GAURIPUR, May 19 - The historic Ram Raikuti Satra established in the middle of the 15th century by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva and situated along the Indo-Bangladesh border at Satrasal in Dhubri sector at the venue of the marriage ceremony of Koch general Bir Chilarai with Ai Bhubaneswari, the daughter of Ram Rai is facing many problems and suffering due to the utter neglect and apathy of the State government.
It is very painful that the annual grant-in-aid of Rs 4395.00 accorded way back in 1957 has not been increased in spite of repeated appeals by the satradhikar and the bhakats of the satra and surprisingly, the payment is not even regular.
During the period of the early stages of the satra, Bulchand Barua, the zamindar of the Gaurippur Royal Estate donated 1429 bighas of land to the satra. At the time of the partition of the country in 1947, most of the surrounding villages of the area were included in the map of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In 1957, the Government of India abolished the zamindary system and acquired the land measuring 1429 bighas but only 30 bighas of land were allotted to the satra and the rest of the land remained as �khas� land of which a huge area has been under illegal occupation.
Presently, the satra is plagued with innumerable problems. The surrounding walls of the satra need urgent repair. The renovation of the naamghar is yet to be undertaken, though necessary funds have been sanctioned. The tourists visiting the satra find it difficult to stay as there is not a single guest house for their accommodation. After visiting the satra, they have to return back to Dhubri nearly 50 km away.
There is no proper drainage system to let out the stagnant water inside the entire satra. Solar lights are in use, but presently they are non-functional. Erratic power supply cause hardships to the inmates.
The rath yatra of Lord Krishna is one of the biggest festivals of the satra when lakhs of devotees assemble there. The brass metal chariot donated by the Koch general Bir Chilarai is used to carry the idols of Lord Krishna and Balabhadra at the time of the Rath yatra but the valuable and antique chariot is gradually getting damaged and therefore satradhikar Jitendranath Prodhani has urged the government to provide a well-built wooden chariot for the purpose and preserve the brass chariot for its archaeological value.
Moreover, the road connecting the satra at Satrasal to NH 31 is not wide. The 10-km stretch from Agomani to Satrasal needs to be widened and a direct ASTC bus service to Satrasal via Gauripur is the need of the hour. People find it difficult to visit Madhupur Satra situated on the outskirts of Cooch Behar town in West Bengal and therefore, the people, especially, the followers of Srimanta Sankaradeva have demanded that a cultural centre be established at Satrasal with all the necessary amenities.