Overview
Assam's island of monasteries
Majuli sits in the middle of the Brahmaputra, its shape and size shifting year to year as the river erodes one bank and deposits silt on another. It's the spiritual heart of Assamese Vaishnavism, home to satras — monastery complexes founded by the 15th-century saint Srimanta Sankardev — where monks still perform Sattriya dance and craft the huge painted masks used in traditional Bhaona theatre.
Beyond the satras, the island is a patchwork of paddy fields, Mising tribal villages on stilts, and potters at Salmora shaping clay by hand without a wheel, using a technique found in few other places on earth.
Best time to visit
October to March is best — the monsoon (June–September) floods large parts of the island and disrupts the ferry crossing. November's Raas Mahotsav festival, re-enacting scenes from Krishna's life, is one of the best times to see the satras in full ceremony.
Things to do
- Visit Kamalabari and Auniati satras to see monks rehearse Sattriya dance
- Watch mask-makers at work in Samaguri Satra
- Cycle between Mising villages built on bamboo stilts
- Watch hand-thrown pottery at Salmora village
- Catch sunset over the Brahmaputra from the island's western sandbanks
Getting there
Majuli is reached by ferry from Nimati Ghat, about 13 km from Jorhat town (roughly 1 hour by ferry). Jorhat is well connected by air and rail, and is about 5–6 hours by road from Guwahati.
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