Question

Write an essay on the process of construction of assamese society

Answer 1

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Explanation:

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SATTRA CULT U RE OF ASSAM: BELIEF, CHANGE IN TRADITION AND CURRENT ENTANGLEMENTBABURAM SAIKIA PhD StudentDepartment of Estonian and Comparative FolkloreUniversity of Tartu Ülikooli 16, 51003 Tartu, Estoniae-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACTIn 16th-century Assam, Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449–1568) introduced a move-ment known as eka sarana nama dharma – a religion devoted to one God (Vishnu or Krishna). The focus of the movement was to introduce a new form of Vaishnava doctrine, dedicated to the reformation of society and to the abolition of practices such as animal sacrice, goddess worship, and discrimination based on caste or religion. A new institutional order was conceptualised by Sankaradeva at that time for the beerment  of  human  wellbeing, which was given shape  by  his chief dis-ciple Madhavadeva. This came to be known as Sara, a monastery-like religious and socio-cultural institution. Several Saras were established by the disciples of Sankaradeva following his demise. Even though all Saras derive from the broad tradition of Sankaradeva’s ideology, there is nevertheless some theological seg-mentation  among dierent  sects, and  the manner  of performing  rituals diers from Sara to Sara. In this paper, my aim is to discuss the origin and subsequent transformations of Sara as  an institution.  The article  will also reect  upon the implication of traditions and of the process of traditionalisation in the context of Sara culture. I will examine the power relations in Saras: the inuence of exter-nal forces and the support of locals to the Sara authorities. This research is the result of various interactions and encounters in the eld. KEYWORDS: Sara • Neo-Vaishnavism • tradition • belief • change • narrative INTRODUCTIONThe discussion* below is to a great extent based on my own experience. I had been liv-ing in Uar Kamalabari Sara (Majuli)1 since 1995, and left the Sara in 2016 to pursue * The research has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund and by Estonian Research Council’s grant IUT 2-43. I thank my PhD supervisor Prof. Ülo Valk for his feedback and comments on my article. I also thank my informants for sharing their knowledge