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GLOSSARY

Numerous vernacular terms related to the Sattra discipline are used throughout the

present work and are given italicized form with diacritical marks as and when

necessary. A list of such vernacular terms with possible English meanings is given

below:

Vernacular terms: English meaning

Adhikāra / Sattradhikāra The Sattra chief, pontiff.

Agni God of fire.

Aguru Sandalwood tree; a fragrantwood from which perfume isextracted and the barks are usedfor preparing manuscripts.

Ahom The people belonging to theMongoloid Tai tribe, who ruledAssam for about sixcenturies.

Āiati-nām Prayer sung by the femaledevotees.

Āldhorā Personal assistant / attendant ofthe Sattradhikāra who looks overthe personal works of the head.

Ankiya-nāt A form of drama based on theVaisnavite faith introduced byŚa karadeva and his apostles.ṅ

Bānbāti A traditional Assamese bowl witha stand.

Bar-deurī A senior official in the Sattrahierarchy.

Bar-dobā A large kettle drum.

Bargit Devotional song attuned toclassical rāgas, speciallycomposed by Śa karadeva andṅMādhavadeva.

Barphukan An administrative officer duringthe Ahom rule working as aregent in lower or western Assam.

Bātcarā The gate way or entrance of aSattra.

Beel A small lake.

Bhāgavata Purān ṣa A sacred scripture on which theVaisnava faith is founded.

Bhāgavata-pāth Recitation from the Bhāgavata.

Bhakat A disciple residing in a Sattra andserving the institution.

Bhāonā A dramatic performance of theankiya-nāt.

Bharali A store-keeper. He takes care ofall the properties of the Sattra.

Bhatimā Eulogistic religious poem.

Bhojana-vihara A dramatic composition byMādhavadeva.

Bhortāl A large pair of cymbals made ofbrass.

Bighā Traditional unit of measurementof an area of land. In Assam abighā is measured as 14400 sq.ft(1337.8 sq.m) which is usuallyless than an acre (0.4 hectare).

Bisani A hand-made fan usually made ofbamboo.

Bo sibādanṅ Image of Lord Krisna with a flutein His hands.

Cadar A wrapper for the upper portionof the body worn by both manand woman.

Cāri-hati Four clusters of hutments for accommodation of the disciples ina Sattra.

Cāri-prasanga The four divine prayer servicesheld in the morning, noon,afternoon and night.

Chariali Cross roads.

Curia A long piece of cloth worn bymen as a lower garment.

Deka-adhikāra An heir apparent to the pontificalseat of a Sattra.

Deurī / Bilania Responsible for arranging anddistributing the offerings to thedevotees. The heads are called thebar-deurī and his assistants arecalled pāli-deurī.

Deva God.

Dihing A large tributary of theBrahmaputra in Upper Assam.Also known as Burhi Dihing.

Dobā A large musical instrument madeof brass or wood layered on topwith leather. It is generally kept inthe nāmghars and is beaten on oneend with two sticks during aninvocation.

Dolā / Khatula A litter, palanquin or sedan withonly an oval shaped hollow boat-like seat with a curved or straightridge-pole carried by two or fourpersons on shoulder.

Doul Mandir A shrine where images of Krisna,Balaram and Subhadra areworshipped during thePhālgutsava.

Ek Saran Bhagawati Samaj A parallel socio-cultural andreligious organization establishedin the year 1973 by a devoutvotary of Śa karadeva, AcharyaṅIllaram Das. In the consequentyears it became the meetingground of people from allcommunities.

Eri-cadar A warm fabric made from thecocoons of a kind of maggotknown as endi.

Gāmocha A hand-woven traditionalAssamese towel with colourfulmotifs.

Garuda A large mythical bird or bird-likecreature that appears in bothHindu and Buddhist mythology/ amythical half-vulture half humanfigure (also the charger of Vis ṣn ṣu).

Gayan-bayan A unit for the orchestralpresentation with drums andcymbals in the prayer services aswell as the dramatic performance.The group consists of singers,gayan and drummers known asbayan.

Ghontā A kind of bell usually made ofmetal.

Gopi Maidens of Vrindavana / femaledevotees.

Got A unit of three or four devotees.

Grām-sabha Village panchayat.

Gunamala A poetical composition byŚa karadeva summarizing withṅthe playful acts of child Krisnanarrated in uncommon rhythmicmetre.

Guru A spiritual guide / preceptor.

Guru-āsana Holy pedestal or thronerepresentating the sanctum.

Guru-kar / bara ganiṅ Tithe; religious tax or contribution/ tax payable to a Sattra.

Guru-padaśila / paduka Foot impressions on stonespreserved and paid homage withofferings. It forms as relics of thesaints or other apostles of thefaith. Normally the places wherethese foot impressions arepreserved are known as thān.

Hāt Periodical market.

Hikata māh A kind of wild black gram thatdoes not soften on boiling.

Hirā-nām A particular form of communityprayer of chanting the name ofGod by the clapping of hands andcymbals.

Holi-geet Songs sung during the springfestival of colour.

Kachari Ethnic group predominantly inAssam speaking Tibeto-Burmanlanguages or claiming a commonancestry.

Kaivartas A distinct community recognizedas Scheduled Caste by theGovernment of India which wereoriginally fishermen by vocation.However, nowadays thecommunity has taken all otherprofessions like others forlivelihood.

