A satra in Majuli. A file picture

Guwahati, Aug. 17: Majuli as a whole cannot be considered a World Heritage Site but only a selection of satras could be examined for the prestigious tag, an international non-government organisation dedicated to conservation of the world’s historical monuments has said in its report to the World Heritage Committee.

The International Council On Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) said the “outstanding universal value” for which the river island was nominated for the tag by the Centre has not been “demonstrated”.

The evaluation report of ICOMOS which was discussed in the recently concluded 32nd meeting of World Heritage Committee at Quebec and has now been made public said the Vaishnavite movement influenced the religious landscape of Majuli, but not the entire cultural landscape as a whole.

“The satras of Majuli can be seen as exceptional testimony to the Vaishnav cultural tradition that brought disparate peoples together through cultural practices. However, as the influence does not manifest itself across the cultural landscape of Majuli, ICOMOS does not consider that this criterion can be applied to the whole island, but might apply to the satras as a group or to a selection of the satras,” the report said.

The organisation had recommended to the World Heritage Committee that the examination of the river island of Majuli be deferred in order to allow the government to assemble a complete inventory of the 31 surviving satras.

“An ICOMOS evaluation mission will soon visit the property to consider the extent and scope of the satras,” Assam cultural affairs minister Gautam Bora said.

The Centre had nominated Majuli as a property of “outstanding universal value” because of its unique spiritual and cultural landscape and for being the birthplace of the institution of satras.

Majuli, an island in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra, has been the cultural centre of Assam for the past 500 years and is regarded as the cradle of Assamese civilisation.

In the 16th century, Majuli became the heart of a school of Vaishnavite worship, founded by Srimanta Sankardev.

“The additional information provided suggests that the satras infused the rural society of the island with the thinking and practices of the Vaishnav movement but that it did not impact on the physical layout of the island outside the satras,” it said.

The report said outside the 31 satras, the 243 villages and their farmland have developed separately.

“There is no evidence put forward to suggest that the patterns of whole Majuli landscape reflect Vaishnavite principles nor can it be considered as a ‘sacred’ landscape.

“There is nothing put forward in the dossier to suggest a link between the village lands and the satras, beyond shared religious principles and practice,” it said.

Since the primary threat to this property is floods and erosion, the World Heritage Committee has also asked the Centre to undertake an appraisal of the river basin and the potential impact of upstream development, deforestation and dams to be considered as a world heritage site.