Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was a great Assamese playwright, dramatist, film maker, poet, producer, songwriter and writer from Assam. He was considered as Assamese cultural icon, deeply revered for his creative vision and output and is popularly called the Rupkonwar (Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala) of Assamese culture. In fact, he is regarded as the founder of Assamese cinema for Joymati (1935).

He was born on 17 June 1903 in Tamulbari Tea Estate. His father was Paramanada Agarwala and mother was Kiranmayee. He is the nephew of another cultural icon, Chandra Kumar Agarwala. His forefather, Nabrangram Agarwala, had come to Assam in 1811 from the Marwar region in Rajasthan. 

He started his education in Tezpur Government High School and passed his matriculation examination (2nd Division) from  Chitranjan Das University, Kolkata. During high school time itself he joined the freedom movement. After matriculation he joined National College of Calcutta and completed his I.A from there. For his graduation he went to Edinburgh University, Britain. He also joined M.A but before finishing it he came to Germany to study Films. After seven months of studies in Filmat the UFA studio in Germany, he came back to Assam in 1930.

After his return to Assam, he continued his activities for Indian independence and joined the Non Co-operation movement in 1921. He started working more actively after returning from foreign soil. He was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for fifteen months and was fined 500 rupees in 1932 for his active involvement in the fightings of Independence. Despite suffering from Typhoid in the Silchar jail, he completed his period of imprisonment. In 1941 joined the Volunteer Group Of Congress where he rendered selfless service and after a period of time he became it’s leader. He was actively involved in various activities during the freedom movement from various regions of Assam. In 1942,due to his involvement in the freedom struggle, was declared an absconder by the British Government. Surrendered in 1943 in Tezpur, but was subsequently freed due to lack of evidence.

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala started writing since the age of 14 years only. At that time he wrote down the famous play 'Sonit-Konwari'. For next few years during his student days he wrote many short stories. Jyoti Prasad was very good in studying children psychology. He wrote many stories for children. During his lifetime he had written drama, poetry, biography, books etc. He also delevered speeches in different functions on subjects like  literature, music and culture. Some other plays written by him are Rupalim, Karengar Ligiri, Lobhita, etc. His plays are acted on stage till date in Assam.

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was a fantastic poet as well. He wrote more than 300 songs and gave music to most of them. These songs collection is known as Jyoti Sangeet. It bacame a new genre of music itself in Assam in later days.

He established the Chitraban Studio at the Bholaguri Tea Estate and began filming the movie Joymoti around the end of 1933. This was the first film from Assam. The film, released in 1935, was based on a play by Laxminath Bezbarua about the heroic Ahom princess Sati Joymoti imprisoned and tortured by a repressive Ahom swargadeo. In 1936 he married Devajani Chaliha.

1934 -Constructed " Chitraban Studio" in Bholaguri Tea State temporarily and made the first Assamese movie "Joymati"
1935- "Joymati"  was released
1936-37 - Produced jointly with Bishnu Prasad Rabha the  record play  "Joymati" and "Sonit Kunwari"
1937 - Constructed Jonaki cinema hall in Tezpur.
1939 - Made the second Assamese movie Indra Malati even before the stipulated time.
1940 - Established Tezpur music school. He republished "Asomiya" which was a closed down newspaper since 1944 (for seven months).
He was a pioneer in  establishing an University in Assam,  and also prepared a architectural print for the construction of University.

Another contribution of Jyotiprasad agarwala is the publication of the newspaper 'Axomiya' in 1944. He also established an assamese music school in Tezpur.

Due to ill  health resigned from the post of editor of the newspaper and took the responsibility for  maintenance of Tamulbari Tea Garden near Dibrugarh. Tried to give a new dimension to employer-employee  relationship. And at the same time he continued his literary and cultural persuits.
Jyoti Prasad Agarwala died of cancer on 17 January 1951 at 'Poki', Tezpur. His death anniversary, 17 June is calebrated as 'Jyoti Divas' in Assam every year.

Family Profile:
Wife:          Late Debyani Agarwala(marriage solemnized in 1936)
Son:            Chinmay Agarwala                       
Daughters: Jaisree (married to Satyabrat Chaliha.)
                   Gyansree (married to Prof. Priyalal Pathak.)
                   Satyasree (married to Anil Das).
                   Hemasree (married to Anal Chaliha).
                   Manasree (married to Jogen Hazarika).

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was a multi talented genius, he is a good poet, music composer, singer, actor, journalist, author and film-maker of the very highest repute. He is the only living pioneer of Assam.s film industry in the Northeast, and has been therefore, rightly hailed as the uncrowned king of North-Eastern India.s cultural world.

