Islanders take divine route to save xatras :

Jorhat, Oct. 27: Dakhinpat Xatra, one of the oldest xatras in Majuli, has come forward to help save the island from erosion with the xatradhikar offering bhog to the Brahmaputra at a 

function held on the bank at Bengenawati-Bhogpur, one of the worst affected by erosion.

There is a strong belief among the islanders that Dakhinpat Xatra has a strong bond with the Red River, as Brahmaputra is also called, because it has not caused any harm to the xatra set up more than 300 years back.

“Brahmaputra has a strong bond with Dakhinpat Xatra, located on the bank of the river. This is the only portion of the island which has not witnessed erosion after setting up of the xatra,” an islander said.

Noni Gopal Devagoswami, the xatradhikar of Dakhinpat Xatra, said he offered bhog at places where erosion was rampant, after being invited to do so. “The villagers here have invited me in the belief that offering bhog to the river would appease it and that the erosion would stop. It has been seen from several years now that the place where the Dakhipat Xatra stands has no such problem. Since we are involved in religious work, it is my belief that the Brahmaputra has a strong affinity for Dakhinpat,” he said.

About 50 villagers in the vicinity of Bengenawati and Bhogpur xatras had sought the aid of Devagoswami to help them in containing erosion.

P. Saikia, an islander, said there was no harm in trying to appease what he called the wrath of the river.

“Both the Bhogpur and Bengenawati xatras are in danger of being destroyed by erosion, with the river moving closer to the embankment over the years. The Brahmaputra Board’s efforts to contain erosion in the area have come to nought with the river washing away most of the porcupines placed earlier. Man and science have proved to be a failure so divine intervention is all that is left,” he said.

In July, both the xatradhikars had resorted to a sit-in demonstration at the site to draw the attention of the authorities to the erosion with more villages big gobbled up by the river in the recent spate of floods.

The river which was said to be once flowing 200 metres away from the embankment atop which the Kamalabari-Bongaon Road was constructed, is now only 50 metres away and inching closer with large tracts of earth being washed away. The breaching of the road may result in destruction of two Vaishnavaite monasteries and nearly 40 villages in the area.

(News from The Telegraph E-Paper)

-Abakash Majuli