Srimanta Sankardev[edit | edit source]
Srimanta Sankardev was a significant 15th–16th century religious reformer, saint, poet, playwright, musician, and one of the most influential figures in the cultural and religious history of Assam. Sankardev played a central role in the Bhakti movement in Assam and is remembered for shaping its spiritual and cultural traditions.
He is widely recognised as the founder of Ekasarana Dharma, a Vaishnavite devotional movement centred around exclusive devotion to Lord Krishna. Sankardev's influence extended far beyond religion, shaping Assamese literature, theatre, music, dance, and social institutions. His ideas promoted devotion, moral discipline and equality, while rejecting excessive ritualism and rigid caste distinctions.
Sankardev worked in a complex political landscape that included the Baro-Bhuyan confederacy, the Ahom kingdom and the Koch kingdom. Despite facing resistance from orthodox religious groups, his teachings spread widely due to their simplicity and emotional appeal. He used songs, plays, and public performances to spread religious ideas, which made it easier for regular people to learn about spirituality.
Sankardev is credited with preserving earlier cultural practices and creating new artistic forms. His cultural contributions include devotional music known as ‘Borgeet’, theatrical performances such as ‘Ankia Naat’ and ‘Bhaona’, the classical dance tradition of ‘Sattriya’, which later gained recognition as a classical Indian dance form, and the literary language called ‘Brajavali’. His institutions, such as the Namghar and Sattra, continue to play a central role in Assamese society. Today, Sankardev is honoured as a unifying figure whose spiritual and artistic legacy remains deeply rooted in Assam’s cultural identity.
Sankardev also produced a large body of literary work, including translations and adaptations of sacred texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, along with original poetry and theological writings. His works were composed in Sanskrit, Assamese and Brajavali.
Sankardev’s literary and artistic contributions remain living traditions in Assam today. The religion he preached continues to be followed by a large section of the population, and the Sattras established by him and his disciples continue to flourish, preserving and sustaining his lasting legacy. [1] [2]
Early Life and Bordowa[edit | edit source]
Srimanta Sankardev, originally named Sankaravara, was born in 1449 into the Shiromani Baro-Bhuyan family at Bordowa, also known as Alipukhuri or Tembuani, in the present-day Nagaon district of Assam. The Baro-Bhuyans were independent landlords in medieval Assam, and Sankardev belonged to the Kayastha community. His parents, Kusumvar Bhuyan and Satyasandhya Devi, were followers of Shakta religious practices. Both parents died when Sankardev was very young, and he was raised by his grandmother Khersuti, who played an important role in his upbringing.
At the age of twelve, Sankardev began attending the tol, or traditional school, of Mahendra Kandali. While studying there, he composed his first known poem, ‘Karatala-kamala’. During his years at the tol, Sankardev studied grammar and classical Indian scriptures. He also practised yoga during this period, although he later abandoned it. Contemporary accounts and legends describe him as physically strong, with stories claiming that he could swim across the Brahmaputra River when it was in full flood. It is widely believed that he composed his first literary work, Harishchandra Upakhyan, while still at the tol. During his time at the school, Mahendra Kandali changed his name from Sankaravara to Sankardev [1] [3]
Leadership as Shiromani Bhuyan, Pilgrimage and Renunciation of Authority[edit | edit source]
This phase of Srimanta Sankardev’s life marks his transition from a hereditary political leader to a devoted spiritual reformer. His responsibilities as a Shiromani Bhuyan, the personal loss he experienced, and his long pilgrimage across India together shaped his religious vision. These experiences ultimately led him to renounce worldly authority and dedicate his life to spiritual teaching and reform. [1]
Bhuyan Shiromaniship[edit | edit source]
After completing his education, Sankardev returned from the tol in his late teens, around 1465, to take up his duties as Shiromani Bhuyan, the chief of the Baro Bhuyan family. He soon demonstrated a strong command over religious texts and administrative responsibilities. Among his subjects and admirers, he came to be known as Dekagiri, a title reflecting respect for his leadership and learning. As Alipukhuri became increasingly crowded, Sankardev moved his household to Bordowa to manage his responsibilities more effectively. He married Suryavati in his early twenties during this period, and a daughter named Manu was born a few years later. However, his wife died approximately nine months after their daughter’s birth. This personal loss had a lasting emotional effect on Sankardev and deepened his inclination towards spiritual life.
