The Satra, or Vaisnavite Monastery, is an institution which was established by Sankaradeva and his prime disciple Madhavadeva. Over the centuries, it has become intimately connected with the Assamese life and culture. From Majuli to Koch Behar West Bengal, the Satra dominates the social landscape of Assam and the entire state is integrated into one religious whole by this network of Satras. Today, the number of Satras in Assam is well over five hundred with numerous Vaisnava householders affiliated to one or the other Satra. The preservation of the Satras is a matter of great importance, more so in the light of the fact that they contain manuscripts, artifacts and antiques of immense historical value as well.
The origin of the Satra institution can be traced to the time when the Neo Vaisnavite Movement initiated by Srimanta Sankaradeva was still at a nascent stage. Sankaradeva is said to have established his first Satra at Bardowa, his birth place, and then at different centers, during the course of his long and extensive travels across the length and breadth of Assam. He founded prayer - houses (Hari - Grihas) at almost all the places he preached the new religion. These institutions, which gradually expanded to also become centres of cultural activity, were known at the beginning, as Thān (Sanskrit Sthāna). During the Mahapurusha's lifetime, many Thāns were established all over Assam.The Thān established by the saint's foremost disciple Madhavadeva at Barpeta was the biggest of all the Thāns. His apostolate consisting of his twelve chief disciples, who were entrusted with the duty of spreading the message of the Eka Sarana Hari Nama Dharma, also founded several important ones which, in course of time, spread all over the Brahmaputra Valley gradually growing into hundreds in number. The embryonic institution, Than, of Sankaradeva's time, thus developed into a full - fledged Vaisnavite Monastery and eventually came to have a new nomenclature - Satra.
The Nāmghar
The Nāmghar (literally Name-House) is a prayer-house where the devotees, present as the congregation, sing the Names of God. In the Satras, the main feature is the Nāmghar. It is in fact the permanent feature of every village, town and city of Assam. This has made Sankaradeva's religion a living religion.
The Manikut
The actual shrine where the sacred scripture is kept is called manikut. It is a smaller structure than the Nāmghar and is generally attached to the latter adjoining the eastern end. In addition to the sacred scripture, all the precious things dedicated to the Deity are kept in the manikut. It is the sanctum -sanctorum of the entire establishment and as the sacred scripture and all the valuables of the Satra are kept here, it is called manikut, literally the house of jewels. The administration of a sattra
The administration of a sattra is run by the satradhikar assisted by his deputy and a number of other office-bearers.A Satra includes the following members :
- Adhikar - The head of a Satra
- Deka - Adhikar - Deputy Adhikar
- Bhakat - Devotees staying inside the Satra premises
- Sisya - Lay disciples
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