Dr. Hazarika was born on September 8, 1926 to Nilakanta and Shantipriya Hazarika in Sadiya, Assam. He was the eldest of ten children, Bhupen Hazarika was exposed to the musical influence of his mother who exposed him to lullabies and traditional music of Assam. In search of better prospects his father moved to the Bharalumukh region of Guwahati in 1929, where Bhupen Hazarika spent his early childhood. In 1932 his father moved to Dhubri, and in 1935 to Tezpur It was in Tezpur that Bhupen Hazarika, then 10 years of age, was discovered by Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Bishnu Prasad Rabha where he sung a Borgeet taught by his mother at a public function. In 1936 Bhupen Hazarika accompanied them to Kolkata where he recorded his first song at the Aurora Studio for the Selona Company. By the time he was 10, Hazarika was writing songs and a year later gave his first performance on the hugely popular All India Radio. His association with the icons of Assamese culture at Tezpur was the beginning of his artistic growth and credentials.

He studied at Sonaram High School at Guwahati, Dhubri Government High School and matriculated from Tezpur High School in 1940. He completed his Intermediate Arts from Cotton College in 1942, and went on to Banaras Hindu University to complete his BA (1944) and MA (1946) in Political Science. He won a scholarship from Columbia University and set sail for New York in 1949, where he earned a PhD in 1952 on "Proposals for Preparing India's Basic Education to Use Audio-Visual Techniques in Adult Education".

At Columbia University he met Priyamvada Patel, whom he married in 1950. Tez Hazarika, their only child, was born in 1952.

After completing his MA he briefly worked at the All India Radio station at Guwahati before embarking for his doctoral studies at Columbia University. Soon after completing his education, he became a teacher at the Gauhati University. He was elected the President of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1993.

He met Kalpana Lajmi in the 1980s and they made the film Ek Pal (1986). Since then Lajmi began managing him professionally and personally till the end of his life. He was pursuaded by the Bharatiya Janata Party via Kalpana Lajmi to enter the electoral fray as its candidate in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from the Guwahati constituency, which he lost to the INC candidate Kirip Chaliha.

Hazarika was hospitalized in the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai in 2011. He was admitted to the intensive care unit on 30 June 2011. He died of multi-organ failure on 5 November 2011. His body lay in state at the Judges Fields in Guwahati and cremated on November 9, 2011 near the Brahmaputra river in a plot of land donated by Gauhati University. His funeral was attended by an estimated half a million people.

Beginnings
A young Bhupen Hazarika was noticed by the doyens of Assamese culture, Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Bishnuprasad Rabha , when he had performed a Borgeet at the age of 10 in Tezpur. Subsequently, Hazarika sang two songs in Agarwala's film Indramalati (1939): Kaxote Kolosi Loi and Biswo Bijoyi Naujawan at the tender age of 12. He wrote his first song, Agnijugor Firingoti Moi at the age of 13 and he was well on his way to to becoming a lyricist, composer and singer.

Middle years
Hazarika began close association with the leftist Indian People's Theatre Association soon after returning from the USA in 1953. and became the secretary of the Reception Committee of the third All Assam Conference of IPTA held in Guwahati in 1955.

Later years
In the period after the release of Ek Pal (1986) till the end of his life Bhupen Hazarika's mainly concentrated on Hindi films, most of which were directed by Kalpana Lajmi. Ek Pal (1986), Rudaali (1993) and Daman (2001) are major films this period. Many of his earlier songs were re-written in Hindi used as played-back songs in these films. These songs tried to cater to the Hindi film milieu and their social activist lyrics were browbeaten into the lowest common denominator.

Legacy and influences
As a singer, Hazarika was known for his baritone voice and diction; as a lyricist, he was known for poetic compositions and parables which touched on themes ranging from romance to social and political commentary; and as a composer for his use of folk music. Some of his most famous compositions were adaptations of American black spirituals that he had learned from Paul Robeson, whom he had befriended during his years in New York City in the early 1950s.

Achievement in Cinema
Bhupen Hazarika is ranked amongst the leading film makers of the nation.

He is probably the only living pioneer who is solely responsible for placing the fledging Assamese cinema on the all India and on the world cinema map. He has been the only person in the past 40 years to propagate the better cinema movement and has integrated all the seven north-eastern states, including tribal culture, through the medium of cinema. His remarkable popularity brought him to the legislative Assembly as an Independent member between 1967 to 1972, where he was solely responsible for installing the first state owned film studio of its kind ever, in India in Guwahati, Assam.