First Pilgrimage[edit | edit source]
Following the marriage of his daughter to Hari, a member of the Bhuyan lineage, Sankardev set out on a long pilgrimage around 1481. Before departing, he entrusted the management of his household to his son-in-law Hari and transferred the Shiromani Bhuyan responsibilities to his grand uncles Jayanta and Madhav. At the age of thirty-two, he began a twelve-year journey across major Vaishnavite worship centres in India. He was accompanied by seventeen companions, including his close associate Ramaram and his former teacher Mahendra Kandali. Sankardev visited important pilgrimage sites, such as Puri, Mathura, Vrindavan, Dwaraka, Gaya, Rameswaram, Ayodhya, and Sitakunda. He spent several years at Jagannath Kshetra in Puri, where he studied, recited and explained the Brahma Purana to priests and lay followers. During this journey, he composed his earliest devotional songs, including his first Borgeet which is ‘mana meri ram charanahi lagu’ in Brajavali, which marked a turning point in his spiritual and artistic life.
Refusal of Shiromaniship[edit | edit source]
After returning home around 1493, Sankardev declined to reassume the position of Shiromani Bhuyan, choosing instead a life dedicated to spiritual teaching. Although persuaded by elders to oversee a limited number of households, he soon transferred this responsibility to his son-in-law. At the insistence of his grandmother, he married Kalindi at the age of fifty-four. Sankardev later returned to Bordowa, where he built a prayer house around 1498. This space became a centre for worship, discussion and religious instruction. During this period, he wrote important devotional works such as Bhakti Pradipa and Rukmini Harana. The recitation of the Bhagavata Purana by Jagadisa Mishra of Mithila deeply influenced him and played an important part in developing the principles of Ekasarana Dharma.
Cihna-Yatra[edit | edit source]
The Cihna-yatra is regarded as one of Sankardev’s earliest major cultural contributions. It was a large-scale religious and artistic presentation depicting scenes from the life of Lord Krishna, particularly his childhood exploits in Vrindavan. This event is considered a precursor to Assamese theatrical traditions and is often described as an early form of religious drama. (Wikipedia, Sankardev)
Cihna-yatra combined painted backdrops, symbolic representations, music and narration to convey spiritual stories to the public. It was designed to educate and inspire devotion rather than entertain in a purely secular sense. Through this medium, Sankardev demonstrated how visual art and performance could be used to communicate complex religious ideas to a largely non-literate audience.
The success of Cihna-yatra encouraged Sankardev to further develop theatrical forms such as Ankia Naat and Bhaona, which later became central to Assamese religious culture.[3]
Sankardev under Ahom Rule[edit | edit source]
After leaving Bordowa, Srimanta Sankardev and his followers entered a prolonged period of movement shaped by political instability and religious opposition. In the early sixteenth century, Biswa Singha, founder of the Koch kingdom, began weakening the power of the Bhuyans in the western Brahmaputra valley. At the same time, conflict arose between the Bhuyans of Bordowa and their Kachari neighbours. When violence broke out, Sankardev advised withdrawal instead of resistance, bringing an end to the independence of this group of Bhuyans. Around 1516 or 1517, Sankardev crossed the Brahmaputra with his followers and settled first at Singari and later at Routa. As Koch forces advanced, he moved again in 1527 to Gangmau in the Ahom kingdom.
Sankardev lived at Gangmau for about five years. During this time, his eldest son Ramananda was born, and Sankardev produced important literary works. He composed the Sankardev wrote the religious drama Patni Prasad while living in relative isolation at a place called Gajalasuti, where he withdrew due to dissatisfaction with family matters. Political unrest continued, especially when the Koch king attacked the Ahom kingdom. Despite defeating the Koch forces, the region remained unstable, leading Sankardev to relocate to Dhuwahat, near present-day Majuli. The Ahom authorities granted land there, appointing Sankardev’s son-in-law Hari as a Saikia and conferring the title of Ramarai on his cousin Jagatananda.
