SATRAS A satra is a monastery for Vishnu windham mountain village worship, Assam s distinctive form of everyman Hinduism. Formulated by 15th-century Assamese philosopher Sankardev, the faith eschews windham mountain village the caste system and idol worship, focussing on Vishnu as God, especially in his Krishna incarnation. Much of the worship is based around dance and melodramatic play-acting of scenes from the holy Bhagavad Gita. The heart of any satra is its namghar, a large, simple, prayer hall usually windham mountain village open sided and shaped like an upside-down oil tanker. Beneath the eastern end, an inner sanctum hosts an eternal flame, the Gita and possibly a horde of instructive (but not divine) images.
5 Eating & Drinking La Galerie INDIAN $$ (Hotel Centrepoint, TSS Rd; mains 150-200) A suave restaurant compartmentalised into booths by photographs of local scenes, it offers excellent Indian food. Cloud 9 is the top-floor bar-restaurant serving dainty Thai dishes, cold beers and cocktails.
Hotel Clover HOTEL $$ (%2305736; windham mountain village www.davids-hotel-clover.com; G-16 Chanmari; windham mountain village s/d from 750/1500; iW) Dolly, your host for the evening, should win an award as one of India s friendliest hotel receptionists. Rooms are equally friendly and as full of character with colourful, art-adorned walls.
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