Srimanta Sankardeva

Srimanta Sankardeva

Srimanta Shankardeva (1449–1568) (Assamese: মহাপুৰুষ শ্ৰীমন্ত শঙ্কৰদেৱ Môhapurux Srimôntô Xônkôrdev), was a 15th-16th century Assamese Vaishnavite saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India. He is credited with providing a thread of unity to Assam straddling two major kingdoms (Ahom and Koch kingdoms), building on past literary activities to provide the bedrock of Assamese culture, and creating a religion that gave shape to a set of new values and social synthesis. The religion he started is named as Eka-Sarana Hari-Nāma Dharma, also referred to as Mahāpurusism or Assam Vaisnavism. It is deeply rooted in the Vedantic philosophy, as contained in the Bhāgavata and the Gitā. Sankaradeva inspired bhakti in Assam just as Guru Nanak, Ramananda, Kabir, Basava and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu inspired it elsewhere. Thus, the expression Mahāpurushiya Dharma or Mahāpurushism implies faith or devotion to the Mahāpurusha (Nārāyana-Visnu-Krishna) .

His literary and artistic contributions are living traditions in Assam today. The religion he preached is practiced by a large population, and Sattras (monasteries) that he and his followers established continue to flourish and sustain his legacy.