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Art and Craft of Sattra Institute:                                                         
contd....

extended all around the pavillion to widen the shade. These form the verandah and devotees sit here. When the festivals are held on to facilitate and allow them to take part in the function inside, as the walls are usually, left with jails or perforated wood carvings of devotional imagery, which embellish and allow light and air at the same time. Here form and function are adeptly utilized. The door towards the tup is the main entrance, mukhduar -the ones at the side are the , petduar, Doors with carvings of lion motifs are called simhaduar and those with floral patterns -phuljalikataduar Sometimes brass doors with floral and figurative motifs are also used.

The areas in a namghar is systematically arranged for its numerous functions and also in reverence to the various deities that preside over the site space is determined by a host of ceremonial requirements -places for offering, place for the asana (wooden pedestal with the sacred scripture ), the large wood carvings of Garuda , Hanuman, Jaya-Vijaya are clearly chalked out. At festival time the area for performance of bhaonas are also marked out. Even the seat for the sattradhikara who sits against the laikhuta or main pillar of the hall, the deka-adhikara, the bhaktas, the musicians and lay devotees are all predetermined . The use of space is a formal one and highly ordered.

This orderliness was specially helpful since the large namghars were used not only as prayer halls, but also as a place for meetings, discussions, festivals etc. So there was enough space to accomodate thousands of disciples who folk there annually.

The most sacred space is the manikut, attached to the east of the namghar. It is the garbha-griha, sacred sanctum of the sattra , the actual shrine. Manikut literally means 'house of jewels', it is here that the image, other-sattra valuables , wood carvings, metal works, ancient manuscripts etc. are housed. It is a sacred area and beyond a certain limit lay devotees are not allowed in.

The manikut and namghar form one central complex around which are the large water tanks used either for sacred or utilitarian purpose. Each tank or pukhuri is alloted for a specific purpose such as caul-dhowa (rice washing), ga-dhowa(bathing) etc. These large tanks of water impart an atmosphere of serenity. The environment around has a number of flowering and fruit bearing trees, which provide ample shade. The height of the structures do not exceed those of the trees around, is imposing but all areas form a harmonious whole.

In such an ordered set up the resident monks move about performing their duties and practising, their duties, art and crafts. They work and live in the hatis. Here each bhakta is allotted his own space -boha, which are either large or small according to his status in the sattra hierarchy . Most of the huts are of equal size and they have common verandah joining the length from one end to other, except the ones on the eastern side which are much larger being the quarters of the sattradhikar's . The different sattra stores such as the dhanbharal, caul bharal etc. which house sattra property foodgrains etc. are generally situated close to the quarters.

The construction of hatis are simple and made for convenient living. The roof is the common slopping type of thatch and bamboo, roof a prototype of the Assamese village house. The plinth is raised as protection against dampness. Materials used are usually those locally found such as earth, chalk, bamboo, wood, ekora reed (for the walls) straw for roofing etc.

When a devotees enters the sattra premises through the batcora (entrance gate) , he is received by the bhakatis who make arrangements accordingly for the devotees to be guided inside. From the gateway only its ordered simplicity is visible but as they are led into the namghar the painted reliefs , wood carvings, rich textile banners that hang from the ceiling unfolds like an intricately woven tapestry and in such an atmosphere one looses the sense of time of the outside words, to get absorbed in the pace of its own rhythm that a sattra is able to generate, even today.