Bhupen Hazarika began his career in films as a child actor in the second talkie film to be made in the pioneering years of 1939 in the film .Indramalati..

A prodigious genius he wrote and sang his first song at the age of 10 after which there has been no looking back.

He has produced and directed, composed music and sang for the Assamese language films .Era Batar Sur. in 1956, .Shakuntala. in 1960, .Pratidhwani. in 1964, .Lotighoti. in 1967, .Chick Mick Bijuli. in 1971, .Mon Projapati. in 1978, .Swikarokti. in 1986, .Siraj. in 1988. He also directed, composed music and sang for .Mahut Bandhure. in 1958. He produced, directed, and composed music for Arunachal Pradesh.s first Hindi feature film in colour .Mera Dharam Meri Maa. in 1977. He directed a colour ducumentary for the Arunachal Pradesh Government on Tribal folk songs and dances entitled .For Whom The Sun Shines. in 1974.

He produced and directed a documentary .Emuthi Saular Kahini. based on the co- operative movement for the Govt. of Assam entirely in the format of lyrics. He produced and directed a half-hour documentary for Calcutta Doordarshan Kendra in 1977 on the folk songs and dances of north east India entitled .Through Melody and Rhythm.. He produced and composed music for five reeler colour documentary to promote tourism for the Govt. of Assam in 1981. He produced and composed music for the internationally famous award winning Hindi feature film .Ek Pal. in 1986, directed by Kalpana Lajmi, starring Shabana Azmi, Nasiruddin Shah, Faroque Shaikh. He produced and composed the music for the extremely popular television serial .Lohit Kinare. directed by Kalpana Lajmi, based on famous short stories of Assam for the prime time National Network in 1988. He has been the Executive Producer, Music Composer for the recent award winning film in Hindi .Rudaali. starring Dimple Kapadia, Raj Babbar, Amjad Khan and Rakhi.

He has won the President.s National Award for the best film maker thrice : for .Shakuntala., .Pratidhwani., and .Loti Ghoti. in 1960, 1964 and 1967 respectively. He won the Arunachal Pradesh Government.s Gold Medal in 1977 for his outstanding contribution towards Tribal Welfare, and Upliftment of Tribal Culture through cinema and music. He also won the National Award as best music composer in India in 1977 for the Assamese film .Chameli Memsaab..

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika has been the Chairman, Eastern Region on the Appellate Body of the Central Board of Film Censors, Government of India for 9 years consecutively till 1990.

He is on the Script Committee of the National Film Development Corporation, Eastern India.

He is the director on the national level on the Board of Directors of National Film Development Corporation, Government of India.

He was the Executive Council Member of the Children Film Society (N.CYP) headed by Mrs. Jaya Bachchan. He is the member of the Board of Trustees for the Poor Artists Welfare Fund, Government of India. He was the Chairman of the Jury of the National Film Awards in 1985 and was a jury member several times from 1958 to 1990. He is at present also on the Governing Council for policy making decisions for the Film and Television Institute, Government of India , Pune.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India bestowed the honour of Producer Emeritus on him.

Bhupen Hazarika was also a member of P. C. Joshi Committee appointed by the Information Ministry for revitalising software programming through television for the coming 21st century.

He has rendered music, written lyrics and sung for numerous Assamese, Bengali and Hindi films from 1930s to the 1990s. Bhupen Hazarika has scored music and sung for the highest number of Assamese films made in the past 40 years.

He has directed music in outstanding Bengali films, such as .Jiban Trishna., .Jonakir Alo., .Mahut Bandhure., .Kari o Komal., .Asamapta., .Ekhane Pinjar., .Dampati., .Chameli Memsaab., .Dui., .Bechara., and Hindi films like .Arop., .Ek Pal., and .Rudaali.. He has in 1995 given music for Sai Paranjype.s Hindi feature film .Papiha. and Bimal Dutt.s Hindi feature film .Pratimurti..

In 1996 he has composed music for Plus Channel.s Hindi feature film .Mil Gayee Manzil Mujhe. directed by Lekh Tandon starring Meenakshi Sheshadri.

In 1996 he has also composed for Plus Channel.s Hindi feature film .Saaz. directed by Sai Paranjype starring Shabana Azmi.

In 1996 he has composed music for Pan Pictures Hindi feature film .Darmiyaan. starring Kiron Kher and Tabu directed and written by Kalpana Lajmi.

In 1998 he has composed music for Hindi feature film .Gajagamini. Written and Directed by eminent painter Mr. M. F. Hussain.

