The Island has been formed with change of course of the river
Brahmaputra as well as its tributaries from time to time. Some more
references on the Majuli Island are found in the text of the "Third
Division of Assam, Majuli or the Great Island" in the book, "An
account of Assam" by Dr. John Peter Wade. 1972-93. "Majuli then was
constituted with 13 (thirteen) Chaporis or small islands intersected
by channels of communication by boat between the Dihing and Lohit,
which in reality, it concerts into a cluster of islands and in
addition to these, numerous smaller island range the whole length,
formed by various branches of the principal streams. Some of these
were always overflowed in the season of inundation, others
occasionally only; all possess a stratum of rich soil above a deeper
layer of sand or soft clay".
The geographical feature of Majuli was entirely
different when it was visited by Shri Sankardeva, the founder of
Vaishnava religion and culture, in 1510 AD "From mouth (Out fall of
the river Subansiri upto Kherkotia Suti the river island which
stretches along was "Majali" or "Majuli" in between the Lohitya (Lohit)
and the Dihing river. At that time Lohitya (Lohit) was flowing
parallel to the Dihing from kherkatia suti and fell into Mahuramukh.
From Mahuramukh, the upper part of it was known as the Dihing. The
rivers like the Dikhow, Desang, Disai and Dhansiri were tributaries of
the Dihing.
According to Edward A, Gait, at that time (1622
A.D.) the Brahmaputra was flowing along the present channel of Lohit
to the north by Majuli while Dihing was flowing along the present
channel of Brahmaputra to the south of the island. After receiving
Desang and Dikhow, Dihing had its confluence with the Brahmaputra at
the western extremity of the island. At still earlier period, Dihing
is believed to have flowed to the Brahmaputra further east than the
Burhi-Dihing does now. At that time, according to native traditions,
Dikhow had an independent course as far as Kajalimukh, part of which
still survive in the Majuli as the Tuni river, and part in Nagaon, as
the Kalang".
In 1671, the Dihing changed its course to have its
confluence into the upper Lohit. According to Mr. Gait and Captain
Billcock, a wild flood of great intensity mainly due to Dihing
devasted the entire area in 1735 when the Brahmaputra after abandoning
its course followed the abandoned course of Dihing.
According to the census of 1971, the geographical
area of the island (including some Chars or Chapori area) was 924’60
Sq. Km; but area of the island with smaller island, as per record of
Revenue, was 1246 Sq. km. The island is located to the north of the
Jorhat Sub-Division and is now a Civil Sub-Division with Head Quarters
at Garamur since 26th Jan-1978. At present, the island is bounded by
the river Brahmaputra on the south, the river Subansiri (Lohit) on the
North-West and Kherkotia on North-East; in the west it stretches to
the confluence along the either sides of rivers, the Brahmaputra and
the Subansiri.
