Suhungmung in 1525. A treaty was signed between the Ahom and the Koch kingdom in 1563 at Majuli, which forced the Ahoms to cede territories on the north bank till the Subansiri River. In the first half of the 17th century, the Ahom king Pratap Singha built a rampart on Majuli called Meragarh. Lakshmi Singha, an Ahom king who reigned from 1769 to 1780, wrote a grant in 1776 referring to "Majuli Pradesh" and its Kamalabari Satra, Agnichapori, Gajala Satra, and the Tuni River. During the Moamaria rebellion, the island was controlled by Howha, a Moamaria rebel leader. Majuli emerged as a cultural and religious centre of Assam in the 16th century, following the visit of the social reformer Srimanta Sankardev. Sankardev, a leader of the neo-Vaishnavite movement, propagated Vaishnavism and established monasteries (known as satras) on the island. These institutions became important centres of Assamese religion, culture, and art. The establishment of satras turned Majuli into a major hub of Vaishnavism, a role it has retained for centuries. Under British colonial rule and following India's independence in 1947, the island continued to be recognized as a centre of Assamese culture. It is also noted for being the world's largest river island. Over the 19th and 20th centuries, Majuli experienced severe erosion, significantly reducing its size. In the 1790s, the island covered about 1,300 km2 (500 sq mi). By the early 20th century, its area had declined slightly to 1,255 km2 (485 sq mi). As of 2024, continuous erosion had reduced Majuli's area to approximately 880 km2 (340 sq mi).

Culture and demography

Population

The population of Majuli consists of 46.38% scheduled tribes and 14.27% scheduled castes, as well as non-tribal castes of Hindu Assamese. 99.04% of the island's population follows Hinduism. The Indigenous communities include members of the Mising (41.01%), Deori, Kaibarta, and Sonowal Kachari tribes. The non-tribal caste Hindu Assamese communities include Koch, Kalita, Ahom, Sutiya, and Jogi. The languages spoken are Mising, Assamese, and Deori. The island has 144 villages with a population of over 150,000, resulting in a density of 300 individuals per square kilometer. A ferry service connecting Majuli to Jorhat operates six times a day, and night buses run from Guwahati to Majuli via Lakhimpur. Despite various challenges, modernization has reached the island with the establishment of medical centres and schools. Housing has also transitioned from traditional bamboo and mud structures to concrete buildings.

Festivals

The Ali Ai Ligang festival, celebrated mid-February for five days, is a grand event that starts on the second Wednesday and ends on the first Wednesday of Falgun. Local dishes such as purang apin (packed boiled rice), apong (rice beer), and various pork, fish, and chicken dishes are served. The traditional Mising dance called Gumrag Soman is performed in every village to worship Donyi Polo (Mother Sun and Father Moon) for a good harvest. In upper Majuli, the majority of Christians from the Mising tribe celebrate Christmas, particularly in the village of Jengraimukh. For the last half millennium, Majuli has served as the cultural centre and cradle of Assamese civilization.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.