upper village pool breckenridge SATRAS A satra is a monastery for Vishnu worship, Assam s distinctive form of everyman Hinduism. For

SATRAS A satra is a monastery for Vishnu worship, Assam s distinctive form of everyman Hinduism. Formulated upper village pool breckenridge by 15th-century upper village pool breckenridge Assamese philosopher Sankardev, the faith eschews upper village pool breckenridge the caste system and idol worship, focussing on Vishnu as God, especially in his Krishna incarnation. Much of the worship is based around dance and melodramatic play-acting of scenes from the holy Bhagavad Gita. The heart of any satra is its namghar, a large, simple, prayer hall usually open sided and shaped like an upside-down oil tanker. Beneath the eastern end, an inner sanctum hosts an eternal flame, the Gita and possibly upper village pool breckenridge a horde of instructive (but not divine) images.

The two main villages are Kamalabari, 3km from the ferry port and Garamur, 5km further north. The most interesting, accessible satras are the large, beautifully peaceful upper village pool breckenridge Uttar Kamalabari (1km north, then 600m east of Kamalabari) and Auniati (5km west of Kamalabari), where monks are keen to show you their little museum (Indian/ foreigner/camera/video 5/50/50/200; h9.3011am & 12-4pm) of Ahom royal artefacts. The best chances of observing upper village pool breckenridge chanting, upper village pool breckenridge dances or drama recitations are around dawn and dusk or during the big Ras Mahotsav Festival (third week of November).