He had produced a 52 episodes tele-serial titled .Dawn. for telecast on Star TV. The serial casts Shahbaaz Khan, Mona Ambegaonkar, Deepa Lagoo, Tom Alter and others.

He has also produced another 18 part documentary entitled . Glimpses of the Misty East. on the socio economic and cultural progress in North Eastern India from 1947 to 1997 , assigned to him by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt of India for celebration of Fifty years of India.s Independence.

In 2000 he has composed music for Hindi feature film .Daman. Written and Directed by Ms. Kalpana Lajmi.

In 2003 he composed music for Hindi feature film "Kyon" Directed by Ms. Kalpana Lajmi. 

Achievements in Music and Culture
He is considered today the last of the great mass singers and the only great ballad singer alive in India. Involved in the Indian movement from his very childhood, till today he writes and composes masterpieces teeming with social consciousness which are in striking contrast to his famous love songs. Besides being associated with films, Bhupen Hazarika has won the hearts of the entire Indian people through his discs through which he has rendered some of his finest compositions.

For Bhupen Hazarika music has always been his first love. He met Paul Robson with whom he became closely associated between 1949 and 1955 in USA. It was during this period he was awarded a Gold Medallion in New York as the best interpreter of India.s folk songs by Eleanor Roosevelt.

Bhupen Hazarika sings in numerous languages but writes his lyrics and poems in his home language, Assamese. Bhupen Hazarika has rightly been hailed as India.s Cultural Ambassador abroad for placing the folk music of Eastern India on the map of world folk music.

He has travelled widely as a Delegate to Conferences on Mass Communication, Poetry, Music, Performing Arts and Cinema from the Belgium Congo to Samarkand, from the Mississipi to Danube, to Europe, Canada, South-East Asia, Japan, USA, UK and Australia.

He represented India in Berlin at the World Conference of Composers who used songs as an instrument in social change. He was given the honour of inaugurating the World Seminar in Congress Hall with his own songs on the liberation of Bangladesh.

Bhupen Hazarika.s popularity is so tremendous as a performing artist that for the last 50 years he has been the biggest crowd puller and was honoured for the Golden Jubilee of his singing career in 1991. Achievements in Literature

Bhupen Hazarika has been conferred the highest the highest honour by making him the president of Sahitya Sabha in 1993.

He is one of the leading author / poets of Assam and has to his credit more than one thousand lyrics and more than fifteen major books on short stories, essays, travelogues, poems and children.s rhymes.

He is an extremely popular journalist and editor for the past two decades of the popular monthlies .Amar Pratinidhi. and .Pratidhwani.

Honours Conferred The country bestowed its greatest honour on him, the Padamshree in 1977 for his outstanding contribution to the field of culture in India.

In 1977 he won two awards in West Bengal. The Bangla Chalachitra Prasar Samity and the Bangla Chalchitra Purashkar Samity for being the best music director for the film .Dampati.. In 1978 he won two awards from Bangladesh as rhe best music director for the film .Simana Periye. from the Bangladesh Journalists Association and the Bangladesh film industry.

The Gramophone Company of India bestowed on him the Gold Disc for his outstanding contribution towards Indian Music in 1978.

In 1979 and 1980 he won the Ritwick Ghatak Award as best music directors for two theatre plays .Mohua Sundari. and .Nagini Kanyar Kahini..

In 1979 he won the All India Critic Association Award for the best performing folk artist in India.

In 1987 he was conferred the National Citizen.s Award at New Delhi for his outstanding excellence in music.

The Government of Assam bestowed its highest award the .Shankar Dev Award. in 1987 for his contribution to Assam.s culture.

In 1987 he won Assam.s .Man of the Year. award.

Sangeet Natak Academy - New Delhi awarded him in 1987 for his outstanding contribution towards Indian music.

The Bengal Journalist.s Association honoured him with the .Indira Gandhi Smriti Purashkar. in 1987.

In 1992, the Government of West Bengal honoured him with the award for his contribution to the World of Arts.

In 1993, he was honoured India.s Oscar .The Dadasaheb Phalke Award. for his lifetime.s contribution to development of Indian cinema.

In 1993, he was conferred as the first Indian Music Director for best music Internationally for the film .Rudaali. at the Asia Pacific International Film Festival at Japan.

In 1999, he has been appointed by the Honourable President of India as the Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi for a period of five years.

In 2000, he has been appointed by the Government of India as the Trustee of Indira Gandhi Centre of Arts for a period of ten years.

