Majuli : The largest riverine island in the world

Majuli is an island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam and and holds Guinness World Record for being the world's larget river island. Majuli means 'the land between two parallel rivers' and, as a matter of fact, this island was formed by the confluence of Brahmaputra and its anabranches (a section of a river which diverts from the main stream and rejoins it downstream). The Brahmaputra and one of its major tributaries, the Dihing, once flowed parallel and close to each other. Apparently an extreme flood, which occurred around 1750, diverted part of the flow of the Brahmaputra through the channel of the Dihing about 190 km upstream of its confluence. When the two rivers joined, the intervening land area formed the Majuli Island. It is located at a distance of nearly 20 kms from the Jorhat - a historic and important township in Assam. It's huge at 352 km² and in 2016 it became the first island to be made a district in India. Ever since I came across the name of Majuli in school geography book, the river island used to fascinate me. My job in ONGC brought me to Sivasagar / Nazira near Jorhat and I started discussing with my friends about visiting Majuli. Those days it was not easily accessible, neither there were much facilities for tourists. So there was not much progress even in planning. Meanwhile I got married and Aditya, our son came to our life. Visiting Majuli took a back seat and in 2003 we left Assam on transfer to Ahmedabad. In 2018 we applied for transfer back to North East with first place of preference as Jorhat and got it. On 1st July, 2019 I joined at Jorhat. This time when I joined Jorhat, visiting Majuli was one of the topmost items in my to-do list. With a regular ferry service from Jorhat except during monsoon season, Majuli had become accessible. However, I had to wait till Sanjay joined there. Once Sanjay joined on first of January, 2020, we headed for Majuli within the fortnight! Initially we planned for a day trip as I wanted to take Toffee, our pet Golden Retriever to Majuli and was not sure whether any resort would accommodate him. But when a home stay recommended by a friend extended hospitality to Toffee we could plan for a weekend trip. So, on 11 th January of 2020, a Saturday, early in the morning we reached Nimatighat to take a ferry ride to reach Majuli. There are big motorized boats which carry vehicles. Since it is the only way to transport vehicles from and to Majuli, there is always rush. We joined the queue and could get abroad the third boat of the day. While people were amused to see Toffee on board and kept peeping at him, Toffee was totally oblivious about his trip across the mighty Brahmaputra.

When we reached Kamalabari Ghat in Majuli, it looked so serene and beautiful with lush green paddy fields stretching to the horizon. When travelling around the island, it totally feels like another town in India and hard to believe that it is in the middle of the Brahmaputra river! The island and its surrounding wetlands teeming with a myriad of flora and fauna serve as vital habitats for various bird species, attracting ornithologists and nature enthusiasts from around the globe. The endangered Gangetic dolphin, India's national aquatic animal, also finds its refuge in the waters of the Brahmaputra surrounding Majuli. The inhabitants, mainly indigenous Assamese communities, lead a simple yet vibrant lifestyle and practices beautiful crafts such as weaving and pottery. Celebration of traditional festivals like Raas and Bihu showcase the island's rich cultural tapestry.

From the ghat it was just ten minutes ride to our homestay. Niribili Homestay was a very pretty place surrounded with plants and flowers with a pleasant host family consisting of Sri Indukolpa Bharali, his wife and two sweet kids. The whole family was enamored with Toffee, especially the kids. After settling down in our room, we sat down for a delicious home cooked lunch.

Post lunch leaving Toffee to rest in the room we went to explore Majuli starting with Satras - Vaishnavite monasteries. Sankardev was a 15th-16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer who introduced Neo- Vaishnavism in Assam. The institution of Satras is a unique feature of Vaishnavism in Assam. The first Satra was founded in Majuli. However, the satras are not just monasteries, but centres of traditional performing arts. The satras in Majuli celebrate the Raas Purnima on a big scale. There are dance and skit performances based on the life of Lord Krishna. There are two categories of Satras - some are the Grihasthi Satras which are liberal, allowing people to marry. The others are Udasin which is more of a conservative celibate monastic order.

We started with Samaguri Satra famous for its mask making activities. There we were explained the process of mask making and we were impressed to see the masks in display.

Afterwards we headed to Auniati Satra and on the way stopped at a Women self help group weaving centre to see the ladies busy with their looms.

In Auniati Satra we could witness the evening prayer session. It was delightful to see the young disciples participating in prayer with much gusto.

By that time it was totally dark and we went back to our temporary home where Toffee was waiting. The kids joined us in our room to play with Toffee till it was time for dinner which was again a homely delicious affair.

Next morning we went to ghat again to see sunrise with Toffee in tow. It was a foggy morning and everything looked misty and so beautiful. After watching the sun rise and a cup of tea in a stall in ghat, we just roamed around witnessing the place waking up and trying to capture the beauty of nature. We saw Garamur Satra from outside. Thus wondering around we reached Kherkutiya River which is border of Majuli in the north. Majuli is formed by the Brahmaputra river in the south and the Kherkutia Xuti, an anabranch of the Brahmaputra, joined by the Subansiri River in the north.

On the way back we had breakfast (tea and sweetmeat) in a restaurant chatting with locals. We came across a Sunday Market, called a haat, slowly starting to open up. Bought some fresh vegetables from the friendly vendors. Also visited a pretty resort by the riverside called "Deka Sang" which is quite popular. We planned to stay there initially but abandoned the plan as Toffee was not allowed to stay. The river looked absolutely blue and sparkling.

It was almost noon. Went back to our temporary abode and spent some time with the host family exploring the campus followed by another hearty meal. Then it was time to take leave with a plan to visit again. We left early to ensure we get a place in the boat for our car. The return trip takes longer as the boat moves against the current of the river. Sun was preparing to set and we had some beautiful scenes of small boats moving in the water coloured in golden hue.

Majuli boasts a unique blend of geographical wonder, pretty landscape, biodiversity, spirituality and cultural heritage which led to its inscription on UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage sites. And one should visit it at least once. October to March is considered the best time to visit Majuli Island. However, one should plan visit to Majuli Island based on what one wants to experience. During mid-November, Raas Leela festival is celebrated that lasts for three days. Another good time to soak in festivities is in April during Rongali Bihu - the harvesting festival. Monsson is the best time to see the greenery in all its glory. But it is not safe to visit Majuli during monoon as it gets flooded and even the ferry service is suspended.

Majuli Island can only be reached via a ferry from the mainland of Assam. The nearest big town on the mainland is Jorhat which is well connected with Guwahati by air, railway and road. Ferry services connect Majuli Island (Kamalabari Ghat and Afolamukh Ghat) and Jorhat town (Nimati Ghat). This Nimati Ghat ferry point is about 20 kilometers away from the main Jorhat town and can be reached via a public bus or a shared jeep. A bridge connecting Majuli to Jorhat is under construction and expected to be completed by April 2026.

However, Majuli faces a persistent threat - erosion. The same floods that nurture its fertile landmass also erode its banks, leading to the gradual shrinking of the island. In the last hundred years, Majuli island shrank by more than 60%, from over 1,000 km² to barely 352 km² and Majuli Island might just disappear in the future. To protect the island's cultural and natural heritage, the government and environmental organizations have initiated measures like building embankments, planting vegetation, and relocating vulnerable communities.

When I look back at our Majuli trip I feel so happy that we made that trip at the earliest. After two months all travels came to a halt due to outbreak of Covid. We could make another trip to Majuli - a day trip with our son in December, 2020. We could not make a long trip as I wished. In October,2022 we left Assam as both of us took early retirement from ONGC to pursue our passions which include travelling. I don't know whether we will again visit Majuli. But at least I could visit it once and have those wonderful memories.