456 



Notes on the " Mahapurushyas" 



[No. 6. 



their groves of trees forming so many islands ; the communication 

 between them, being at this period entirely by water. The retiring 

 floods leave these plains in excellent condition for the cultivation of 

 mustard seed, which in rotation with Aussa dhan, or summer rice, is 

 the staple produce of this part of the country. 



Borpetah is by far the largest and most densely populated of these 

 villages. By a census made in 1847-48, that portion of it considered 

 as belonging exclusively to the Shostro and comprising an area of 1 75 

 acres, contained 7,368 souls, all of them Bhakats or attaches of the 

 Shostro. From the necessity of economizing space, where raised sites 

 are so scarce, and raising them so expensive, the huts are more closely 

 clubbed together than they generally are in Xsamese villages, still 

 they have a rural rather than a town appearance, being, built without 

 much attention to order, and the huts as well as the roads and path- 

 ways, that connect the different portions of the thickly populated 

 grove, being all shaded by noble old trees. 



To the south of the grove a large and well raised enclosure contains 

 the great Namghar Shostro, or chief place of worship, and all the 

 other sacred edifices of the institution. The Shostro is a large build- 

 ing with a thatched roof supported on huge posts of the most durable 

 timber procurable. All the Vaishnavas in Asam have similar build- 

 ings for religious meetings, but this one at Borpetah is a chef 

 d'ceuvre of its kind and merits description. This section will shew 



the plan of its construction. A, B and C are centre and side aisles 

 forming the interior of the edifice; D. and E are open verandahs, 