Dhuwahat became a major centre for Ekasarana Dharma. Here Sankardev met Madhavdev, a former Shakta who became his closest disciple after intense religious discussion. Madhavdev’s conversion strengthened the movement greatly. However, the growing popularity of Ekasarana alarmed orthodox Brahmins, leading to complaints against Sankardev. Although the Ahom king Suhungmung cleared him of all charges after a debate, hostility persisted.
Tensions worsened in the 1540s when an Ahom officer arrested Hari and Madhavdev during an elephant-capturing expedition. Hari was executed, and Madhavdev imprisoned. Taking advantage of Koch military advances, Sankardev and his followers fled the Ahom kingdom. Despite these hardships, Sankardev produced major works during this period, including sections of Kirtan Ghosha, the play Patni Prasad, several Borgeets, and narrative compositions centring on the life of Krishna that remain central to the Assamese devotional tradition. [1]
Sankardev in the Koch Kingdom[edit | edit source]
Srimanta Sankardev entered the Koch kingdom in the early 1540s, marking the most secure and productive phase of his life. After briefly settling at Kapalabari, where the alkaline water caused illness and death among his followers, including Madhavdev’s mother, Sankardev moved to Sunpora in 1541. There, he initiated Bhavananda, a wealthy trader whose support proved vital to the Ekasarana movement. Bhavananda, later known as Thakur Ata, became a devoted patron and helped sustain Sankardev and his disciples through agriculture and trade.
Sankardev later settled at Patbausi near Barpeta, where he built a Kirtanghar and expanded his religious mission. He initiated followers from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds, including Brahmins, Garos, Bhutias, Jaintias and Koches, reflecting the inclusive nature of his faith. During this period, he completed his rendering of the Bhagavata Purana, composed several devotional works, and wrote major Ankia Naat plays such as Rukmini Haran, Parijat Haran, Keli Gopal and Kali Daman. Although he had earlier composed many Borgeets, most were lost in a fire, after which he ceased composing them. Only a small number survive today.
In 1550, Sankardev undertook a second pilgrimage with a large group of disciples but returned within six months following concerns raised by his wife, Kalindi. Back in the Koch kingdom, opposition from orthodox groups led to complaints before King Nara Narayan, resulting in Sankardev being summoned to court. With the support of Chilarai, the king’s general, Sankardev defended his teachings successfully through debate and devotional music. He earned the king’s respect and was granted freedom to preach, enjoying royal patronage for the first time in his life.
Under this protection, Sankardev created the celebrated Vrindavani Vastra, a richly woven cloth depicting scenes from Krishna’s life, designed under his supervision and later gifted to the Koch rulers. Chandsai, a tailor of another faith serving the Koch king, became a disciple of Sankardev at Koch Behar. He spent his final years between the capital, Koch Behar, and Patbausi, eventually settling at Bheladonga.
The Koch kingdom period also saw the formal recognition of Sankardev’s chief disciple, Madhavdev, who later became the principal leader of the movement. Together, they ensured that Ekasarana Dharma developed a clear theological and institutional structure.
This phase represents the peak of Sankardev’s public influence, where his spiritual vision was fully integrated with artistic expression and social organisation under favourable political conditions. [1]
Contribution to Religion and Ekasarana Dharma[edit | edit source]
Srimanta Sankardev taught a form of devotion centred on Bhakti to Lord Krishna, expressed mainly through the singing of God’s name (kirtan) and listening to sacred narratives (sravan) describing Krishna’s deeds and divine activities. Ekasarana Dharma follows the dasya bhava, in which the devotee regards himself as a servant of God. Unlike many other Vaishnavite traditions, the worship of Radha alongside Krishna does not form part of Sankardev’s religious system.
Followers of this religious tradition are commonly known as Mahapurushia, Sarania or Sankari. Sankardev introduced a formal system of religious initiation known as Sarana, through which individuals were admitted into the Ekasarana community. This practice played a significant role in challenging the rigid social divisions of the time. Sankardev openly opposed caste discrimination and initiated people from all social backgrounds and religious communities. After initiation, followers were expected to observe the core principles of Ekasarana Dharma, which emphasised exclusive devotion to Krishna and rejection of elaborate ritual practices associated with Vedic religion.
