During the period of Sankaradeva’s staying at Patbauxi and Barpeta, the entire region was known as Kamrupa and it was under the reign of Koch King Naranarayan. The Koch Rajbonshi is an ancient race that used to live in ancient Kamrupa. The Koch King ruled over ancient Kamrup and wielded great power and influence over a vast tract of land comprising present Assam, North Bengal, Sylet, Cachar, Tripura and other places.
It was in 1546 Sankaradeva entered the Koch kingdom. Faced with the initial royal resistance at the behest of the constantly complaining priestly class, Srmanta Sankardev enchanted the scholars and the royals alike by dint of his sheer virtuosity in his literary, cultural, spiritual and organizational genius. In the process the Koch-Rajbansi royals and the populace facilitated another epoch making chapter in the great Assamese renaissance when the great Guru created one after another master pieces including the Totoya, the Sanskrit hymn in totaka rhyme, Gunamala the Bhagawata in substance composed in kusumamala metre, commissioning of weaving of the great Vrindavani bastra et all. His last work ‘Ram Vijay Nat’ was composed at this place and the same was staged at the request of Chilarai in 1568. The patronage and inspiration received from the Koch King and the Commander-in-Chief Chilarai in promoting the Vaishnava art, culture and literature were remarkable. Chilarai, the brother of King Naranarayan married Kamalapriya alias Bhubaneswari, the niece of Sankaradeva. The marriage took place at Sattrasal which later on became a Sattra known as Sattrasal Sattra or Ram Rai Kuti Sattra..
Srimanta Foundation in collaboration with the Asom Sattra Mahasabha, the apex organization of the Sattras in Assam, had for the first time organized this programme in 2003 at Guwahati.
During the times of Gurujana and his principle disciples like Madhadeb, Haridev, Damadordev and the Attapurush some thousand numbers of Sattras were established for the spread of the vaishnavite movement. This initiative was taken mostly by Kamalabari Sattra from eastern Assam, Madhupur Sattra in western Assam and Barpeta Sattra in middle Assam. During those days when the Sattras could not spread in the eastern parts of Assam, it was not the same for the western region for in this region because of the support received from the Koch kingdom, it could spread itself to all the districts in the western Assam.
Today’s Sattras in Majuli was started after about hundred years of its start in west Assam. In undivided Kamrup more than 100 Sattras was established of which hardly a few remains today. Likewise in undivided Goalpara around 25 Sattras is in existence today. More than 100 have gone extinct. It is further unfortunate that in present day West Bengal where the Koch kingdom reigned there was around 60 Sattras of which none could be traced today. First it was the Koch king who became patrons of the Sattras by giving land and other necessary support. Later on the Ahoms also followed suit and the Sattras in Majuli is a testimony to their patronage. From a list of some 60 Sattras in West Bengal some 8 Sattras are still in existence. Similarly the traces of a few Sattras in Pakistan now Bangladesh (Rongpur Zilla) has been found but the evidence are yet to be collected. Though we do not have any evidence as of now, but investigation and research to trace such Sattras will lead us to unravel erstwhile cultural ties in Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh which will lead us to historical facts.
The Assamese society remains indebted to the Koch people and the kings for its language, literature, culture and arts.