Assam History

Assam, the frontier state of the Indian sub-continent, extends from 22o19' to 28o16' North Latitude and 89o42' to 96o30' east Longitude between the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and the Patkai and Naga Ranges. The Kingdom of Bhutan and the state of Arunachal Pradesh border Assam in the North and East. Along the south lie Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Meghalaya lies to her Southwest, Bengal and Bangladesh to her West. Assam is connected with the rest of the Indian Union by a narrow corridor in West Bengal that runs for 56km below the foothills of Bhutan and Sikkim.

The total population of Assam as on 1st March 2001 stood at 26,638,407 on the basis of the provisional results of the Census of India 2001. As against decadal growth rate of 21.34% at the national level, the population of the State has grown by 18.85% over the period 1991-2001. The ratio of male and females which stood at Assam at 932 females to 1000 males has grown from 923 during 1991 Census. Similarly, the literacy rate has increased to 64.28 from 52.89 in 1991.

HISTORY
Mention of Assam is found in the great Indian epic Mahabharata. The valiant and invincible king of Kamrup, Bhagadatta had fought alongside the Kaurav army in the battle of Kurukhatra. He was said to be the father- in- law of the Kaurav prince Duryudhana. Even prior to this, there was the king Narakasur of Kamrupa born of the union of Bhoomi devi (mother earth) and Varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is credited to have built the first temple for Goddess Kamakhya atop the Neelachal hill and the stone stairway from the valley to the temple. Assam was known as 'Kamarupa' with 'Pragjyotish' as the capital in the period of the Epics. Human inhabitation of this area dates, backs to about 2000 BC. The population of Assam comprises of the migrants from Burma and China. They came into Assam after the mongoloid migration. They came from Punjab through Bihar and North Bengal. Thus Assam presents a fusion of Mongol-Aryan culture. The early history of Assam is believed to be of the Varman dynasty. The reign of this dynasty extended from 400 AD to 13th century. The visit of Huien Tsang is said to have taken place in the 7th century during the reign of Kumar Bhaskar Varman, a friend and contemporary of Harshabardhana of Gupta dynasty. The Ahoms ventured into Assam in about 1228 AD. By 15th century the kingdoms of Ahom and Koch were established. This period witnessed a change in all walks of life in Assam.

In the later part of the 18th century the Ahom Kingdom was weakened due to internal strife. The Burmese ran over the political authority in Assam thus invoking British intervention to subdue the Burmese. After a conflict between the Burmese and the English, the treaty of Yandabo restored peace in 1826. The British then set out to organize the administration, transport and communication network in Assam. Besides the various changes, the construction of railways, introduction of tea plantation started by Maniram Dewan, discovery of coal and oil etc. proved fruitful to the British during the World War II. After Independence of India, Assam witnessed several bifurcations of its territories. The North East Frontier Agency ( NEFA ) or Arunachal Pradesh today was truncated from erstwhile Assam in 1948. This was followed by weaning out Nagaland in 1963.

After that Meghalaya in 1972 and Mizoram in 1987 An ideal meeting ground for diverse races, Assam gave shelter to streams of human waves carrying with them distinct cultures and trends of civilization. Austro-Asiatics, Negritos, Dravidians, Alpines, Indo-mongoloids, Tibeto-Burmese and Aryans came into Assam through different routes and contributed in their own way towards the creation of a unique fusion community which came to be known in later history as the Assamese. Assam, however, remained predominantly a land of the Tibeto-Burmese. The vast section of the people of Assam belongs to either to this stock or owes their origin to the fusion of this stock with other racial groups. In Assam (excluding the Surma valley) and north-east Bengal, the Dravidian type has, to a great extent, been replaced by the Mongolian, while in the Surma valley and the rest of Bengal a mixture of races has taken place in which the recognizable Mongolian element diminishes towards the west and disappears altogether before Bihar is reached.

There has been racial intermixture among the population of Assam. The Mongoloid racial stocks have large number of tribes. Their physical features are described as "a short head, a broad nose, a flat and comparatively hairless face, a short but muscular figure and a yellow skin." But there are numerous other races also. Traces of the Negroid are to be found among the Nagas. The Khasis who speak Austric language belong to the proto-australoids. The Kaibartas and the Banias of Assam are said to be descendants of the Dravidians. They are distinguished by "a long head, large and dark eyes, a fairly strong beard, a black or nearly black colour and a very broad nose, depressed at the base, but not so as to make the face look flat". Then there are the Aryans, with a long head, tall and well-built, having a fine, long and prominent nose and a fair complexion, who came to Assam from across Bihar and Bengal. All these peculiarities of physiognomy will be encountered by visitors to this region.

