About Narayanpur

Narayanpur is a small holy town situated on the northern part of the River Brahmaputra in Lakhimpur district, Assam. It is also the name of the development block and is bordered by Bihpuria on the east, Bandardewa in the north and Gohpur to the west. It is located around 54 kms west of the district headquarters North Lakhimpur.

History of Narayanpur

There are different historical views linked to the name of Narayanpur. Narayanpur was earlier known as Bor-Narayanpur. It is a historical place since the Ahom kingdom and was extended to the Kolabari region of Sonitpur district.

One of the views suggests that it is named after the Koch King Naranarayan who once ruled this place and used it as a garrison. The Koch King Naranarayan built a highway from his capital Kochbehar to Narayanpur.

According to J.P Wade ‘Narayanpur is 30 miles in length and 15 miles in breadth. This district is situated on the bank of Pichala River and Kolabari of Zokai Chowk’.

The monuments, ancient temples, Satras in Narayanpur prove the existence of a cultured civil society in earlier times. Narayanpur also has a name in Indian Independence Movement with freedom fighters Thaneswar Gogoi, Lilaram Bhuyan, Madan Chandra Bhuyan taking active participation in the movement against British under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.

Demography of Narayanpur

Narayanpur has a population of around 7000. The population mainly consists of various castes, communities and ethnic groups like the Mishing, Deoris, Khamtis, Bodos, Karbis, Ahoms, Chutias, Motoks, Ex-Tea Garden community, Nepalis and other Sc communities.

Economy of Narayanpur

The primary occupation of the people of Narayanpur is agriculture. Apart from that, a certain population is engaged in handicraft making. Agricultural products like rice, lentil, potato, onion, garlic, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage etc among vegetables and fruits like banana, berries, mangoes, coconuts are grown by the people.  Fisheries are also an important occupation among the people. Narayanpur also has a Muga silk loom, though it is not quite in a good condition.

Tourism in Narayanpur

Narayanpur is the birthplace of Shri Madhabdeva and many other Vaishnavite gurus like Haridev, Anirudhadev, Badala Padma Atta etc. As such, this places has a number of Satras preaching Vaishnavite culture and sociocultural values. Places like Belaguri Satra, Badala Satra, Phuloni Than, Bishnubalikuchi, Dahgharia Satra, Budha Bapuchang, Maghnowa Dol, Gohain Kamal Ali, Radha Pukhuri, Rangati Pukhuri, Pichala Nadi are tourist places of great historical significance.

Leteka Pukhuri:

This is the birthplace of Vaishnav saint Madhabdev situated around 15 kms away from Narayanpur. The place has two Thaans with collections of ancient writings, manuscripts, and cultural items of that time.

Maghnowa Dol:

This Dol is located in Phulbari village and is also known as Phulbari Dol. It is situated in the east side of Pichala River on the banks of Maghnowa Beel. The main Dol stands at a height of 75 feet and there is a Bulani Ghar inside where idols are kept. However, due to the negligence of the people and the Government, the idols were stolen. The place is now underway for repairing work by the Archeological Department.  It is said that Maghnowa Dol was a major place for Kali Puja and in ancient times many Ahom rules visited the place.

Khamti Village and Bapuchang:

Khamti village consists of the Khamti people which are left few in number. These people are Buddhist by religion and have a rich cultural heritage. Bapuchang is the religious temple of the Khamtis and has idols of Buddha inside it. The architecture of the temple resembles the Buddhist temples of Myanmar.

Deotala:

During the Maan invasion, the ancient idol of Maghnowa Dol was hidden in a pond which was later recovered from the Gavoru Beel of Kherajkhat. As it was later established at Bor-Kalaika Thaan, this place came to be known as Deotala (Deo means God and Tola is to lift). This place is situated around 8 kms from Narayanpur.

Petua-Gosani Than:

It is situated around 7 kms away from Narayanpur in Dholpur. This was initially the place for worship of Goddess Kali. It is located near Dholpur at Ganakdalani. The Goddess of this place is known as Kesaikhaiti. Durga Puja is held here every year.  In earlier times the Daphala people from Arunachal Pradesh came here for pilgrimage.

Belaguri Satra:

This Satra was initially established in Majuli Island where the Vaishnav Saint Mahapurush Shrimanta Sankardev and his favorite disciple Madhabdev met. However, it was later transferred to Narayanpur and established in Jorabari revenue village in 1947 A.D by Badala Padma Atta. The Satra has a collected of ancient manuscripts.

Phulani Thaan:

This Thaan is situated in Narayanpur center. It was established by Badala Atta and is an important religious place.

Bishnu Balikunchi Satra:

It is situated in Dakua village. Sri Anirudhadev who was the disciple of Kal Sanghati Guru Bhabanipuria Atta, was born in Dakua village in 1553 A.D. He established this Satra with the help of Bhabanipuria Atta in 1602 A.D. He turned the Morak and Motok people in Vaishnavism and took his last breath in this Satra.

Radha Pukhuri:

This tank is situated Sawkuchi village near Narayanpur. It was constructed by King Lakhminarayan in between 1400-1500 A.D in the name of his wife ‘Radha’. This tank at present is used for fish breeding and cultivation by the fisheries department of the Assam government.

Bhatoukuchi Thaan:

It is located in Kathani village near Dholpur. It was established by Keshabsaran Bhatoukuchia Atta.

Akadohia Pukhuri:

This pond is situated in Kachua village near Dholpur. The name became famous as a Brahmin guru named Akadoshi lived near this pond.

Ahotguri Satra:

This Satra was established by Sri Ram Ata in Borbali Samua gaon. The Satra has a collection of other manuscripts by Sri Ram Ata and Sankardev Thakur Ata, though the ancient manuscript was damaged during the 1987 flood.

Dahgharia Satra:

This Satra was established by Haridhan Dev. It is situated near Madhabdev College.
Pichala River: A holy river situated in Narayanpur. The battle between Ahom King Garganya Roja and Koch King Naranarayan was fought on the banks of this river. This river is also mentioned in the Kalikapurana as ‘Gautamashya Mahaphala’.

Gohain Kamal Ali:

The 380 mile long highway was built by the engineer brother of Koch King Naranarayan, Gohain Kamal in 1546 A.D. from Kochbehar to Narayanpur.  

Narayanpur also has other beautiful tourist places like the Govind Mandir of Nepali people, Sakrahi Thaan, Dahgaria Satra, Sailmara Satra, Dharamgarh Ashram, Homora Thaan, Deberapar Satra etc.

The Assam Government has announced the construction of Sri Madhabdev Kalakshetra at Badala Satra in Narayanpur and the foundation stone for the same has been laid down. This Kalakshetra will come to be one of the preservations of cultural antiques and an institution for Assamese culture and tradition.

How to reach Narayanpur

Narayanpur is well connected by roadways, rail and air.

• By Road: The NH 52 which runs through Narayanpur connects it to different places of Assam.
  

• By Rail: The nearest railway station is Tatibahar located around 5 kms away.

• By Air: The nearest airport is Lilabari Airport located around 60 kms away.