Here is all that you should know about Majuli:
The island has total 144 villages with a population of over 160,000 and a density of 300 individuals per square km.
- It is formed by Brahmaputra river in the south and Kherkutia Xuti, an anabranch of the Brahmaputra, connected by the Subansiri river in the north.
- The island is inhabited by Mising tribes, Deori and Sonowal Kachri ethnic group
- The citizens of the island speak Mising, Assamese and Deori language
- It covers an area of approximately 880 sq km
- It is one of the significant tourist destinations of Assam
- Due to the recurrent flooding of the Brahmaputra river, Majuli suffers heavy erosion. In the last 30-40 years it is estimated that it has lost about one third of its region.
- It is home to about 1,60,000 citizens
- It is the hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite society
- It was recently declared a district and was earlier a division under Jorhat district
- It has been included in the tentative list of global Heritage Site by UNESCO
- Majuli island is a rich environmental hotspot harbouring. It is home of many uncommon and endangered avifauna species including migratory birds.
- In June 2016, Assam Government had publicly declared the island as the district making it India’s first island district.
- The island had 65 satras (monasteries adhering) to Vaishnavism. But large numbers of them were repositioned to the mainland after being washed away.
The beautiful river island is a tourist destination in Assam and the government is functioning on connecting it to the rest of the mainland. The island has reportedly lost around 400 km² in the last 100 years. It is reachable from Jorhat, a main city in Assam, through ferries.
