GUWAHATI, Oct 5 – The Mayamara namghar, like namghars of other communities, is a meeting ground for people from different backgrounds, but its egalitarian nature is also reflected in its architecture and locational orientation.
The structure is designed with the idea that the namghar easily attracts people, is suitable for accommodating large congregations, and can easily hold bhaonas and other events for the faithful.
This was mentioned by the Yuvadhikar of Dinjoy Sattra, Mukundananda Chandra Goswami, while delivering a lecture at an interactive session on the namghar organised by the Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture (VKIC) here recently.
This was the eighth lecture in a series on the venerable religious and social institution of Assam.
He stated that the Mayamara namghar was the outcome of a long evolution, right from the time when Sri Sri Aniruddha Dev established a Sattra at Narayanpur in Lakhimpur district. The values and ideals he and his followers stood for are sustained by the present Mayamara namghar spread across several districts of Assam.
“The Mayamara belief system lays great stress on leading a way of life in which good conduct and fellow feeling are placed in high order. Through various vicissitudes, especially political persecution, these principles have enabled the Mayamara namghar to survive, prosper and contribute to the religious and social spheres of the society,” Goswami said.
The session was moderated by Dr BK Gohain, who emphasized that the Mayamara namghar could be understood in the historical context of Assam. Noted sociologist Prof Andre Beteille attended the lecture along with a number of scholars.
Prof Beteille formally released a VKIC publication on the Rabhas of Assam.