He has been appointed by the Government of India as the trustee of ICCR, for a period of 3 years.

In 2001, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian award and he was given the Lata Mangeshkar Award for his overall contribution in music by the Madhya Pradesh Government.

In November 2001, he was honoured with the Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) from the Tezpur University.

In 2003, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika has been appointed the member of the Prasar Bharati Board, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.

Bhupen Hazarika is one of the only forces in India today who is a true exponent of National Integration, expressed wonderfully through a variety of media. 


Srimanta Sankardeva

Srimanta Sankardeva (1449-1568) was a great saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India. With great endeavour he had tried to spread the Vaishnava faith among the people as well as decrease the religious attitude of people. The Vaishnava faith that was initiated by him is known as ekasarana dharma or devotion to one Supreme God. He was a multi faceted personality. He was a poet and a religious reformer too. He was a renowned Sanskrit scholar. This is evident from Bhakti Ratnakara which is a discourse on Sanskrit Vaishnavism. Its cardinal features are: Sravana kirtana dharma: it is a principle of audition that was accepted as an inspiring device for religious devotion, the view that the relation of man to God was like that of a servant to his sovereign.

Sankardeva in order to propagate his religious doctrines began composing literary works, poems and dramas. He had translated Bhagavatam. This was the starting point of enthusiasm and inspiration for Assamese literature. His intelligence is evident in the poem Harischandra upakhyana which was composed when he was in his teens. The poetical work that has given Sankardeva great fame is the Kiriana that contains 26 poems and 2,261 couplets. He is noted for clear and chiseled phrasing. The Sisulila and the Adi Dasama also contain captivating portraits of Lord Krishna`s childhood. This also revealed in his Bargeetas and Ankargeetas. He laid the foundation of mysticism in Assamese literature with his Bargeetas and Ankargeetas.

His Rukminiharana kavya, inspired by Bhagavatam and the Harivamsa, is a long narrative poem written with touches of local colour and life. His dramas are interspersed with beautiful songs. Nature has been a major part of his poems. This is seen in his poems like Haramohan, Trikuta varnan, Rasa krida. He believed in the power of literary art.

Srimanta Shankardeva is credited with providing a thread of unity to Ahom and Koch kingdoms of Assam. He inspired Bhakti in Assam. The Sattras established by him continue to flourish. His Poetic works are: Kirtana-ghosha, Harischandra-upakhyana, Rukmini-harana, Ajamilopakhyana, Bali-chalana, Kurukshetra-yatra, Gopi-uddhava-samvada, Amrta-manthana, Krishna-prayana-pandava-niryana and Kamajaya.

His works in drama include: Cihna Yatra, Patni-prasada, Kalia-damana, Keli-gopala, Rukmini-harana, Parijata-harana and Srirama-vijaya.


Srimanta Shankaradeva was born into the Shiromani (chief) Baro-Bhuyans family, near Bordowa in Nagaon in a village called Ali-pukhuri, Bordowa of present day Nagaon district in c1449. The Baro-Bhuyans were independent landlords in Assam, and belonged to the kayastha Hindu caste. His family-members, including parents Kusumvara and Satyasandhya Devi, were saktas , mention may me made of his great grandfather Chandivara alias Devidasa. The Saint lost both his father and his mother at a very tender age and was raised by his grandmother Khersuti. He began attending the tol or chatrasaal (school) of the renowned scholar Mahendra Kandali at the age of 12 and soon started to write verses. He completed his first poem before he was taught the vowels except, and is often cited as an example of the early flowering of his poetic genius. He was physically very able, and according to legend, he could swim across the Brahmaputra while it was in spate.

He left the tol in his late teens (c1469) to attend to his responsibilities as the Shiromani Bhuyan. He moved from Alipukhuri to Bordowa, and wrote his first work, Harishchandra upakhyan. Sankardeva produced a dance-drama called Cihna yatra, for which he painted the Sapta vaikuntha (seven heavens), guided the making of musical instruments and played the instruments himself.

At Bordowa, he constructed a dharmagrha or a Hari-grha (house of the Lord) in which he installed an image of Vishnu that was found during the construction of the grha. But it was not meant for worshipping; it was just a "showpiece of art work". In fact, he was absolutely against any kind of worshipping of Idols or Images of gods. He married his first wife Suryavati when he was in his early 20s. His wife died soon after his daughter Manu was born.


