Majuli, the island on the edge
Updated On May 20, 2015 09:27 PM IST
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People, cars and bikes pile on ferries to cross the Brahmaputra river to reach the island of Majuli from the mainland in Assam (Photos: Raj K Raj)
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The island of Majuli is touted as the largest river island in the world
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It is gorgeous with green fields, sparse forests and bamboo groves
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Majuli also has several beels or lake-like wetlands where people fish
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The island is home to 36 Vaishnavite sattras or monasteries – the largest concentration of such sattras in Assam
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Devotees – young and old – live in these sattras and learn the scriptures and various skills like bamboo weaving
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The devotees also learn songs, dance and drama in the sattras. Here they perform sattriya nritya – one of the eight classical dance forms of India
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Children dressed in traditional costumes watch a stage performance as they wait for their turn to perform during a cultural festival in Majuli
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Young devotees of a sattra perform a yoga-dance during a cultural festival in Majuli
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Devotees of Chamoguri Sattra show their handmade masks. The art of mask-making was once prevalent in all sattras across Assam. Now it is practiced in only this sattra
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The masks are used during stage performances of dance dramas called bhaonas
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People wearing masks of Hanuman get ready to hit the stage for their bhaona performance
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A bhaona performance based on the Ramayan underway during a cultural festival in Majuli
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Majuli is home to a diverse mix of people, including the native Assamese population and several ethnic tribes
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The Mishing are the largest tribe in Majuli. Originally from the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, they have been living on the island for many hundred years now
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Mishing women dressed in beautiful, vibrant traditional costumes pose for a photo
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The Mishing women are expert weavers. Every home here has a handloom where the women weave their traditional garments for personal use or for gifts
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Salmara in Majuli is famous for its potters who make earthenware by their bare hands, without the potter’s wheel
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The island of Majuli faces devastating floods and erosion every year. People pray to the river but their homes, and sometimes whole villages, get washed away in its strong currents
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