Madhupur Satra

In the year 1489, when Sankardeva reached Kochbehar, the then King of Koch - Rajbangshi dynasty Maharaja Naranarayan requested him to preach and spread the teachings of the Neo-Vaishnava cult. In his honour, the king built the Satra in the 16th century. Guru Sankardeva breathed his last at this Satra in the year 1568.  The present Satra has been innaugrated by the then Cheif Minister of Assam Bimala Chandra Chaliha in the presence of the then Cheif Minister of West Bengal Prafulla C Sen. Lakshmikanta Mahanta is the present Satradhikar of the Satra.

 

We started our journey early morning from Beparipatty, Gauripur. We anticipated a huge rush and hence started early. We were excited to head towards the place with such religious sanctity. We reached Kochbehar after a journey of 3 hours and headed towards Madhupur More in a shared tempo. To our astonishment, there wasn't even a single gate showing the entrance to the Satra. After being dropped by the tempo, we enquired with several local shops if we were on the correct path or not. We never imagined a place with such religious importance without a gate. We headed towards the Satra in an electric rickshaw, locally known by the name 'Toto'.

 

The view of Madhupur More. There isn't any gate to welcome you to the Satra. Electric Rickshaws stand there to facilitate your conveyance to the Satra.

The gate just outside the Satra

There are a couple of bookstalls outside the Satra which has books of Sankardeva and his teachings. These stalls also hold several things for worship at the Satra.

Book stalls and hand carts outside the Satra.



The view of Madhupur Satra



 



The Kirtan Ghar of MadhupurSatra

Some preachings of Sankardeva inscribed on the walls of the Satra

A side view of the Satra
 

Another view of the Satra walls

The Satra also holds a lamp which has been lighting since about five hundred years

With an young priest of the Temple

 

We were disappointed to see only few devotees there. The Satradhikar and other priests of the Satra welcomed us whole heartedly and they also asked us for an overnight halt. The Satradhikar spoke to us on various religious issues and also shared various facets and memoirs associated with the Satra. We were really motivated to hear him speak. We sat beside him and listened to him; an aura of positivity soon surrounded us.

Satradhikar Lakshmikanta Mahanta speaking with devotees who visited the Satra

Satradhikar Lakshmkanta Mahanta speaking to one of the devotees

The famous Gunamala (গুণমালা) which was written by Sankardeva in one night as per the request of Koch King Naranarayana  is also preserved in this sacred place. The book contains rhyming and sonorous verses and it is considered as a handbook of Bhagwata Purana. The historical significance of the book goes back to a debate between King Naranarayana and his pandits. When the court poets asked for a condensed version of the entire ten cantos of the Bhagwata Purana overnight, all the poets refused. However Sankardeva took the challenge and accomplished it. The booklet was kept in a wooden box, painted yellow and red and elephant was drawn within the circumference of the circle. He signified that he had squeezed an elephant into a lime pot (হাতী মাৰি ভুৰুকাত ভৰোৱা). He exhibited his extraordinary skills of breivity and impressed King Naranarayana.

The last remains of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva are preserved here. There are also certain important things like the Paduka's of Sankardeva and the bronze pen used by him. These last remains are displayed twice in a year. Once in the time of Rash and the next in the anniversary of the first Satradhikar, which is two or three days before Saraswati Puja. Another important fact of this place is that the first ten Satradhikar's of this place left for heir heavenly abode on the same day.

 

Satradhikar Lakshmikanta Mahanta also spoke about the various problems the Satra was facing. He was disappointed that there were very few visitors to the Satra. He expressed that he would have been delighted if more visitors visited the place. He also said that the financial support towards a place that holds high historical importance of Assamese culture is very low and that it needs more support from  the government. The Satradhikar is suffering from kidney ailments and he also expressed his disappointment that nobody visits the Satra to enquire about his health. He was hospitalized a few days back in Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (G.M.C.H) and there were handful of visitors to visit him.

Madhupur Satra is one of those places which holds high importance, both for the followers of Hindu Dharma as well as for the Assamese culture. The place with such sanctity is now facing scarcity of recognition. This place is also important hotspot for tourism for people from Assam.