Uttar Kamalabari Satra

Getting there

• By road

  Majuli is about 20 km from Jorhat. Take a bus and ferry from Nimati Steamer Ghat, a trip of over three hours with several transfers.

• By air

  Lilabari Airport in North Lakhimpur is a nearby airport for Majuli.

Why devotees come here

Uttar Kamalabari Satra is a Vaishnava monastery in the central part of Majuli, the river island in the Brahmaputra in Assam. The satras of Majuli were founded by Sankardev, and they made the island a leading centre of Vaishnavism.

Majuli is an island in the Brahmaputra river, in the state of Assam. Sankardev, a leader of the neo-Vaishnavite movement, propagated Vaishnavism here and established monasteries, known as satras, on the island. Through these satras Majuli became the leading centre of Vaishnavism.

Uttar Kamalabari Satra is listed among the satras of Majuli district. It is a branch of Kamalabari Satra, founded by Badalapadma Ata, which is a centre of art, culture, literature and classical studies on the island. The Uttar Kamalabari branch has performed Satria art cultural programmes across India and abroad.

The satra belongs to the Nika Sanghati, which gives Naam (the deity) more leverage than the other parts of the satra, Dev, Guru and Bhakat. Its prayer hall, the Namghar, sits in the centre of the campus with residential rows around it. The museum and treasury lie in the centre, on the south side of the Namghar.

Festivals

• Full moon day of Aghun month, first or second week of NovemberRaas Mahotsav

  Celebrated in the satras of Majuli. This is the general date for the island's satras.

Tips for your visit

• During the festival season, ferries run every half hour between Nimati Ghat in Jorhat and Kamalabari Ghat, from 7.30 AM to 3.30 PM.
• A ferry links Majuli to Jorhat six times a day.
• Night buses run from Guwahati to Majuli via Lakhimpur.

Questions people ask