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| ASSAM
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Assam, the eastern most 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 Arunachal
Pradesh border Assam in the North and
East, and along the south lie Nagaland,
Manipur and Mizoram. Meghalaya lies
to her South-West, 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
56 km below the foothills of Bhutan
and Sikkim.
The population of Assam is a broad racial
intermixture of Mongolian, Indo-Burmese,
Indo-Iranian and Aryan origin. The hilly
tracks of Assam are mostly inhabited
by the tribes of Mongolian origin. This
broad racial intermixture is the native
of the state of Assam, called their
language andthe people "Asomiya"
or "Assamese".
According to the last census,
the population of Assam is 22 million,
89 percent of which is rural. Assamese-speaking
Hindus represent two-thirds of the state's
population and indigenous Tibeto-Burman
tribal groups make up another 16 percent
of the total. More than 40 percent of
Assam's population is thought to be
of migrant origin. The term "Assamese"
is often used to refer to those who
are citizens of Assam. Native Assamese,
Mymenshingy settlers (from Bangladesh)
and tea-garden laborers are thus included
in this coverage. The term can also
be used to describe the indigenous or
long-settled inhabitants of this northeastern
state. The state has the largest number
of tribes within their variety in tradition,
culture, dresses, and exotic way of
life. Most tribes have their own languages;
some of their traditions are so unique
and lively that these causes wonder
to others. Boro, Kachari, Karbi, Koch-Rajbanshi,
Miri, Mishimi and Rabha are also among
these
tribes exhibiting variety in tradition,
culture, dresses, and exotic way of
life. Assamese is the principal language
of the state and is regarded as the
lingua franca of the whole northeast
India. The Assamese language is the
eastern most member of the Indo-European
family. Although scholars trace the
history of Assamese literature to the
beginning of the second millenium AD,
yet an unbroken record of literary history
is traceable only from the 14th century
AD.
During the six hundred years of rule,
the Ahom dynasty managed to keep the
kingdom independent from the Mughals,
the muslim invaders of India, before
the British, as well as other invaders.
The Mughals attacked Assam seventeen
times and were repelled each time.
The state has the largest number of
tribes within their variety in tradition,
culture, dresses, and their own exotic
way of life. Most tribes have their
own dialects and unique traditions.
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| HISTORY |
Assam was known as 'Kamarupa' or 'Pragjyotishpura'
in the period of the Epics. Human inhabitation
 of
this area dates back 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 during
the 7th century at the time of Kumar
Bhaskar Varman. The Ahoms ventured into
Assam in about 1228 AD. By 15th century
the kingdoms of Ahom and Koch were established.
This period witnessed a sea 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 Yandaboo restored peace in 1826.
The British then set out to organize
the administration, transport and communication.
Besides the various changes, the construction
of railways, introduction of tea plantation,
discovery of coal and oil etc. proved
fruitful to the British during the World
War II. After Independence of India,
Assam witnessed several separations
of territories. In 1948, NEFA (Arunachal
Pradesh) was separated, in 1963 Nagaland,
in 1972 Meghalaya and in 1987 Mizoram.
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| FESTIVAL
OF ASSAM |
The primary festival of the Assamese
are the three Bihus. Intricately connected
to agriculture, the celebrations are
secular. The first of the three Bihus
is Bohag or Rongali Bihu which marks
the advent of spring and the Assamese
New Year, celebrated in mid April. On
the eve of Rongali Bihu, the cows are
ceremoniously washed with turmeric,
tied with new rope and fed with vegetables
like brinjals and bottle gourd. Celebrations
extend over a week and include exchange
of traditional hand woven gamochas (scarves),
singing ,dancing and merriment.Traditional
delicacies are also prepared in every
household.
 The
Magh or Bhogali bihu is celebrated in
mid-January, during which the harvest
is gathered. Uruka is celebrated on
the eve of Magh Bihu, in which temporary
shelters (meji) are built of hay and
wood to a considerable height resembling
a lofty temple on the harvested paddy
fields, beside which a bonfire is lit
for community feasting to celebrate
the harvest. The next morning, the meji
is ceremoniously lit. The feasting is
followed by sports throughout the day.
The half-burnt sticks and ashes of the
meji are strewn on the fields and at
the root of the fruit trees, as they
are believed to increase fertility of
the soil.
The Kati or Kangali bihu is known as
'poor' bihu and held in the month of
Oct-Nov coinciding with the autumnal
equinox. The main function associated
with this bihu is the worship of the
sacred tulsi (basil) plant at the root
of which earthen oil lamps are placed.
For a whole month lamps are lighted
at the foot of the tulsi plant. People
pray for a better harvest for the coming
year.
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| ECONOMY |
Assam is famous for producing Tea, growing
almost 500 million kgs, about 60 % of
India's Production. This plantation
is introduced by the British in Assam.
The third largest tea auction centre
of the world is situated at Guwahati,
the capital city in Assam.
Agriculture, however is the main occupation
of 63% of the population, rice being
the main crop and the staple diet. Other
crops include pulses, jute, sugarcane,
potatoes, cotton , oilseeds, coconut,
arecanut etc. Agriculture is monsoon
dependent and in addition to normal
agricultural practices, the tribal population
also practices jhum or shifting cultivation.
