The Buddhist monasteries in Assam restricted Buddha Jayanti celebration to religious rituals in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deviating from its tradition of hosting a huge congregation, the historic Buddhist monastery at Namphake village in Dibrugarh district observed the holy day only with a few rituals.

“Buddha Jayanti is one of the important events at our monastery. Around 500 people visit the monastery on this day every year. But this time, we have not hosted any gathering. We have only observed the religious rituals. Only the monks were present in the entire programme,” said Bhante Gyanapal Bhikkhu (head priest).

He said the villagers followed the rituals at their home.

The monastery at Namphake village is one of the oldest monasteries in the state. It was established in 1850. The village is inhabited by the Taiphake people.

There are only nine Taiphake villages in Assam, two in Dibrugarh, seven in Tinsukia district.

Namphake is the largest among these nine villages. It is a home to around 150 Taphake families.

The daily life of the Taiphake people revolves around the Buddhist monastery. “We have observed the day with a few religious activities. The monks inside the monastery hoisted the Buddhist flag in the morning. Later in the evening, we lit candles praying for the well being of the entire world. We pray that the world will be soon free from the wrath of Covid-19. We are observing complete lockdown,” said Phussa aka Indrajit Shyam, a young monk at the monastery.

Buddha Jayanti was observed at Cholapathar Budddist monastery in Sivasagar and Tipaamphake village in Dibrugarh without any kind of mass congregation.

“Buddha Purnima is a significant day for us but this time due to the coronavirus pandemic we are organising the festival in a small way.

We have maintained all the guidelines and social distancing. Only the committee members came and did the

rituals in the morning. We prayed for those who fell victim to coronavirus,” said Sumedhananda Vikkhu, head priest of Dibrugarh Buddhist temple.

Only a handful of devotees were seen in the temple during the rituals.

“Every year we celebrate Buddha Purnima in a bigger way but this time we have observed the festival with a small gathering. We only did the rituals needed for the festival,” said a devotee.

Margherita Buddha Vihar looked deserted during the festival as well.