Numerous Mongoloid races inhabit the hills and plains of the North-east. Among these are the Nagas, who now have their own state, Nagaland, the Mikirs, who live in the Karbi Anglong (formerly the Mikir hills) district of Assam. The Bodos or Boros are the most noteworthy Mongoloid people in eastern India. The Bodo language, which falls under the Tibeto-Burman Sub-family of the Sino-Tibetan languages, has greatly influenced the Assamese language in its development. They first settled in the Brahmaputra valley and then slowly spread to various other places. The Mizos or Lushais of Mizoram, formerly a district of the state are migrants from the Chin Hills and speak a Kuki-Chin tongue of the Tibeto-Burman sub-family of the Sino-Tibetan languages. The Lalungs are another Mongoloid group that live in the Nagaon district.

The Chutiyas, a tribe which subsequently embraced Hinduism later to become Hindus and speaking a Bodo tongue, are mainly confined to the extreme north-east of the state, above the Subansiri river in Sadiya just below the Arunachal (NEFA) hills. The Miris or Mishings, are another colourful Mongoloid tribe who, like the Chutiyas inhabit the riverine areas of Lakhimpur, Sibsagar and Darrang districts. The Koches, whose dynasties ruled north Bengal and west Assam till the 17th century is described as western Bodos of Mongoloid stock as against Eastern Bodos, the Chutiyas and the Kacharis. They embraced Hinduism and the Assamese language. The Koches are scattered all over the Brahmaputra valley. The Morans or Mataks are another mongoloid group who ruled in the extreme east prior to the Ahoms. They are largely concentrated in the eastern most parts of Lakhimpur district, in the territory lying between Dibrugarh and Saikhowaghat, south of the Brahmaputra, near Sadiya. The Morans are to be found in parts of the districts of Darrang and Sibsagar .

The Ahoms are the only Mongoloid race whose arrival in Assam is historically recorded. This is because they came very late, viz, in 1228 AD, and they recorded their own activities in the chronicles called 'Buranjis', meaning 'store -house of unknown things'. The Ahoms spoke Chinese-Siamese. In upper Burma and western Yunnan, they had styled themselves as Shans. The Ahoms, though scattered all over the valley, have the largest concentration in Sibsagar district, the seat of their administration. Assam, the present name of the state, in all probability is an Ahom contribution. The other Shan tribes who followed the Ahoms along the same Patkai Range route are the Khamtis, Naras, Phakials, Aitaniyas,Turungs and Khamjangs, who were all Buddhists. The Ahoms were the only non-Buddhists.

The Aryan Hindus of Assam are numerous with their sub-sects. Principal castes or classes of people of Assam, excluding the tribes are: Brahmana, Kayastha, Kalita, Koch, Keot, Ganaka or Daivajna, Kaibarta, Kumara, Hari, the last two being potters. This classification is based on old records and present social conditions. They inhabit every nook and corner of the plains. They originally came to Assam from the west like other Aryan descendants of northern India; they are also tall and fair. The Kalitas are agriculturists by profession, though during Ahom rule they proved their might as soldiers also. The Brahmanas and Kayasthas are generally given to intellectual pursuits such as learning, diplomacy, statecraft and religious teaching. It is they who are largely responsible for propagating the scriptures, building up literature and developing the Assamese language.

Festival of Assam : Bihu
The national festival of the Assamese, irrespective of caste, creed or religion is the Bihu. It is secular in concept because it is intimately connected with agriculture. There are three Bihus that come off at various stages of cultivation of paddy, the principal crop of Assam. They are Bahag (Baisakh) Bihu, Kati (Kartika) Bihu and Magh (Magha) Bihu. Among the Bihus, spring festival called Bahag Bihu is the most important. The Bahag Bihu is also popularly called Rangali Bihu or the Bihu that cheers, while Magh Bihu is the Bhogali Bihu or the Bihu that one enjoys with food and drink. In between comes the Kati Bihu observed on the last day of Aswin, also called the Kangali or Beggars bihu, for there is nothing much to eat at this time. The term Bihu is traced to the Sanskrit word Visuvan; i.e. equinox .The bihus take place on a Sankranti day, which means the time when the sun passes from one zodiac sign to another.