Might be the death of his wife increased his spiritual inclination as his mind began to focus, more than ever before, on the transcendental. When his daughter turned nine, he married her off to Hari, handed over the Shiromaniship to his grand uncles and left for a pilgrimage (a religious tour rather) (c1482). At this point of time, he was 32. The pilgrimage took him to Puri, Mathura, Dwaraka, Vrindavan, Gaya, Rameswaram, Ayodhya, Sitakunda and almost all the other major seats of the Vaishnavite religion in India. At Badrikashrama, he composed his first bargeet—mana meri ram charanahi lagu—in Brajavali. He returned home to Ali-pukhuri after 12 years (his family had moved back from Bordowa in his absence). During his pilgrimage, he witnessed the Bhakti movement that was in full bloom in India at that time.

After his return, he refused to take back the Shiromaniship. On his grandmother's insistence, he married Kalindi at the age of 44. Finally, he moved back to Bordowa and constructed his first naamghar (prayer hall), and began preaching. He wrote Bhakti pradipa and Rukmini harana. Soon after, he received a copy of the Bhagavata Purana from Jagadisa Misra of Tirhut which had in it commentaries from Sridhara Swami of Puri, an Advaita scholar, and began rendering it into Assamese. He also began composing the Kirtana ghosha. The 13 years at Ali-pukhuri was the period during which he reflected deeply on Vaishnavism and on the form that would best suit the spiritual and ethical needs of the people.


From Ali-pukhuri he moved again to Gajalasuti and then back to Bordowa. In the mean time the Bhuyans were getting weak politically and Bordowa was attacked by the neighboring tribes. Shankaradeva had to move again from place to place. At Gangmau he stayed for five years where his son Ramananda was born. While at Gangmau, the Koch king Viswa Singha attacked the Ahoms. The Bhuyans fought for the Ahoms and the Koch king was defeated. Due to the unsettled situation at Gangmau Sankaradeva next moved to Dhuwahat, present day Majuli, now an island on the Brahmaputra. At Dhuwahat, he met his spiritual successor Madhavadeva. Madhavdeva, a sakta, got into a religious altercation with his brother-in-law Ramadasa who had recently converted to Vaishnavism. Ramadasa took him to Shankaradeva, who, after a long debate, could finally convince him of the power and the efficacy of Naam Dharma. At Dhuwahat he initiated many others into his religion and continued composing the Kirtana ghoxa. He tried to appease the brahmans by gentle persuasion and debate, but they felt threatened by the emergence of a new religion propagated by a non-brahmin. Some brahmans submitted a complaint with the Ahom king Suhungmung, who summoned Shankaradeva and Madhavadeva to court. They gave adequate replies to the royal queries and were let off.

Though the relationship with the Ahom royalty began cordially, it soon deteriorated. Once on the charge of dereliction of duty, Hari, Shankaradeva's son-in-law, and Madhavadeva were arrested and sent to the capital Garhgaon, where Hari was executed. Madhavadeva's life was spared but he was imprisoned for a year. This incident pained Shankaradeva much and he, along with his family and Madhavadeva, journeyed toward the Koch kingdom.

The drama Patniprasada was written at Dhuwahat


At Sunpora he initiated Bhavananda, a rich trader who had extensive business interest in the Garo and Bhutan hills besides Kamarupa. The trader, Narayana Das, settled at Janiya near Barpeta and took to agriculture. A man of the world otherwise, he soon flourished and became a provider to Shankaradeva and his devotees. He came to be known popularly as Thakur Ata.

After a great deal of moving, Shankaradeva settled at Patbausi near Barpeta and constructed a Kirtanghar (house of prayer). Some of the people he initiated here are Chakrapani Dwija and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, brahmins; Ketai Khan, a kayastha; Govinda, a Garo; Jayarama, a Bhutia; Murari, a Koch and Chandsai a Muslim. He also befriended Ananta kandali, a profound scholar of Sanskrit, who translated parts of the Bhagavata Purana. Damodardeva, another brahmin, was initiated by Shankaradeva and he later became the founder of the Brahma Sanghati sect of Shankaradeva's religion.

Among his literary works, he completed his rendering of the Bhagavata Purana and wrote other independent works. He continued composing the Kirtana Ghosha, further translated the first book of the Ramayana (ADI KANDA) and instructed Madhavadeva to translate the last book (UTTAR KANDA), portions that were left undone by the 14th century poet Madhav Kandali. He wrote four dramas: Rukmini harana, Parijata harana, Keligopala and kalidamana. Another drama written at Patbausi, kamsa vadha, is lost. At Patbausi, he had lent his bargeets numbering aroung 240 to Kamala Gayan. But unfortunately, his house was gutted and most of the bargeets were lost. Since that incident Sankaradeva stopped composing bargeets. Of the 240, 34 remain today.