Central to Ekasarana practice was nama-kirtana, the collective singing of God’s name, which fostered emotional devotion and community unity. Sankardev said that true devotion was more important than being pure in rituals or having a high social status.
Sankardev introduced Namghar, a community prayer hall that functioned as a religious, cultural, and social centre. The Namghar became a democratic space where people from different backgrounds could gather for worship and discussion.
Although Sankardev himself lived as a householder, marrying twice and raising children, his principal disciple Madhavdev adopted a life of celibacy. This model influenced later followers, and even today some adherents, known as kevaliya bhakats, live as celibate devotees within Vaishnavite monasteries called sattras.
Ekasarana Dharma continues to influence Assamese society, with millions of followers and hundreds of active Sattras and Namghars across the region. [1][2]
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Literary Works of Sankardev[edit | edit source]
Srimanta Sankardev produced a vast and influential body of literary, musical and artistic work that transformed Assamese culture. Although writers such as Madhav Kandali, Harihara Vipra and Hema Saraswati had earlier written in the language of the people, it was Sankardev who truly opened the floodgates of devotional literature and inspired a sustained literary movement that was carried forward by figures like Madhavdev. His language is clear and flowing, his poetry musical, and every work is infused with deep bhakti.
His greatest work is the Kirtana-ghosha, a collection of narrative devotional verses glorifying Krishna, composed for community singing. Even today it is found in many Assamese households. Written mainly in Assamese and Brajavali, it combines poetic beauty with religious instruction, appealing to both children and elders. Sankardev also rendered large portions of the Bhagavata Purana as a creative transcreation, adapting its spirit and idiom to local life while removing passages that demeaned lower castes.
His literary output includes poetic works such as Harishchandra-upakhyana, Rukmini-harana and Gunamala; philosophical texts like Bhakti-pradipa and Bhakti-ratnakara; devotional songs known as Borgeets; and one-act plays called Ankia Naat. He also pioneered Sattriya dance and visual art forms such as the Vrindavani Vastra. Together, these creations form the foundation of Assam’s enduring cultural and spiritual heritage
Works in the Baro-Bhuyan, Ahom and Koch Periods[edit | edit source]
Sankardev was a prolific writer whose literary output spanned different phases of his life. In the Baro-Bhuyan territories, he began composing devotional verses and early translations from Sanskrit texts.
During the Ahom period, he translated portions of the Bhagavata Purana and composed texts such as Gunamala, a concise summary of Vaishnavite philosophy. These works were written in Assamese and Brajavali, making them accessible to common people. (Wikipedia, Sankardev)
In the Koch kingdom, his literary production reached its height. He composed Kirtan Ghosha, a collection of devotional songs intended for congregational singing, and several Ankia Naat plays. His writing combined theology, poetry and performances, creating a unique devotional literature. [1][4]
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Later Life, Challenges and Death[edit | edit source]
In his later years, Sankardev continued teaching and composing despite advancing age. Although protected by Koch rulers, he still faced criticism from orthodox groups who opposed his reforms. Nevertheless, his influence continued to grow through the efforts of his disciples. (Wikipedia, Sankardev)
Sankardev spent his final years at Bheladonga, where he focused on guiding his followers and consolidating the movement’s institutions. He passed away in 1568, reportedly at the age of 118 or 119.
After his death, leadership passed to Madhavdev, who further systematised Ekasarana Dharma and expanded its reach. Sankardev’s teachings survived these transitions and remained central to Assamese religious life.
Legacy and Continuing Influence[edit | edit source]
Srimanta Sankardev’s legacy remains deeply embedded in Assamese culture. His religious philosophy, literary works, and artistic traditions continue to influence music, dance, and theatre in the region. Institutions such as Sattras and Namghars remain active centres of worship and community life.
He is remembered not only as a saint but also as a cultural architect who united spirituality with art and social reform. His life continues to inspire devotion, creativity and inclusivity in modern Assam.
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