Vaishnava

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B.N. Goswamy
Vrindavan Vastra is a 400-year-old traditional textile from Assam, woven with the theme of Krishna’s various exploits. Prof. B.N. Goswamy traces the travels a particular piece from Assam to Tibet to London; from a Vaishnava setting to a Buddhist monastery; from being a hanging filled with ‘monsters…
in Article
Deeti Ray
Thousands of devotees flock to Puri every year to attend the Jagannath Rath Yatra. The centuries-old chariot procession is not only a religious ritual but also a showcase of how the Jagannath consciousness has long enriched the cultural heritage of Odisha. We look at how the Gotipua dance…
in Article
Amiya P. Sen
Chaitanya, the 15th-century saint, is known for his role in spreading Vaishnavism in Bengal. Often hailed as a socioreligious reformer, we look at modern research that has shown that while there is no denying Chaitanya’s extraordinary contribution to Vaishnavism, there are reasons to reassess his…
in Article
Akhyai Jyoti Mahanta
in Image Gallery
Akhyai Jyoti Mahanta
In this interview, he elaborates on the history and glory of Assam’s mask culture, its use and evolution, the significance of masks at Majuli’s Raas festival, and people’s attitude towards masks and mask making.  
in Video
Akhyai Jyoti Mahanta
Assam has a long tradition of mask making. Although bamboo is usually the raw material of choice, wooden masks have been used for centuries by communities in lower Assam and are still common in khuliya bhaona[1] of Darrang district and bhari gan[2] of the Rabha community. (Fig. 1) Masks are…
in Overview
Akhyai Jyoti Mahanta
The five-hundred-year-old mask-making tradition of Assam is a unique specimen of the region’s culture and heritage. Srimanta Sankardeva, the great socioreligious reformer of medieval Assam, was the pioneer behind the emergence and growth of this craft in the fifteenth century. The mask tradition…
in Module
Abismrita Chakravarty
Jogen Dutta Bayan was initiated into monkhood at the Uttar Kamalabari Sattra but chose to exit the sattra at the age of 39. He emerged as a renowned artist and guru of Sattriya Nrittya and other art forms of the neo-Vaishnavite tradition in Assam. This interview provides a glimpse of his lived…
in Interview
Abismrita Chakravarty
Sattras are monastic institutions of the neo-Vaishnavite tradition that are unique because of their practise of a form of Bhakti that employs dance, music and theatre for the dissemination of religious ideas. Although much has been written about the history of sattras and the art forms that…
in Article
Abismrita Chakravarty
Sattras are monastic institutions of the neo-Vaishnavite tradition that serve as socio-religious and cultural centres in Assam. An integral part of Assamese life and culture, sattras are repositories of the ancient religious philosophy and artistic expressions attached to it. The neo-Vaishnavite…
in Overview