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A
ttareekhat is a very picturesque garden with a
panoramic view of the Bhutan hills, and the mighty
Himalayas in the background can be seen on a clear
day.The estate is situated in the Udalguri district of Assam.
Just as most of the tea estates usually have some interesting
reason or source for their name, Attareekhat too has an
association with an unusual story of religious significance.
It is named after Sage Atri’s ashram (hermitage) which has
been in existence here since time immemorial.
Atri Muni (‘muni’ means ‘sage’), legendary scholar and
bard, was believed to be the son of Lord Brahma and his
name has been mentioned in the great Indian epics, the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Sage Atri was one of the ten Maansa Putra (brain children)
of Brahma, and the first of the Saptarishis – the seven great
sages. He was also a teacher of Ayurveda. His wife was Sati
Anasuya, sister of Sage Kapila. As a boon from the Lords
– Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva – she had Chandra,
Dhattatreya and Durvasa as children. Sage Atri was the
father of Sage Attreya Punarvash, who was the teacher of
Cakara. As mentioned in the Ramayana, when Lord Rama
along with Sita and Lakshman visited Atri Muni, Sati
Anasuya gave Sita a discourse on the duties of a wife.
The Mahabharata mentions that it was Sage Atri’s kind
and wise advice that eventually made Dronacharya stop his
rampage on the battlefield and meditate deeply amidst the
turmoil until his soul left his body.
The ashram of Atri Muni still stands today and has been
renovated and thereon maintained by the Company. In the
vicinity of the ashram area, there is a very large dry pond
behind the Ram-Sita temple.This pond is said to have been
used by Atri Muni as a ‘havan kund’ where he performed a
‘yagna’ continuously for six months. This ‘havan kund’ is
believed to be in existence since the 18th Adhyay of the
Aranya Kand in the Ramayana. Interestingly, this pond
never fills up with water even during the heaviest monsoon
months when the water in the adjoining drains of the
sections flow at a higher level.
A yearly ‘havan’ is still performed here for seven days in
February/March. This is organized by the Managing
Committee of the Attareekhat Atrimuni Jagya Kunda.
Since the 1980s the ashram was looked after by Baba
Harnandan Das Tyagi. He handed over the charge of the
establishment to his disciple, Baba Mangal Das Tyagi, who
sought refuge with him since 1946. According to his
followers, Baba Harnandan Das Tyagi left for his heavenly
abode in 2003 at the grand old age of 135 years and
thereafter Baba Mangal Das Tyagi continued to look after
the ashram till 2010. Presently, his disciple, Baba Lal Das
Tyagi is in charge of the establishment and of performing
the Pujas.
The Atri Muni Mandir was inaugurated after renovation
by Mr S. K. Mawandia in August 2015, when ‘Pran
Pratishtha’ of idols of
Sage Attrimuni, Lord
Rama,
Sita
and
Hanuman was done.
~ Rajnish Das
Attareekhat T.E.
Atri Muni’s Ashram
July 2016 55
Rajnish Das is the Senior Assistant Manager at Attareekhat T.E. In addition to his
hobbies which include listening to music, travelling and adventure sports such as
rafting, Rajnish also has a keen interest in the history that surrounds him.