The Bahag bihu (spring time Bihu) starts on the last day of the month of Chaitra (The Chaitra Sankranti is one day when the entire Assamese community goes vegetarian), which is also the last day of the lunar calendar followed by Hindus and ushers in the New Year (mid-April being the beginning of the Hindu calendar year). The first day is called Garu Bihu. It is the day of the cattle when bulls, cows and calves are ceremonially bathed with turmeric paste and fed with brinjals and gourds and given new tethering ropes. The second day, i.e. New Year’s Day is called Manuh Bihu. It is the day for men, women and children. New clothes are worn, delicacies are prepared in every household for feasting and alms are given to the indigent. Old quarrels and differences are settled, friends and relatives are visited and entertained with food and presents of hand -woven ‘Gamoshas’ are made for near relations and close friends. The bihu continues for seven days. The main activities during the bihu festival besides those mentioned above are dancing and singing and serving rice-beer to visitors. This Bihu is celebrated all over India with different nominatives – Chaitra Sankranti , Poila Baishak, baisakhi etc.

The Bohag Bihu heralds the Assamese New Year. The farmers has finally completed his bartering/selling of his extra produce and his granaries are well stocked. He buys new clothes and other essential household goods. There is merry making all around and nature too is resplendent in its new grab with the advent of spring. Young men and women cannot resist the fragrance of the atmosphere and the tilting call of the Koel.The beat of the Dhol (drum) and the sonorous melody of the Mohor Singor Pepa draw them to open fields and they dance away in gay abandon.

The Magh or Bhogali bihu.
The Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu implies the culmination of the farmers toil- he has harvested his crop and brought it home. There is a feeling of abundance and as such a lot of “bhog” ( and hence the name Bhogali) is anticipated and practiced. This Bihu is celebrated all over the country in some form or the other. It is Makar Sankranti in Bengal, Bihar etc. Pongal in the South and Lohri in the North. Makar Sankranti is considered the greatest sankranti by the devout Hindu and people go out to the holy river to bath and offer ablutions to the forefathers. It is one day in the year when the entire Assamese community goes vegetarian. On the Uruka (eve of Makar Sankranti) people of a locality gather in the open fields under a temporary shed built of bamboo, straw and dry leaves. A feast is cooked and everyone partakes of it.

Some amount of playful stealing is also indulged in by the youth. After the feast the temporary structure is set on fire and people spend the night sitting around the warmth of the fire. Tall “Mejis” of wood, bamboo and hay are built in the fields and at the crack of dawn, these are set on fire. At homes, the Mejis are somewhat different where firewood is stacked layer wise to a height of about 3 or 4 feet. The family would wake up at dawn, bathe and light up the “Meji” and everyone pay obeisance. All delicacies prepared by the women for the Bihu are first offered to the flames of the Meji and the younger members would then pay obeisance to the elders and seek their blessings. It is then that people gather around the Meji and partake of the pitha, larus as breakfast. People go around visiting relatives and friends during the day. It is a completely vegetarian day for the Assamese on the last day of Poush, the Makar Sankranti.

The Kati or Kangali bihu is the bihu sans celebration or festivities. It is held on the last day of Aswin (Sep-Oct) coinciding with the autumnal equinox .It is called Kangali (poor) because there is not much to eat at this time of the year. The main function associated with this bihu is the worship of the sacred tulasi (basil) plant at the root of which earthen oil lamps are lit at homes, People erect bamboo poles and light lamps high up in the air as well as in the fields. The purpose is to ward off and destroy insects that can ruin the just planted crops in the field. The light attracts insects and approaching it gets killed.

A festival called Bhatheli in some parts and Sori in others, which is celebrated in the first week of Bahag can be regarded as a substitute for Bihu in these parts. A special feature of the festival is a colourful fair to which people from all the neighbouring villages flock especially young men and girls in new and gay attire.

