DHUBRI, Aug 9 - The naamghar and manikut of the historic Ramrai Kuti Satra, which was demolished so as to be reconstructed, remains in a ramshackle state since March.
Under the project �Preservation and Development of Sri Sri Ramrai Kuti Satra�, at Satrasal an amount of Rs 1.36 crore was allotted by the State government for the renovation of this most sacred site of the Vaishnavites, where the historic marriage of Bir Chilarai with the daughter of Srimanta Sankaradeva�s cousin brother Ramrai, Bhubaneswari Devi was consecrated in the 16th century. After the marriage, Sankaradeva established the Satra to promote and propagate Satriya culture in the area with the help of the Koch king Naranarayan, who was Chilarai�s elder brother.
However, under this project while the �rath ghar�, �bharal ghar� where the famous Akshay Banti is established currently, the �bhakatar baha�, �baatchora� and a mini museum has already been constructed, the most complicated task was the reconstruction and preservation of the naamghar and manikut. �The reconstruction work of this place of worship, which remained standing in the same place since the time of Sankaradeva, started in the month of March. The contractor had stripped off all the old construction of the historic naamghar and since then it has remained as it is�, said the satradhikar of the Satra, Jitendranath Prodhani.
Prodhani explains that this naamghar is a historic structure, which was built by the Vaishnavite saint and was maintained by many historic figures across generations including the family of Koch King Naranarayan and the family of the Gauripur Zamindary Estate.
However, due to the lockdown the reconstruction work of the naamghar has remained suspended till the filing of this report, harming the original structure and the Manikut. �If the State can restart the construction activities of different ongoing projects, then why is this religious institution, of such historical and cultural value ignored�, said the Satradhikar. He also added that the construction work of this historic building needs to resume immediately.
�If it remains exposed for a few more days, it will cost an irreparable loss to the religious structure�, said Prodhani, who informed them that they are currently undertaking their religious activities from a temporary arrangement.