Shankaradeva once again left for a pilgrimage with a large party of 117 disciples that included Madhavadeva, Ramarama, Thakur Ata and others. Madhavadeva, on the request of Shankaradeva's wife Kalindi urged him to return from Puri and not proceed to Vrindavana. He returned to Patbausi within six months.


On hearing complaints that Shankaradeva was corrupting the minds of the people by spreading a new religion, Naranarayana the Koch king, ordered Shankaradeva's arrest. Shankaradeva managed to go into hiding, but Narayan Das Thakur Ata and Gokulchand were captured. They were taken to Kochbehar and subjected to inhuman torture, but they did not divulge the location where their Guru was staying, and the royals soon gave up.

In the meantime Chilarai, the general of the Koch army and brother of Naranarayana, who had been influenced by the religion and had married Kamalapriya alias Bhuvaneshwari the daughter of Shankaradeva's cousin Ramaraya, arranged for Shankaradeva's audience with Naranarayana. As he moved up the steps to the throne, Shankardev sang his Sanskrit totaka hymn (composed extempore) to Lord Krishna , now known as Totaya or Deva bhatimaand as he sat down, he sang a borgeet, narayana kahe bhakati karu tera. Naranarayana was overwhelmed by the Saint's personality. The king then asked Sankaradeva's opponents to prove their complaint. After Sankaradeva defeated them in the debate, Naranarayana declared him free from all allegations. Sankaradeva began attending Naranarayana's court at the king's request. When he met Naranarayana, he was well over a hundred years old and had just A FEW more years to live.

After the debate, Shankaradeva shuttled between Kochbehar and Patbausi. On the request of Nara Narayan and Chilarai he supervised the creations of the 60mx30m woven Vrindavani vastra, that depicted the playful activities of Krishna in Vrindavana. This was presented to the Koch king.


He made arrangements with Madhavadeva and Thakur Ata and gave them various instructions at Patbausi and left the place for the last time. He set up his home at Bheladonga in Kochbehar. During his stay at Kochbehar, Naranarayana expressed his wish to be initiated. Shankaradeva was reluctant to convert a king and declined to do so. According to one of the biographers (Ramcharan Thakur), a painful boil—a visha phohara – had appeared in some part of his body and this led to the passing away of the Saint. According to other accounts (Guru Charit Katha et al.), Naranarayan's adamance that he be initiated into the new religion led the saint to surrender his life to the Lord by way of meditative communion. Thus, in 1568, after leading a most eventful life dedicated to enlightening humanity; the Mahapurusha died – within six months of his stay at Bheladonga – at the remarkable age of 120 years.

Eka Sarana
Sankaradeva used the form of Krishna to preach devotion to a single God (eka sarana), who can be worshiped solely by uttering His various names (naam). In contrast to other bhakti forms, eka sarana follows the dasya attitude (a slave to God). Moreover, unlike the 'Gaudiya Vaishnavism' of Bengal, Radha is not worshiped along with Krishna. In uttering the name of God, Hari, Rama, Narayana and Krishna are most often used.

Sankaradeva himself and the religion in general are particularly antagonistic to saktism which was strongly prevalent in Assam at the time. This probably explains the non-use of Radha as an icon. His famous debate with Madhavadeva, who was a staunch sakta (devotee of Shakti) earlier, and Madhavadeva's subsequent conversion to Vaishnavism, is often cited as the single most epoch-making event in the history of the neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam. Madhavadeva, an equally multi-talented person, became his most celebrated disciple.

A non-brahmin, Srimanta Sankaradeva started a system of initiation (saran lowa) into his religion. He caused a huge Social revolution by fighting against anti-social elements like casteism prevailing at that time. He initiated people of all castes and religions, including Muslims. After initiation, the devotee is expected to adhere to the religious tenets of eka sarana. Failure to adhere to these tenets led to ex-communication in certain cases.

Though he himself married twice, had children and led the life of a householder, his disciple Madhavadeva did not. Some of his followers today follow celibate monkhood (kevaliya bhakat) in the Vaishnavite monasteries – the sattras.

The people who practice his religion are called variously as Mahapurushia, Sarania or Sankari.

Works
Literary
Sankaradeva produced a large body of work. Though there were others before him who wrote in the language of the common man – Madhav Kandali who translated the Ramayana into Assamese in the 14th century – his was the first ramayana to be written in a modern Indian language – Harivara Vipra and Hema Saraswati, it was Sankaradeva who opened the floodgates and inspired others like Madhavadeva to carry on where he left off.