ECONOMY
Agriculture is the main occupation of the people and along with the allied occupations. Eat it accounts for 63 percent of the states work force. Rice is the staple diet of the people and cultivation of rice is the main occupation of those engaged in agriculture. Different pulses, jute, tea and fruit cultivation are the other agricultural crops. Sugarcane, potatoes, cotton, oil seeds, coconut and arecanut cultivation are also practiced on a substantial scale apart from the horticulture. But 67 percent of the gross cropped area is taken up by rice cultivation, of this about 67 percent again is taken up for the cultivation of Sali paddy on about 16-17 lakh hectares of land. Both the centre and the state are engaged in giving agriculture a big thrust and a second green revolution is being aimed at in the northeast. Jhum cultivation or shifting cultivation, under which the tribal farmers burn selected areas of forestland and use it for cultivation in a cyclic period, is a problem in Assam. Confined to its two hill districts, which are inhabited by tribal people, efforts are being constantly made to wean the people away from this rather expensive and destructive form of cultivation.

Among fruit crops, Assam has oranges and other citrus fruit, bananas, guavas, pineapples, jackfruit and mangoes. There are extensive plans to expand the cultivation of these fruit products and market them to bring greater benefits to the farmers. The gross cropped area in the state is about 35 lakh hectares out of which rice cultivation alone accounts for 26 lakhs. Forests are an important part of Assam's economy. Timber is a major product of the states extensive forest’s and bamboo is another product, bringing Assam substantial revenue and adding to its wealth. Assam is rightly known for its excellent tea, which is one of the major cash crops. About 15 percent of the world's total output of tea comes from the tea gardens of Assam, which provide employment to more than a million people. More than half of those workforces are employed in the tea gardens and factories turning green leaves into black tea for home and hotel consumption. Tea cultivation occupies a little less than a tenth of the cultivated area of Assam and 75 percent of the tea gardens are located in the Brahmaputra valley- districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Darrang, Sibsagar and Lakhimpur. Cachar district accounts for 20 percent of the balance and the remaining 5 percent being accounted for by the lower Brahmaputra valley. Guwahati Tea Auction Centre in Assam has become the biggest centre of auction of CTC tea in the world.

INDUSTRY
Assam is an important producer of silk of different kinds and known for weaving of silk yarns into saris and fabrics. Production of silks and weaving of fabrics is an important occupation for a number of people. The Muga silk of Asssam is the only non-mulberry silk in the world and inspite of efforts by other states and countries, none have succeeded in rearing the Muga cocoons. It has its won distinctive golden-yellow colour and is one of the most durable silks in the world. The other silk is Pat which is a mulberry silk. The third yarn is the Assamese woolen silk, Endi or Eri which is sufficient to keep the Assamese warm during the mild winters of Assam. The Assamese weavers are reported to weave dreams with their nimble fingers on the dresses they weave. Other types of industries are food products, wood and wood products, chemicals and chemical products, non-metallic mineral products. Tea and oil are of prime importance to Assam's economy and also plays a significant role in the economy and life of the state. At Digboi on the border with Burma, Assam has the oldest Refinery and it is one of the oldest in the world.

Mining
In Assam, mining is at present concentrated mainly to four industrial minerals, namely, coal, oil and gas, limestone and sillimanite. The history of coal mining in Assam goes back to the year 1840 -Coal was first mined in 1840 near Jaipur by the Assam Tea Co. But the most important phase in the development of the coal mining industry in Assam was the incorporation of the Assam Railway and Trading Co. in 1882 for the exploitation of the upper Assam coal. The most important coalmines in Assam are situated in the Ledo and Jaipur areas of upper Assam. In the Mikir hills, two small collieries exist -one at Koilajan and other at Seelbhata. The coal mining activity in the Khasi hills is mostly concentrated around the Laitryngew area. In addition to these small collieries, three mines exist in the Khasi hills. Messrs Thanginath colliery and the Mawsynram colliery are important among these. A small coal mine has been developed at Nangwalbibra in the west Darranggiri Coalfield in the Garo hills under the auspices of the ASMDC, a state government under taking. Petroleum mining is an outstanding feature of Assam’s industrial landscape. The oil and natural gas commission, Oil India Limited and Assam Oil Company, carries out its exploration and development in the state. The discovery of the first oilfield, the Digboi field, goes back to the year 1889.

