Bordowa Than

Hindu pilgrimage site in Assam

Bordowa Than
Batadrava Than

Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
District	Nagaon
Festivals	Doul jatra ,Sankardev Utsav, Janmashtami , Nandotsava, Phalgustsava, Ras Jatra, etc.
Location
Location	Batadrava
State	Assam
Country	India
Architecture
Creator	Sankardev
Date established	1468
Specifications
Site area	16 bigha
Temple(s)	4
Website
https://bordowathan.org/

Bordowa 'Batadrava' Than is a holy pilgrimage site in Nagaon, Assam. It is located in the birthplace of the great Assamese saint and social reformer Srimanta Sankardev. Sankardev at the age of 19, established the Bordowa Than in 1468, it is also the first Namghar or Than constructed. The rituals of this Than is conducted according to the norms of Purush sanghati. The pilgrimage site is located at Batadrava, about 16 km from Nagaon city and it covers an area of 16 bigha.^[1]^[2]

Establishment

Srimanta Sankardev constructed a spacious prayer house (Namghar) and chari hati (huts of devotees), where daily recitals of prayer and discussion could be held at the request of his brother Ram Raiya. From here Sankardev propagated the teachings of Ekasarana Dharma till the age of 67, after this due to disturbances created by the neighboring tribes and Kachari King, he abandoned this place. After his abandonment, this place became deserted and it was finally re-discovered by the granddaughter-in-law Kanaklata. ^[3]

Dispute

Bordowa Than has a long history of dispute over its claims of ownership and it was divided into two Satras namely Narowa and Salaguri. In the reign of Ahom King Kamaleswar Singha, its case of dispute reached the court and he sent his ministers Purnananda Burhagohain and Bhandari Borbarua to settle the disputes and in conclusion the Than was equally divided between both. But in 1958, it was reunified and both the former Satras were combined under the banner of 'Bordowa Than', and one big Namghar was created.^[4]

Structure

The Than covers an area of 16 bigha and is surrounded by a brick wall. It has two entrances (batchora).

Kirtan Ghar: The spacious prayer house or Kirtan ghar is situated in the middle of the than premise. It was originally built by Sankardev with impermanent materials and the present structure was built in 1958, measuring 180 ft. long and 85 ft. breadth.

Manikut: Manikut is attached to the Kirtan ghar and the sacred texts, scriptures, and manuscripts are kept there.

The other structures lying within the campus are: Natghar, Alohighar, Sabhaghar, Rabhaghar, Hatipukhuri, Aakashi Ganga, Doul mandir etc.^[5] There is also one mini museum, which displays various kinds of historical articles of the Than.^[6]

Management

Singhasan (*seven tired throne*) where the Bhagavata is placed

For the smooth functioning the Than's rituals and prayers, the Sattradhikar (head of the (Than) Satra) appoints a number of functionaries such as: (i) Bar Bhagavati, (ii) Bar pathak, (iii) Bar Namlogowa, (iv) Deuri, (v) Bar Bharali, (vi) Bar aldhara, (vii) Bar Gayana (viii) Bar Bayana, the chief instrumentalist (ix) Chaul Bharali, (x) Bar Sarvani, (xi) Oja.

List of Sattradhikar

The Sattradhikar is the head of the (Than) Satra. Following is the list of the Sattradhikars of the Narowa and Salaguri Satras.

Narowa Sattradhikar

Ram Deva
Bhadra Deva
Lakshmi Deva
Ram Deva
Bhagirati
Bangshi Deva
Puma Chandra Deva Goswami
Devananda Devagoswami

Salaguri Sattradhikar

Ram Carana
Krishnakanta
Bhadra Kanta
Yadu Kanta
Pumakanta
Nabakanta
Bhogeswar
Leeladhar
Dharma Chandra
Bhava Chandra
Arabinda
Sumeswar Deva
Paramananda Mahanta^[7]

Functions

The Than organizes various kinds of functions and festivals here such as: the tithis or the death anniversaries of the Vaisnava saints, Srimanta Sankardev and Mahapurush Madhavdev, Janmastami, Nandotsava, Phalgustsava, Ras Jatra ceremonies, etc. and performance of Sattriya culture.

Notes

^ "Bordowa satra | Birthplace of Srimanta Sankardev". www.assaminfo.com. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
^ "Bordowa Satra Nagaon Assam - Must Visit Tourist Attractions in Assam". www.tourmyindia.com. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
^ (Nath 2010:60–1)
^ (Nath 2010:65–66)
^ (Nath 2010:67–71)
^ Das, Mrinmoy (2016-06-02). "Museum of a sacred place: A case study of Bordowa mini museum". Abhijna e-Museum. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
^ (Nath 2010:66)

References

Shin, Jae-Eun (2017), "Transition of Satra from a Venue of Bhakti Movement to the Orthodox Brahmanical Institution", in Ota, Nobuhiro (ed.), Clustering and Connections in Pre-Modern South Asian Society, Tokyo: Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, pp. 237–257
Nath, Dambarudhar (2014), "Cult, ideology and conflict: The "MĀYĀMARĀ" Vaishnavism and social conflict in 18th century Assam", Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 75: 351–357, ISSN 2249-1937, JSTOR 44158402
Nath, Sunaram (2010), Traditional administrative institutions a study of bordowa Thaan and Barpeta Satra in Assam, Gauhati University{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)