His language is lucid, his verses lilting, and he infused bhakti into everything he wrote. His magnum opus is his Kirtana-ghosha, a work so popular that even today it is found in nearly every household in Assam. It contains narrative verses glorifying Krishna meant for community singing. It is a bhakti kayva par excellence, written in a lively and simple language, it has "stories and songs for amusement [for children], it delights the young with true poetic beauty and elderly people find here religious instruction and wisdom".

For most of his works, he used the Assamese language of the period so the lay person could read and understand them. But for dramatic effect in his songs and dramas he used Brajavali, an artificial mixture of Braj language and Assamese.

Other literary works include the rendering of eight books of the Bhagavata Purana including the Adi Dasama (Book X), Harishchandra-upakhyana (his first work), Bhakti-pradip, the Nimi-navasiddha-samvada (conversation between King Nimi and the nine Siddhas), Bhakti-ratnakara (Sanskrit verses, mostly from the Bhagavata, compiled into a book), Anadi-patana (having as its theme the creation of the universe and allied cosmological matters), Gunamala and many plays like Rukmini haran, Patni prasad, Keli gopal, Kurukshetra yatra and Srirama vijaya. There was thus a flowering of great Bhakti literature during his long life of 120 years.

Poetic works (kavya)
    Kirtana-ghosha
    Harischandra-upakhyana
    Rukmini-harana
    Ajamilopakhyana
    Bali-chalana
    Kurukshetra-yatra
    Gopi-uddhava-samvada
    Amrta-manthana
    Krishna-prayana-pandava-niryana
    Kamajaya


Bhakti Theory
    Bhakati-pradipa
    Anadi-patana
    Nimi-navasiddha-samvada
    Bhakti Ratnakara (in Sanskrit)
    Gunamala


Transliteration
    Bhagavat (Book VI, VIII, I, II, VII, X, XI, XII, IX ,X(partial, XI(partial) & XII)
    Ramayana (adikanda, supplemental to Madhav Kandali's Katha Ramayana)

His translation of the Bhagavata is actually a transcreation, because he translates not just the words but the idiom and the physiognomy too. He has adapted the original text to the local land and people and most importantly for the purpose of bhakti. Portions of the original were left out or elaborated where appropriate. For example, he suppressed the portions that revile the lowers castes of sudra and kaivartas, and extols them elsewhere.

Drama (Ankia Nat)
    Cihna Yatra (lost)
    Patni-prasada
    Kalia-damana
    Keli-gopala
    Rukmini-harana
    Parijata-harana
    Srirama-vijaya

Sankaradeva was the fountainhead of the Ankiya naat, a form of one-act play. In fact, his Cihna Yatra – staged by him when he was only 19 – is regarded as one of the first open-air theatrical performances in the world. Cihna yatra was probably a dance drama and no text of that show is available today. Innovations like the presence of a Sutradhara (narrator) on the stage, use of masks etc., were used later in the plays of Bertolt Brecht and other eminent playwrights.

These cultural traditions still form an integral part of the heritage of the Assamese people.

Songs
    Borgeet (composed 240, but only 34 exist now)
    Bhatima
        Deva bhatima – panegyrics to God
        Naat bhatima – for use in dramas
        Raja bhatima – panegyrics to kings (to king Nara Narayan)

The Borgeets (literally: great songs) are devotional songs, set to music and sung in various raga styles. These styles are slightly different from either the Hindustani or the Carnatic styles [1]. The songs themselves are written in the 'Brajavali' language.

Dance
Sattriya dance, that Sankaradeva first conceived and developed and which was later preserved for centuries by the sattras, is now among the classical dance forms of India. Although certain devout Sankarite calls this form as Sankari dance

Visual Art
    Sapta vaikuntha – part of the Cihna yatra production, does not exist today.
    Vrindavani vastra – parts of this work are preserved in London.

The famous Vrindavani Vastra—the cloth of Vrindavan—a 120 x 60 cubits tapestry depicted the lilas of Lord Krishna at Vrindavan through richly woven and embroidered designs on silk.[2] A specimen, believed to be a part of this work, is at the Association pour l'Etude et la Documentation des Textiles d'Asie collection at Paris (inv. no. 3222). The vastra, commissioned by Chilarai, was woven by 12 master weavers in Barpeta under the supervision of Sankaradeva probably between 1565 and 1568. It was housed in the Madhupur sattra but it disappeared at some point. It is believed this cloth made its way to Tibet and from there to its present place.

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