Barpeta Sattriya Dance Bodo Endi Silk Weaving Assam

Barpeta district on the Manas river is one of the major Vaishnavite sattra (monastery) centres of Assam — the Barpeta Satra is among the most important, founded by Madhabdeva (Sankaradeva's chief disciple) — where Sattriya dance, the Oja-pali ballad tradition, and Assamese padavali kirtan music are preserved and performed. The district's Bodo tribal community weaves endi (Eri) silk — produced from Eri silkworm (Samia cynthia ricini) reared on castor leaves — a distinctive creamy-white coarse silk fabric woven into warm shawls, Bodo women's traditional dokhona garment, and prayer cloths. Barpeta's Manas National Park (UNESCO World Heritage) on the Bhutan border protects the last viable population of the golden langur, Gangetic river dolphin, and wild buffalo (gaur) in the Manas floodplain.