Legendary MAJULI ISLAND Mask Makers!! Traveling to Majuli Island | Assam, India
š§³ RISHI: https://www.instagram.com/collosal_appetite
š„ WATCH: Pani Puri Challenge - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVMmITTAmwQ
š DAVIDāS BEEN HERE SHIRTS & MERCH: https://teespring.com/stores/davids-been-here
When I traveled to northeast India in March of 2019, I had a basic idea of what it would be like. I had been told that this area of India was very different from other places Iād visited like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and other big cities. But being on the ground in Assam and Meghalaya and experiencing it for myself blew my mind! The flavors, the smells, the sightsā¦everything was so much more than I expected. It was like diving into a whole new world! Iām so excited I get to share my adventures there with you.
On the morning of my second full day in Jorhat, Assam, I linked back up with my new friend Rishi to go on a very special day trip. We would head out and get some breakfast and then journey on to Majuli Island, the second-largest river island in the world! There, we would see some temples and check out the islandās famous mask makers. As you guys probably know, I love collecting masks from around the world, so I couldnāt wait to go there!
To get to Majuli Island, weād have to drive 20-30 minutes from Jorhat and take a ferry across the Brahmaputra River. The ferry leaves every 30 minutes. We had to take another ferry because the original one we were going to take was full. This ferry would let us off at a different spot on Majuli, far from the breakfast spots, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat while we waited on the next ferry to arrive.
We grabbed some roti, sabji, and eggs by the roadside. The roti was huge and the sabji contained lots of chickpeas. The eggs were scrambled and fluffy and contained onions and peppers. The sabji was very light and didnāt have any potatoes in it or spice, but it was still really good!
The chickpeas in the sabji were a little hard, but not too hard. I used the roti to make an omelet sandwich. It was like an omelet burrito with a little bit of spice from the peppers in the eggs. I decided not to eat one of the whole peppers because I had gotten slightly sick the night before from the spicy street food. I had to eat fast because we only had a few minutes until we had to catch our ferry! It cost 120 rupees/roughly $1.73 U.S. for four people to eat, so it was a really good deal!
From there, it was time to catch our ferry! It would take us an hour to get to Majuli Island and an hour and a half to get back. I learned that the river is a lot higher during the monsoon season.
After ducking back into the car to cool offāI still wasnāt feeling wellāwe arrived on Majuli Island and set off toward the mask makers. On the way, we passed water buffalo, cranes, and cows in the fields. We made our first stop at a sutra, or a temple where teachings happen.
I bought an orange bracelet, which is something I always do on every trip to India. From there, I took off my shoes and my friends and I headed into the temple, which is dedicated to Lord Krishna. There, I met some locals and visited the oldest brick house in all of India and got to witness a prayer session. There were lots of artifacts inside the house. My experience there was such a pleasant surprise!
Then we drove on and had to ask for directions, but we eventually reached the Majuli Sri Sri Chamaguri Satra, which where the mask makers are. The masks are made with a bamboo framework. A mixture of materials is sculpted over the framework, and then after it dries, itās painted. There are lots of beautiful and colorful masks for sale here!
Thereās also a very cool and intricate Hanuman mask with a moving mouth, which you can wear in the shop! I put on the Hanuman mask as well as a scarier devil mask. There are also other masks that you can order, and it will take about 10 days for them to make it for you.
There were other super intricate masks of deities in the shop. I bought three smaller ones for 600 rupees/$8.65 each and then watched a performance! A little boy put on an amazing performance and danced around with a mask and full garb on. It was such a cool and unique thing to witness!
What an incredible day! I hope you enjoyed coming with me to visit the mask makers of Majuli Island! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave me a comment. Also, please subscribe to my channel so you donāt miss any of my upcoming travel/food content!
FOLLOW ME:
+ INSTAGRAM āŗhttps://instagram.com/davidsbeenhere
+ FACEBOOK āŗhttps://www.facebook.com/davidsbeenhere1
+ TWITTER āŗhttps://twitter.com/davidsbeenhere
#Assam #India #Davidsbeenhere
Subscribe Here! http://bit.ly/DavidsbeenhereSub
Check out my top videos! http://bit.ly/DavidsbeenhereTopVideos
Roadside INDIAN BREAKFAST + Majuli Island MASK MAKING and Temple Visit | Majuli Island, Assam, India
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWGUWw2fWJY