The History of Assam | Assam History and Freedom Movements: The word Assam is derived from Sanskrit word Assama meaning peerless orunparalled. But widely accepted opinion, the term has come from the originalname of the Ahoms, who ruled the land of Assam for about 600 years. History ofancient Assam comes from rock inscriptions and the many copper plates androyal grants the Kamrup kings issued. In the Epics, Assam was known as Kamrupa or Pragjyotispura.
The land of Assam was referred to by the name Pragjyotispura (or simplyPragjyotisa) in the two epics The Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The firstreference of Pragjyotisa in the Sanskrit literature is to be found in the Ramayana.Also the same name Pragjyotisa and Kamrupa was available in some Puranas,Upapuranas, epigraphs and writings of Kalidasa.
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The History of Assam
The history of Assam can be divided into four eras. The ancient era began in the 4th century with the mention of Kamarupa in Samudragupta’s inscriptions on the Allahabad pillar and the establishment of the Kamarupa kingdom. The medieval era began with the attacks from the Bengal Sultanate, the first of which took place in 1206 by Bakhtiyar Khilji as mentioned in the Kanai-boroxiboa rock inscription, after the breakup of the ancient kingdom and the sprouting of medieval kingdoms and chieftain-ships in its place. The colonial era began with the establishment of British control after the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826, and the post-colonial era began in 1947 after the Independence of India.
In the Mahabharata,Bhagadatta, the son of Naraka is described as the king of Pragjyotisa. The nameof Naraka has also been mentioned as ‘Bhumiputra’ (son of Bhumi). Naraka,according to Kalikapurana, a work of AD 10th century, was the son of Vishnu in hisboar incarnation and he was appointed to the throne of Pragjyotisa. The samebook has also shown that Naraka has his friendship with Bana, the king of Sonitpur(presently known as Tezpur) and Naraka finally met his death in the hands of Krishna.
Prehistoric Assam
- Paleolithic cultures
The earliest inhabitants of the region are assigned to the Middle Pleistocene period (781,000 to 126,000 years ago) in the Rongram valley of Garo Hills. The Paleolithic sites, which used handaxe-cleaver tools, have affinities to the Abbevillio-Acheulean culture. Other Paleolithic sites include those in the Daphabum area of Lohit district in Arunachal Pradesh which used stone tools from metamorphic rocks. The cave-based Paleolithic sites at Khangkhui in Ukhrul, Manipur, are placed in the Late Pleistocene period.
There exists evidence of a microlithic culture in the Rongram Valley of Garo Hills that lie between the neolithic layers and virgin soil. The microliths here were made of dolerite, unlike those from the rest of India. Shreds of crude hand-made pottery indicate that the microlithic people were hunters and food-gatherers.
Prehistoric Assam was home to a number of human civilizations, including the Austrics, the Tibeto-Burmans, and the Aryans. The first recorded kingdom in Assam was the Pragjyotisha kingdom, which flourished from the 4th to 12th centuries AD.
The ruler of Pragjyotisa, as is said, belonged to the Danava dynasty (the asuras),the founder of which was Mahiranga Danava. Mahiranga was succeeded byHatakasura, Sambarasura, Ratnasura and Ghatakasura. Ghatakasura, the lastking of this dynasty, was thrown out by the mighty king Narakasura, the founder ofBhauma-Naraka dynasty. Narakasura availed existence of humane and demoniccharacters in him and because of his divine parentage; he became a protagonistof Saivism.
Bhagadatta, son of Naraka after having his father’s throne of Pragjyotisa, becamea hero in the Kurukshetra War of Mahabharata. He sided with the Kauravas in thebattle and headed a large contingent consisting of Chinese, Yavanas and peopleliving on sea-coast and fought a fierce battle with the Pandavas and of a hero’sdeath. After Bhagadatta his son Vajradatta succeeded the throne ofPragjyotispura. Though there were many other rulers after Vajradatta, no utteranceof any major events is available from any source.
There is also a story how the name Pragjyotisa had been changed to ‘Kamarupa’.A verse in Kalikapurana refers to the induction of Kamadeva, the God of Love, intoashes by the fiery glance of Siva and then how the victim regained his human form(Rupa) in this land by the grace of Siva himself and the place where Kama gotback his ‘rupa’ or original form came to be called ‘Kamarupa’.
The name of Pragjyotisa was changed to Kamrupa immediately after Narakaascended to the throne of Pragjyotisa. Samudragupta’s Allahabad inscription AD4th century was the first epigraphy to mention the name of Kamrupa whereKamrupa had been shown as Eastern most kingdom.
Yoginitantra, a work of 14th century has given detailed inscription of Kamarupa’sboundary. According to it, the country was divided into four divisions, vizSamapitha, Ratnapitha, Kamapitha and Suvarnapitha andthe entirekingdom extended from Karatowa river on the West to Dikhu (presently Dikhou) onthe East.
