History bks outside Assam don't mention Golden Age of Assamese

History books outside Assam do not mention the Golden Age of Assamese literature either due to Assam's geographical seclusion or due to general neglect, said Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa today.
"Numerous literary creations were made in all the branches of literature, including prose, poetry, plays, songs, hymns, stories biographies, grammar and so forth by (16th century socio-religious reformer) Srimanta Sankardeva and his illustrious disciples," said Rajkhowa delivering a lecture on 'Sankaradeva in the Koch Kingdom.'
"For this reason Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva's times is regarded as the Golden Age of Assamese literature, also popularly called 'Sankari Renaissance' in the same light the European Renaissance is described in history," he said.

"The history books outside do not mention 'Sankari Renaissance' may be due to the geographical seclusion of this part of India or due to general neglect and apathy of the Indian and international scholars and historians who concentrated their attention on the Indian mainland up to Bengal only," the Governor said.
Rajkhowa was delivering the lecture organized by Tezpur University on the occasion of the 567th birth anniversary of Srimanta Sankardeva today.
He said Srimanta Sankardeva, who faced many obstacles in unifying the disorderly Assamese nation then, into a disciplined one through his 'Vaisnavism' had also to face challenges of the priestly class in the Koch Kingdom.

"But he ultimately vanquished them in open debates, in the court of Maharaj Naranarayana. Highly impressed by Sankardeva's depth of knowledge, pristine looks and his saintly character, Naranarayana appointed him as the Gomasta or administrator of the Barpeta region," the Governor said.

The king also donated him land to establish a Sattra (monastery) at Bheladanga, which later came to be known as Madhupur or Bhela-Madhupur in Koch Behar near his capital in North Bengal, he said speaking on the close attachment of Sankardeva with the Koch kingdom.
The Governor is also the author of 'Sankardeva: His Life, Preachings and Practices' and 'Generalissimo Chilarai and His Times.'

Speaking about public amenity works undertaken by the Koch Kingdom and their engineering marvels, Rajkhowa said "However, it is most regrettable that historians and governments have not recognized their works."
"King Naranarayana and his brother Chilarai constructed the Kamakhya temple in 1565 and its building is still intact standing proudly on the banks of Brahmaputra in Guwahati," he added.