The Life of Lord Krishna depicted in an Art form – The ‘Raas Leela’ Festival, Majuli Island, Assam, India! – Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve ~ Tour Packages & Safari Bookings

The State of Assam, in addition to being bestowed with wonders of Nature is also rich in culture and heritage. From being the home to the fierce ‘Ahom Dynasty of Kings’ who were the only ones to beat the Mughals at the fierce ‘Battle of Saraighat’, it is also the land of the famous ‘Muga’ (Golden) and the ‘Eri’ (Ahimsa) silk. These silk are indigenous to Assam and the originals cannot be found anywhere in the world as the silk wormed survive only in the conditions of Assam. In addition, the world’s largest inhabited river island ‘Majuli’ and the world smallest inhabited river island ‘Umananda’ have made Assam their home.

The island of ‘Majuli’, has a very rich heritage and has been the abode of Assamese ‘Vaishnavite’ culture with tremendous option for spiritual and Eco tourism. This island has been the cultural capital and cradle of Assamese civilization for the past five hundred years. The ‘Satras’ of Majuli preserve antiques like weapons, utensils, jewelry and other items of cultural significance. Pottery made in Majuli is from beaten clay and burnt in driftwood fired kilns in the same mode carried out by the people of the ancient Harappan cilvilization. The hand loom work of the tribal people of Majuli mostly the ‘Mishings’ are renowned internationally. Although hand loom is a major occupation of the people of Majuli it is mostly a non-commercial occupation. Weaving is exquisite and intricate with the use of a variety of colors and textures of cotton and silk, especially the ‘Muga’ Silk. Fishing, dairying, pottery, boat making and mask making are the other important economic activities of this island.

The ‘Raas Leela’ is an annual festival being performed on the full moon day (Purnima) in the month of November (Kati- Aghun) during the autumn season. Although it is not known for certain in which ‘Satra’ Raas Leela was first introduced in Majuli as a performing festival but this festival draws a large number of people from across the ‘Satras’ of Majuli. The ‘Raas Leela’ is the story of the life of Lord Krishna presented in the performing art form. Virtually everyone from this tinsel town participates in this festival like children acting in plays, teachers lending voice to the characters, business men and government employees reciting hymns and songs. The ‘Raas Leela’ at Majuli is like an all night long extravaganza with no ad breaks where everybody’s eyes are glued to the performances of the talented artists in the World’s largest inhabited river island.

Jungleideas welcomes you to the North East India and be a part of the ‘Raas Leela Festival’ – The Life of Lord Krishna depicted in an Art form at Majuli, the State of Assam, Incredible India!

Recommended Itinerary for your visit: Visit Kaziranga, Majuli & Sivasagar