User blogs

by Dr Milan Neog

When we discuss about the medieval Bhakti movement, names like Ramananda, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Dadu, Tukaram, Narasimha Mehta etc. often come to mind. In the same breath, we must also remember and honour Srimanta Sankaradeva, an extraordinary figure whose contributions were equally profound. He is considered the greatest talent of all time in Assamese socio-cultural life. Assamese literary tradition began in the 10th century CE with the composition of the Buddhist Charyagita. In the 14th century CE, Madhava Kandali, who was born before Srimanta Sankaradeva, translated the Ramayana into Assamese, making it the first translation of the epic into any modern Indo Aryan languages. ... more

by Dr Ananya Barua

Śrimanta Śankaradeva and Hazrat Ājān Pir Fakir breathed new life into the vulnerable religion frontline emulating from the mutual milieu of the chronicled past. Streamlining the practiced observations, added with the inclusion of the local dialect to paraphrase the revered texts, paved the way for bringing in the much-celebrated Bhakti movement in Assam, India. Both these religious reformers constructed new kinds of meaning as the horizon of the text or the tradition, which they sought to creatively re-interpret, creating new literary canons and poetics to legitimize the emergence of new literary genres.... more

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti

Srimanta Sankaradeva is generally remembered as a religious preceptor, who founded the Eka Sarana Nâma Dharma order. But that is not his only identity. His activities were not confined to the realm of religion alone. His activities were multi-dimensional. He contributed so many things to the society, or to be more precise to the humanity. He created many new things, new type of building structure, new social structure, new type of social management, new educational system, new food, new health care, new musical instrument, new music, new dance form, new form of play, new form of textile art, new form of painting and so on. There was innovation in almost all his activities. Very often he did not follow the beaten track. He charted his own path. His new path was always so attractive and suitable that people soon started to follow him in the new path.... more

The literary and cultural contributions by the saint continue to influence the modern creative works. But strangely very little is known about him outside the state. ... more