Kapili A river in the Nagaon district.

Karbi A tribal community living both inhills of Karbi Anglong and someareas of Nagaon district.

Katha-Carit Narratives in prose depicting thelives of the saints.

Kharahi A basket woven with small andsmooth strips of bamboo.

Khol A type of drum being the mostimportant musical instrument inSattriya culture.

Khol-prasanga Prayer-service with playing ofKhol.

Kirtana Congregational chanting.

Kirtan-ghar A prayer-hall being the mostimportant center of all activitiesrelating to Assam Vaisnavism.

Kolong A tributary of the Brahmaputrariver with an approximate lengthof 250 kms. flowing through theheart of the Nagaon urban area.

Koth / Pati A kind of mat used in nāmghars.

Krisna Divinity, being the pursuable Godin Assam Vaisnavism.

Laru A ball of confection made ofpounded rice, sesame, jaggery,coconut, sugar etc.

Madrassa Islamic school.

Mahapurus ṣa Extra-ordinary human beingascribed to Śa karadeva.ṅ

Mahapurusiya The school of Assam Vaisnavismpropounded by Śa karadeva.ṅ

Mahkuma A sub-division of a district.

Māh-prasada Sacred offerings consisting ofpulses, uncooked rice and fruits.

Man ṣikūta A shrine being the sanctumsanctorum of Kirtan-ghar where

sacred scripture is installed andvenerated.

Medhi One who co-ordinates therelationship between the Sattraand the laity.

Mekhela A skirt-like garment covering theportion from waist to feet (wornby a traditional Assamesewoman).

Mouza A revenue village in a district orwithin a large town. In Assam anumber of villages typically formsuch a revenue village.

Muktiār A senior official of the Sattra wholooks after the estates of a Sattraand also liases with the outsideworld including the state onbehalf of the Sattra.

Nagara-nām A form of community prayer withplaying of small size drums.

Naivedya Sacred offering in the kirtan-gharwhich include gram, moong(pulse), seasonal fruits, areca nuts,betel- leaf (pan) and otherpalatable items which are offereduncooked.

Nāma Name of the Divinity/ singing ofprayers.

Nāmghar Similar to a Kirtan-ghar.

Nāmghos ṣa A religious text written byMādhavadeva.

Nām-prasanga Congregational chanting.

Natuwā-nāc A distinct dance number withinthe repertoire of Sattriya traditionof dance.

Nirmāli-lowā-prathā A form of initiation.

Nispikherāj Land assessed at half the usualrate of revenue granted to thereligious institutions.

Ojā-pali A choral dance illustratingscriptural stories / a band ofchoral singers.

Orgha An utensil made of copper used inworshipping idols.

Pẵcati A festival celebrated on the fifthday of the birth anniversary ofLord Krisna, exclusivelyconducted by women in theSattras of Nagaon.

Pāik A person who rendered specificduties to the state or a Sattra,specially appointed by the Ahomkings, prevalent in medievalAssam.

Pathak One who recites the Bhāgavataand other related Vaisnava texts ina rhythm to attract the attention ofthe devotees.

Patta A legal document of permanentsettlement on land given by thegovernment.

Pithā A cake made of rice powder.

Pūjāri A priest. He mostly belongs to theBrahma Śa hati ṁ Sattras wherealong with the nām-prasangascertain Brahmanical rituals areperformed.

Pūrā A measure of land equal to fourbighas.

Rāsa A festival observed duringAutumn celebrating LordKrisna’s playfulness with theGopis in Vrindavan.

Sālagrāma- śila A black stone sacred to theVaisnavas as it symbolizes thepresence of Vis ṣn ṣu.

Sanchipotia-puthi A scripture or manuscript writtenin the bark of aguru tree.

Sankha The conch-shell.

Śarai A brass or wooden elevated tray.

Śaran ṣa-bhajana The initiation-ordinationceremony of a Vaisnava disciple.

Sastra A religious or sacred scripture.

Satra Griha / Guru Griha The abode of the preceptor.

Sattriya-nāc A tradition of dance evolvedduring the Śa karadevaṅMovement.

Seleng A shawl.

Simhasana A wooden or copper throneconsisting of one to seven tiers,supported by four to thirty-twolions adorning the shrines of theSattra often decorated and paintedwith designs. In many Sattrascopies of the sacred scriptures arekept in lieu of the image/ Theholy throne in the sanctumsanctorum of a nāmghar.

Sivaratri Worship of Lord Siva, one of theHindu trinities, held on theKrisna Caturdashi day before newmoon in the month of Chaitra(March-April).

Soria / Bar-soria An open vessel made of metalused as a wash basin or forkeeping things.

Swargadeo Ahom kings.

Tāl Cymbals; hollow musicalinstrument, a circular form like adish beaten together in pairs.

Thāl A kind of tray.

Thān A sacred shrine.

Thāpona An altar.

Tithi Anniversary of a great man’s dateof birth and death.

Tiwa A major plains tribe of Assam.

Tol A centre for teaching Sanskrit in atraditional method.

Tou A brass vessel used mainly forcooking.

Uthā-nām A type of chanting prayer instanding posture with frequentrhythmic movements to theclapping of hands and cymbals.

Vigraha An idol.

Vis ṣn ṣu A Vedic God venerated as theSupreme Being in Vaisnavism.