|| IX. The Sankaradeva Movement ||

With the rise of the Sankaradeva Movement, the responsibility of imparting education came under its domain. The Satra institution voluntarily took upon itself the noble responsibility of enlightening the people through their own tols. All the important Satras used to maintain a regular band of scholars whose duty it was to impart education, especially in respect of ancient lore and scriptures.

Through the network of Satras and Nāmghars spread all over the country, knowledge permeated the masses of Assam. Illiteracy was no handicap to the acquisition of this knowledge as there were arrangements everywhere for reading aloud portions of the scriptures and explaining their purport to audiences of house-hold members and large congregations of villagers.

• Contents

  • The Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha
  • The Sankaradeva Movement : Its Educational Impact
  • The Sankaradeva Movement : Efflorescence of Great Literature
    • The Solar-System of Bhagavata Writers
    • Vaikunthanatha Bhattadeva : The Father of Assamese Prose
  • Personalities of the Sankaradeva Movement : Damodaradeva
  • Personalities of the Sankaradeva Movement : Gopaladeva

The Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha, established in 1930, is the largest socio-religious organization in Assam. Its roots may be traced to the early 20^th century when the great Sankaradeva Movement, afflicted with several ills, was in urgent need of reform.