The Patekibori satra: Awaiting renovation

May 27: Sattriya scholars may continue to debate if Srimanta Sankardev was born in Borduwa or Patekibori, but the government has decided to renovate both addresses before time wipes out the stony evidence of culture.

Close to nine months after declaring a renovation project for Borduwa, the government announced a Rs 1-crore plan for Patekibori Satra, popularly known as the temple that belonged to Sankardev’s family.

The plan includes a natghar, a kirtanghar, a dol mandir and a guesthouse for devotees to create an ambience similar to that of Borduwa where the 15th century saint-reformer was born and spent his childhood.

Culture minister Gautam Bora, while announcing the project, said work would begin soon after funds are sanctioned and the technical nitty-gritties are cleared.

“If everything goes well, the project will be finished within three years,” he said.

Besides development of the temple, the project includes construction of a boundary wall, development of a waterbody on the temple premises, a children’s park and electrification of the area.

Patekibori is just 6km from Bordowa which, most think, is the place where Sankardeva was born and brought up by his grandmother Khersuti.

Renowned Vaishnavite scholars like Maheswar Neog and Hari Narayan Dutta Borua, however, claim that Bordowa town was established only after the saint-reformer moved there.

Biman Hazarika, a senior lecturer of Dhing College, and a Sattriya scholar, said pieces of terracotta, stone sculptures, a big earthen well and remains of a decayed temple recovered recently during an excavation in Patekibori by the Archaeological Survey of India prove that Sankardev was probably born there.

“All these bear sufficient proof of the saint reformer’s birth and childhood in Patekibori, which was earlier known as Alipukhuri,” he said.

The temple in Patekibori, located in the midst of a densely-populated village, stands on a vast plot, part of which has already been eroded by the Brahmaputra. Residents migrated to safer places, turning Patekibori into a ghost village.

“For the last couple of years, the management committee is making do with one priest from neighbouring Leteri Sologuri and three bhaktas who hold prayer sessions, as there is nobody to look after the temple,” said Hazarika.

But the new government project hopes to change all that. “We traced out 52 bighas of the temple land had been eroded by the Brahmaputra and right now only 11 bighas of land are there. Our attempt is to protect it from further erosion and encroachment. The approach road had been completed by the PWD department and if the new project is completed, Patekibori will be as popular as the Borduwa,” Bora said.

But saving one satra will not do, scholars feel.

The southwestern part of Nagaon has as many as 12 such satras. “Rampur and Panbari satra became extinct long back. Leteri Sologuri and Kubaikota are running pitiably. We think the same steps should be taken to revive other institutions too,” Hazarika said.