Sankardev was born in 1449 at Ali-Pukhuri near Bardowa, in present-day Nagaon district of Assam, into the Shiromani Bhuyan family of local chiefs. Orphaned young, he was raised by his grandmother and studied at the school of Mahendra Kandali, where he wrote his first poem as a boy.
He taught that one should take refuge in one God alone — Krishna — and that singing and hearing his name is the highest worship.The heart of Ekasarana Dharma
After the death of his first wife he set out on a long pilgrimage across India, visiting Puri, Mathura, Vrindavan and other holy places, where he met devotees of the Bhakti movement. He returned to Assam with a new vision of devotion.
Ekasarana Dharma
Sankardev preached Ekasarana Nama Dharma — "the religion of shelter in the one Name". Devotion to Krishna as Vishnu alone, expressed through nama-kirtan and hearing his stories, replaced animal sacrifice and elaborate ritual. He welcomed people of every caste and tribe, including Garos, Nagas, Mishings and Muslims, into his fold.
Namghars and satras
He created two institutions that still shape Assamese life: the namghar, a village prayer hall that is also a meeting place, and the satra, a monastery that preserves music, dance, drama and learning. The satras of Majuli island are the most famous.
Poet, dramatist, composer
Sankardev rendered much of the Bhagavata Purana into Assamese; his Kirtan Ghosha is read in every Assamese home. He wrote one-act plays, Ankiya Naat, performed as Bhaona — the first of them, he is said to have staged with painted scenery; composed devotional songs, Borgeet; and created the dance that became Sattriya, recognised as an Indian classical dance in 2000. Facing hostility in the Ahom kingdom, he moved to the Koch kingdom under King Naranarayana, where he died in 1568. His disciple Madhavdev carried on his work.
How they are remembered
The Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati celebrates his legacy, and his tithi is observed across Assam. Namghars stand in nearly every Assamese village, and Bhaona and Borgeet remain living arts.
Ekatmata Stotra · Stanza 17
Named in Stanza 17 of the Ekatmata Stotra — saints who gave their regional language a bhakti canon.
शङ्करदेव: सायण-माधवौ ज्ञानदेवस्तुकारामो।
रामदासश्च पुरन्दरदासश्च सम्भाव्या सदा हृदि॥
Sources: Wikipedia: Srimanta Sankardev · Wikipedia: Ekasarana Dharma. Written afresh for The Hindu Book; corrections welcome at [email protected].