Oranges, lemon,bananas , guavas, pineapple
and mangoes are some fruits extensively
cultivated.
Forest and forest products are important
part of the state's economy, Cane and
bamboo being substantial revenue earners.
The forests also house some rare species
of birds and animals for which there
is a tremendous development in tourism
of Assam.
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| INDUSTRY |
Assam is also home to oldest refinery
in India, the Digboi Refinery having
started production in 1901, and played
a significant role in Britain war effort
during WW II in Burma. A substantial
portion of India's onshore oil assets
are in Assam and are being systematically
harvested by ONGC and OIL. Assam is
also an important producer of silk of
different varieties, like eri, pat (Assam
silk) and muga (Golden silk). Oil, tea,
bamboo and silk is the backbone of the
economy here.
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| GUWAHATI
CITY |
Situated on the banks of the mighty
river Brahmaputra, at an
altitude of 55 metersabove 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 Brahmaputra
and North Guwahati. The nearest important
city is Calcutta (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 38C, in winters the mercury ranges
from 10 to 25C. The best time to visit
this cosmopolitan city is from October
to April.
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| KAMAKHYA
TEMPLE |
Over 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 view of the entire city.
Several smaller shrines and temples
dedicated to Kala Bhairava, Shiva and
other Hindu deities are also located
in its vicinity. Legends says that 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.
Tradition has it that once in every
year, the spring waters at Kamakhya
turn red and the temple remains brought
from near and afar by devotees are soaked
in the waters and distributed as prasad
(offering).
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| SUALKUCHI
VILLAGE |
Assam produces three unique varieties
of silks, the Golden Muga, the White
Pat and the warmEri. 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.
Drive to Guwahati (35 kms).
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| HAJO
VILLAGE |
The town of Hajo (35 km west of Guwahati
and closed 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 village is renowned
for their bell metal work.
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| NAMPHAKE
(NAMPHAKIAL) VILLAGE |
An exotic destination four kilometers
away from Naharkatia (65 km s
from Dibrugarh) town in Assam. Spread
three-odd kilometers along the bank
of the Dihing, a tributary of the mighty
Brahmaputra, the picturesque village
has an enticing old-world charm. It
is the largest of the Tai-Phake villages
in Assam, boasting 70 odd families,
which trace their ancestry to the great
Tai race. The village folk speak a dialect
similar to the language in Thailand
and still follow the traditional customs
and dress code of the great Tai race.
The hamlet is also home to the Namphake
Buddhist Monastery, one of the oldest
and most respected Buddhist Monasteries
in Assam. The villagers live in 'chang
ghars' - bamboo and wood houses built
on raised platforms and are mostly engaged
in agriculture.
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| SRI
SURYA PAHAR |
Sri Surya Pahar, a confluence of the
three religion of Jainism, Buddhism,
and Hinduism, is a treasure trove of
ancient monuments, is situated about
12 kms. Southeast of Goalpara, 136 kms
northwest of Guwahati.
In addition to being a confluence of
the three religions which is evident
from the innumerable sculptures , Sri
Surya Pahar can also be called a garden
of medicinal plants, most of which awaits
identification. The hills are also abode
to rare primates and local legends claim
that one less than a 100000 shivalingas
dotted the hills but after centuries
of neglect and pilferage, not all remain.
All this together makes it a favored
destination for naturalists and adventure
tourists, in addition to religious tourists.
Recent archeological find indicate that
an ancient civilization flourished in
and around Sri Surya Pahar and some
scholars refer to the accounts of Chinese
traveler, Huen Tsang and to the unearthed
relics to claim that it was Sri Surya
Pahar and not Guwahati that was the
ancient land of Pragjyotishpur, capital
of the Kingdom of Bhaskarbarman. The
finding of the nearby archeological
site of Pagletek is cited to strengthen
this claim.
The name Sri Surya Pahar implies association
with the cult of 'Sun worship', and
with references available in the Kalika
Puran that there were two seat of Sun
worship in Assam, Sri Surya Paha r
stands identified as one of them. A
carved stone slab, housed in the Surya
Temple is worshipped as Surya. Archeologists
have identified this circular carvings
as Prajapati, which is in an inner circle,
the outer circle of which includes twelve
lotus petals, each seated with a figure
of Aditya, each Aditya depicting the
twelve solar divinity of Dharti, Mitra,
Aryaman, Rudra, Varuna, Surya, Bhaga,
Vivashan, Pushan, Savitri, Tvastri and
Vishnu. Other Brahmanical pantheon in
Sri Surya Pahar includes the Twelve
armed Vishnu, covered with a seven hooded
canopy standing erect on a lotus, worshipped
as Dasabhuja Durga , however some scholar
argue that this is a likeness of Manasha.
Other notable remains include Ganesha,
Harihara, Shivalingas, Vishnupadas etc.,
all dated to the 9th century AD.
Amongst the identified Jain figures
in one of the first Tirthankara, Adinath,
carved in sitting posture in the rocky
ourcrop with two bulls in the base,
also believed to be of the 9th century
AD,.
There also exist about 25 votive stupas
of different sizes in the southern fringe
of Sri Surya Pahar. The stupas are significant
for it shows two points, . One ,that
there was Buddhist influence in Kamarupa
and two, much earlier then the rest
of the country, because the design point
to the early Hinayana stage of influence
, earlier to the Mahayana and Vajrayana
esotericism seen in Bihar and Bengal.
Animalism, Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism
all seem to have left their mark on
this very sacred destination. Add to
that it's scenic beauty, wildlife and
a live archeological spot at Pagletak
: Surya Pahar has something to offer
for all.
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| ETHNIC
GROUPS |
THE THAI (OR
TAI CONNECTIONS)
Throughout Asian History, ethnic politics
inevitably set forth images of conflicts
between indigenous peoples and the larger
migrant group. One such dominant migrant
ethnic group, which is found across
South, Southeast Asia and China, is
the Tais.
 The
Ahoms are an important branch of the
Tai people. The Tai-Ahoms entered the
Brahmaputra valley from the east (from
Moung Mao in China through the Shan
states of Burma) in the early part of
the thirteenth century. They established
a small kingdom in the easternmost corner
having conquered the Morans and the
Borahis, two small Mongoloid tribes
of that area. By the first half of the
sixteenth century, the kingdom had grown
in size and number after the conquest
of many indigenous communities like
the Chutiya kingdom on the northeast,
that of the Kacharis in the southwest
and the Bhuyan chiefs in the west and
northwest. In the seventeenth century,
the kingdom was further enlarged by
the annexation of Kamrupa - the south
most part of the Assam valley.
As the Tai-Ahoms came from Muong Mao
during first part of the thirteenth
century, they might have brought to
the Brahmaputra valley a Tai language
spoken in the Muong Mao region of the
present-day Dehong Dai-Jingpow Autonomous
Prefecture in Yunan, China and the nearby
areas inside Myanmar. Initially, it
was probably advantageous for Siu-kha-pha
(the first Tai migrant to the Assam
Valley who later became its ruler) and
his followers to keep the Tai language
alive, speaking both the Tai & the
Assamese languages.
The Phakial speakers are scattered in
different villages situated on the bank
of the river Buridihing. They are Buddhist
in religion and this is why they could
maintain their separate identity socially
and culturally within the sea of Hinduism.
Though the Phakials are small in population,
they are still maintaining their own
individualities, their gorgeous and
typical multi coloured costumes, the
Phakial language, their customs and
tradition.
It has its own separate scripts and
has also preserved in a few manuscripts,
which are mainly religious scriptures.
These manuscripts are written in Tai-scripts,
which are preserved in their village
Vihars.
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THE SINGPHOS
The Singphos, a powerful
tribe living in the plains and hills
of Assam has a glorious story to tell.
Of Mongoloid descent, folklore trace
their origin to the Singra-boom hills
of Tibet from where they migrated in
many directions and one such group came
and settled in the foothills of Upper
Assam, in the Dihing Patkai region.
However in the early 19th century, the
invasion by the Manns and after the
Sadiya Saikhowa battle, most Singphos
returned to join other migratory groups
in present day Myanmar and the other
remaining in what is presentday Lohit
and Changlang Districts of Arunachal
Pradesh and in the the region covering
Bisagaon, Inthem, Ketong, Khatanpani,
Kotha, Ulup, Hassaek village.etc, in
the Margherita Sub Division under Tinisukia
District of Assam.
The story of Tea in Assam is very intricately
connected to the Singphos, who knew
about its existence and were also drinking
it much before its official discovery.
It was their King, Bisa Gam who introduced
Major Robert Bruce of the Marhatta (Maratha)
Regiment of the East India Company to
this plant, and on whose initiative,
Assam and its story of tea started.
It is said that on not being paid royalty,
the King ordered the chopping of the
plants grown by the new plantation and
that resulted in the technique of hedging/pruning
of tea bushes.
Physically mongoloid, Singpho men grow
their hair long and tie their hair in
a top knot, so too their women who decorate
their hair with silver chains and married
women distinctly tattoo their legs from
ankle to their knees. While the womenfolk
wear traditional neck pieces earrings
and finger rings of their own traditional
designs, the men do not wear jewellery
albeit they all carry a sheathed dao
(sword) with the King's dao having embedded
tiger claws.
Their various clan have their own Chief,
and they reside in houses on stilts
(Chang ghar), usually near a stream.
They are meat eater with rice being
their staple diet and rice beer and
it's consumption form part of their
traditions. Exogamy is practiced in
marriage, they do not marry intra clan,
preferring to confine marriages to certain
clans only. Once a man marries to another
clan, it becomes customary for his successors
to seek wives from the same lineage.
The Singphos are a unique race, steeped
in their traditions and belief, and
time spend with them is an experience
one should not forego. |
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Guwahati
- Manas - Nameri - Kaziranga
Tour
Kaziranga
is known all over the world
as the home of one-horned
rhinoceros....
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Tribes, Monasteries, Temples,
Cultures,
Wild Life & Crafts of
Assam
Assam, the eastern most
state of the Indian sub-continent........
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