Imaginary portrait of Srimanta Sankardev by Bishnu Prasad Rabha.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Nagaon: A 47-year-old Israeli national has embraced the Vaishnav faith founded by Assam's greatest socio-cultural-religious reformer Srimanta Sankardeva and was formally initiated at a 'sattra', a seat of Vaishnavite learning, in Kaliabor.
A professor in Thailand's International Buddhist College, Edgar Faingor, took the initiation, the first of its kind by a foreign national, to Vaishnavite 'Ek Charan Naam Dharma' at Balisatra, noted Sankardeva scholar Dr Sanjib Borkakoti said.
The initiation ceremony was carried out by the Satradhikar of Baghargaon Satra Hiru Prasad Mahanta and Faingor was renamed as Krishna Charan Bhakat on Tuesday, he said.
It is claimed that Faingor had explored many countries, studied almost all religions and later converted to Buddhism.
Born in Moscow, the person came into contact with Borkakoti and studied all his English writings on Sankardeva.