The outstanding work of the BOC (Burma oil company) in upper Assam has culminated in the discovery of the Naharkatiya (1953) and Moran (1950) fields, which have since been developed by the Oil India Limited Company. Limestone mining in Assam is confined to surface quarrying. Regular mining activities have been started since 1938 in Therriaghat area in Khasi Hills. Sillimanite has been known to occur at Sonapahar since 1922. In addition to these major minerals, minor minerals such as gravel, sand, building stone and ballast are produced at present at various places in the state.
In and around Guwahati

Guwahati: It is situated on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra, at an altitude of 55 meters above sea level. Guwahati is the junction of three important roads, National Highways 31, 37 and 40. It is split into two parts by the river and North Guwahati is almost a separate town. One can visit it via the Saraighat Bridge or by the ferries that ply on the river. The nearest by road important city is Kolkata (1182 km), while the capitals of the other northeastern states are at distances varying from 110 km to 650 km. The city experiences an annual rainfall of 180 cm (from May to September). While summer temperatures range from 22 to 38°C, in winters the mercury ranges from 10 to 25°C. The best time to visit this cosmopolitan city is from October to April.

Kamakhya Temple: Down the centuries, Kamrup Kamakhya has been the seat of the powerful tantrik cult in India. Situated atop the Nilachal Hill in Guwahati, it is one of the 108 Shakti Peethas of the country. Rising to a modest height of 562 feet above the mighty river Brahmaputra, the hill on which the temple stands commands a magnificent panoramic view of the entire city. Several smaller shrines and temples dedicated to Kala Bhairava, Shiva and other deities representing the various forms of the Mother Goddess are also located in its vicinity. Kamakhya came into existence after the female genitalia of Sati, the Great Mother Goddess, fell when Vishnu started dismembering her body to force her inconsolable husband, Shiva, into performing his divine duties again.

Legend has it that King Daksha had organized a sacrificial rite, to which he invited all the deities except Shiva. In fact, Daksha had done it deliberately to insult Shiva. Sati, being the daughter of Daksha, came uninvited. During the ceremony, Daksha began to speak ill of Shiva. Unable to bear the insults heaped on her husband, Sati immolated herself. The meditation of Shiva, who is omnipresent, was disturbed. Furious, he descended on Daksha and his kinsmen and destroyed them. With the dead body of his beloved Sati on his shoulders, he started the dance of destruction (Tandava). In his attempt to calm down Shiva and save the world from ruin, Vishnu sent forth his chakra to cut Sati's dead body. The reproductive organ of Sati, the yoni, fell at the spot where the temple of Kamakhya stands today.

When the yoni of Sati fell on the hill, where the temple stands, the hill turned blue and came to be known as Nilachal (blue mountain). Narakasur, the demon king, gave the name of the place Kamrup Kamakhya. He made Kamakhya his patron deity. Kamdev, the God of Love, with the help of the celestial architect Vishwakarma, built the original-temple. It is therefore known as Yoni Peeth. Tradition has it that once in every year, the spring waters at Kamakhya turn red and the temple remains closed. Kamakhya, the Mother Goddess, is supposed to enter her period of menstruation. Cloth offerings brought from near and afar by devotees are soaked in the waters and distributed as prasad (offering).

Sualkuchi village: Assam produces three unique varieties of silks, the Golden Muga, the White Pat and the warm Eri. Silks grown all over the state find their way to Sualkuchi. Sualkuchi is one of the world's largest weaving villages often called the Manchester of the East. The entire population here is engaged in weaving exquisite silk fabrics. A renowned center of silk production, particularly known for Muga - the golden silk of Assam, which is not, produced anywhere else in the world. One can distinctly hear the rhythm of the shuttles of the looms as soon as one enters this craft village. Sualkuchi, the biggest village of Assam with a population of around 50,000, is situated on the north bank of the mighty Brahmaputra. This hamlet is a mere hours drive from Guwahati (35 kms).

Hajo Village: Hajo (35 km west of Guwahati and close to Sualkuchi) is a sacred place for Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. The town also boasts of the Hayagriba Madhava Temple, accessible via a long stone stairway. Hajo is the epitome of communal harmony. There is the dargah of Ajan Fakir on the other side of the Madhab temple, considered the equivalent of the Jagannath temple of Puri. The dargah of Ajaan Fakir is known as Poa Mecca. The Muslims believe that by visiting the dargah, one can earn one-fourth of the good blessings one can earn by visiting Mecca, and hence the name. People from both the communities and the Buddhists visit each other’s shrines and pay obeisance. No one has heard of a communal flare-up in Hajo till date. Hajo village is renowned for its bell metal work as well.