One well-known person and Navaratna of Nava-Vaishnav journey, who devoted his life to spreading spiritual knowledge and the teachings of Sri Sri Madhabdev and Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev was Sri Sri Bar Bishnu Aata.
The actual place of birth still not confirmed, but some “Charit Puthis” (Hagiographies) mentioned as village of Adi Bar-karibari as the place of his birth, while Bikrampur (now in Bangladesh) is suggested in others. Same way, the precise day of his birth is still unknown. He was originally named Kangsari and was born to an aristocratic farmer named Nirmal. The entire family wanted to visit Assam. Unfortunately, when they traveling by boat towards Assam,
Kangsari was the only survivor of a disaster that killed his entire family.
Following the tragic incident, Kangsari endured a tumultuous life, residing in places like Bhojmola and Jakhali before finding refuge in Malcha, a village approximately 10 km west of Nagarbera in present-day Kamrup District. There, he was welcomed by Sadar Majhi, a wealthy individual, and engaged in cultivation. Kangsari eventually married Sadar Majhi’s younger daughter.
Kangsari’s encounter with Sri Sri Narayandas Thakur Aata at Jania on the north bank of the Brahmaputra proved to be pivotal. One day he and couple of associate reach Jania in search of crop. They took shelter at Sri Narayan Das Thakur Ata’s home. In Morning, all his associate left and when he about to leave, Thakur ata enquired about recitation of Ghokha- pad of previous night. He said that it was he, who sang and recited. Then Ata asked, if he knew who wrote them? When he said that, he doesn’t know. During their conversation, he learned about Srimanta Sankardev, the author of “Bhakti Pradeep,” a text Kangsari regularly studied and recited previous night. With Narayandas Thakur Aata’s guidance, Kangsari met Sri Sri Madhabdev at Sundaridia and was initiated into the Vaishnava founded by Srimanta Sankardeva. Impressed by Kangsari’s character, Sri Sri Madhabdev renamed him Bishnu and entrusted him with the responsibility of spreading Srimanta Sankardev’s ideals and teachings on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra.
Sri Sri Bishnu Aata established a Satra at Malcha, where Sri Sri Madhabdev and Sri Sri Narayandas Thakur Aata visited in 1580 and staged the play “Nrisingha,” with Sri Sri Madhabdev himself portraying the role of Nrisingha.
Following the establishment of the Malcha Satra, Sri Sri Bishnu Aata founded another Satra at Kathani as per Sri Sri Madhabdev’s instructions. However, due to the untimely death of his son Gopal at Kathani, Sri Sri Bishnu Aata relocated to Gobindapur permanently. In 1586, he founded a Satra named Chamaria, following Sri Sri Madhabdev’s guidance. Chamaria Satra became a significant center of Vaishnavism and culture during Sri Sri Bishnu Aata’s lifetime, and it was here that he passed away, leaving behind a legacy of tireless dedication to expanding the Vaishnavite faith and culture in the southern region.
His unwavering commitment and obedience to his Guru elevated him from “Bishnu” to “Bar Bishnu,” and he became widely known as Sri Sri Barbishnu Aata.
Barpeta Satra .... বৰপেটা সত্ৰ 