GLIMPSE OF ASSAM

Assam Assam is situated in the North-East of India and is the largest north eastern state. Assam is bounded by Bhutan and Arunachal in the north; Nagaland and Manipur in the east; Bangladesh , Meghalaya , Tripura and Mizoram in the south and India in the west. Assam has a geographical area of 78,529 square kilometers and total population of around 25 millions. It is famous for its, tea gardens, natural beauty, wild life reserves (specially one horned Asiatic Rhino), temples, monuments and mighty Brahmaputra River. Assam is a land of natural beauty, cultural richness. It offers a peculiar composite culture, of myriad hues. Dispur is the state capital and Guwahati is the largest city in the state. How to reach Assam Air: Guwahati is well connected by Air and railway to Delhi and Kolkata. Flight time between Guwahati –Delhi is approximately 2.5 hrs. For details and reservation check Indian railways and Indian Airlines website. Rail: Journey by train from Delhi may take anywhere from 24 –3

The Prayer Hall of Assam What Is A Namghar? Namghor literally means The House of Names. It is a simple structure where the Vaishnavite Hindus of Assam recite the name of God. Namghors were introduced in Assam by the Vaishnavite saint Sankara Deva (1449-1569). He was the first of the religious reformers of Assam in the Middle Ages. The General Organization of A Namghor Namghors, primarily have two major spaces, the Monikut (the sanctuary) and the assembly space. The direction of the principal axis of the Namghor is always in the East-West direction. The Xinhaaxon or the altar is placed at the East facing West. Devotees sit facing the Xinhaaxon towards East. The Monikut shelters the Xinhaaxon. The devotees pray in the assembly space of the Naamghor. The Namghor's architecture reflects its usage pattern, Assam's climatic conditions, and the indigenous building materials. There are Namghors in most Hindu villages in Assam. In some areas such as Nagaon district, there is at least on

Sankara Deva was born in the village of Borduwa in Central Assam. His father was a chieftain or baaro bhuiya. By the time Sankara Deva was born, the bhuiyas had lost their semi-royal power to the rising Ahom power and had become a part of the land holding class.Early in his life, Sankara was puzzled by the inconsistencies of the Sakta religion which was pervalent in Assam at that time. Saktas are worshippers of the Hindu God Siva and the Goddess Shakti or Durga. Sakta priests were considered to be physically and spiritually tyrannical by the common man. Sanakara Deva spent a large part of his life traveling in Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and other parts of current-day Eastern and Northern India. When he returned to Assam after his first long trip extending over twelve years, he started a religious movement based on the Bhagavad Gita. Sankara Deva made the Gita his scripture and Krishna, the heroic incarnation of Vishnu, his God. This Bhagavad or Ekxoroniyaa (Only One God) religion, espoused

United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) Started: 1979 Cadre strength: 2,500 Objective: Independent Assam Leadership: Paresh Baruah, commander-in-chief (armed wing); Arabinda Rajkhowa, chairman (political wing) Area of operation: Entire Assam, very strong in Tinsukhia, Dibrugarh, Nalbari, Nagaon and Kamrup districts National Democratic Front of Bodoland Started: 1986 Cadre strength: 3,500 Objective: Independent Bodoland in areas north of the Brahmaputra Leadership: Ranjan Daimary, president Area of operation: Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Darrang, Sonitpur, Kamrup and Nalbari districts of Assam Manipur United Nationalist Liberation Front Started: 1964, armed wing set up in 1990 Cadre strength: 1,500 Objective: Independent, socialist Manipur Leadership: R.K. Meghen, chairman Area of operation: Imphal valley and areas on the Myanmar-Manipur border People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Started: 1978 Cadre strength: