The site, also dubbed as an important seat of Vaishnavism, will get the heritage tag soon, said Armoogum Parsuramen, Director and Unesco Representative to India, Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, here.
“Over 50 places have been recommended from India to be announced as heritage sites, Majuli will get the status soon,” he said. Majuli is located about 250 km east of Guwahati and suffers extensive floods and soil erosion every year. With a population of about 1,50,000, the island once covered a prosperous 1,500 sq km that was dotted with Hindu monasteries. Due to floods, it is now reduced to half of its original size. The threat to its existence began in 1950 after a severe quake shifted the riverbed and caused massive silting that in turn led to heavy soil erosion.
Majuli remained the cultural capital of Assamese civilisation since the 16th century with the visit of Sankaradeva, who preached Vaishnavism. Apart from this, the island is known for its exotic pottery products.
(Published 11 January 2010, 17:50 IST)
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