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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.