The description shows that the kingdom included the entire Brahmaputra valley,Rangpur and Mymensingh (presently Bangladesh), Koch Bihar, Nepal, Bhutan etc.The name of Kamarupa is also available in Kalidasa’s Raghubangsam.
There wasanother dynasty named Sankara dynasty ruled over Kamrupa and kingNagasankara ruled in the last part of the century with Pratapgarh (to the North ofpresent Biswanath) as the capital. There were many other rulers who ruled oversome small areas in course of time.
2. Neolithic cultures
Early Neolithic cultures based on the unifacially flaked hand-axe in the Garo hills have developed in line with the Hoabinhian culture, and it is conjectured that this region was the contact point for the Indian and the Southeast Asian cultures.
The Late neolithic cultures have affinities with the spread of the Mon Khmer speaking people from Malaysia and the Ayeyarwady valley and late neolithic developments in South China. Since these cultures have been dated to 4500–4000 BCE, the Assam sites are dated to approximately that period.
These neolithic sites, though widely spread, are concentrated in the hills and high grounds, due possibly to the floods. These cultures performed shifting cultivation called jhum, which is still practiced by some communities in the region. Some typical sites are Daojali Hading in Dima Hasao, Sarutaru in Kamrup district and Selbagiri in the Garo Hills.
3. Metal age
There exists no archaeological evidence of Copper-Bronze or Iron Age culture in the region. This might seem like an impossibility given that corresponding cultures have been discovered in Bengal as well as Southeast Asia. It can only be conjectured that metal age sites in the region exist but have not yet been discovered.
4. Megalithic cultures
Though the metal age seems to be missing in Assam, the Iron Age Megalithic culture of South India finds an echo in the rich megalithic culture in the region, which begins to appear earlier than the late second millennium BCE, and which continues till today among the Khasi and the Naga people. The affinity is with Southeast Asia. The megalithic culture was the precursor of the fertility cult and the Saktism and the Vajrayana Buddhism that followed.
Ancient History of Assam (305-1206)
Next to Bhauma-Naraka dynasty, a new powerful dynasty, Barman dynasty byname, was established. It came into existence and was established in 4th centuryby Pushyavarman. After Pushyavarman, there were Samudravarman, Balavarmanand many others to rule over this kingdom. Bhaskarvarman (AD 600-650) was the famous and powerful king who made his friendship with many other emperors including Harsavardhana. His prosperous kingdom covered almost the whole of Northern India. Hiuen Tsang, a Chinese traveller visited his kingdom in AD 7th century.
Salastambha Dynasty
The Barman dynasty was followed by another dynasty, Salastambha dynasty byname, established by Salastambha. This dynasty ruled over Kamarupa from the middle of 7th century to the end of 10th century. Epigraphic evidence shows that atleast 21 rulers of this dynasty ruled over Kamarupa.
Shri Harsha Barman andHarjar Barman and his son Banamala Barman were the powerful rulers. BanamalaBarman extended his kingdom far and wide.Pala Dynasty Brahmapal, who became the king of Kamarupa after Tyagsingha, established anew dynasty named Pala dynasty.
His son Ratnapala ruled over this kingdom for about 30 years and was followed by Indrapala as his successor. They ruled over Kamarupa for about 200 years. Prithu (AD 1200-1228), a powerful king came topower immediately after the fall of Pala dynasty, successfully repealed the first Muslim invasion of Kamrupa, but he was thrown out from power after the secondMuslim invasion in AD 1228.
In the same year, the Ahoms of the Tai-San, familyentered into Assam through Patkai range from upper Barma and became a cause of constructing a new chapter to history of Assam.
The historical account of Assam begins with the establishment of Pushyavarman’s Varman dynasty in the 4th century in the Kamarupa kingdom, which marks the beginning of Ancient Assam. The kingdom reached its traditional extent, from the Karatoya in the west to Sadiya in the east.
This and the two succeeding dynasties drew their lineage from the mythical Narakasura. The kingdom reached its zenith under Bhaskaravarman in the 7th century. Xuanzang visited his court and left behind a significant account. Bhaskaravarman died without leaving behind an issue and the control of the country passed to Salasthamba, who established the Mlechchha dynasty.
After the fall of the Mlechchha dynasty in the late 9th century, a new ruler, Brahmapala was elected, who established the Pala dynasty. The last Pala king was removed by the Gaur king, Ramapala, in 1110. But the two subsequent kings, Timgyadeva and Vaidyadeva, though established by the Gaur kings, ruled mostly as independents and issued grants under the old Kamarupa seals. The fall of subsequent kings and the rise of individual kingdoms in the 12th century in place of the Kamarupa kingdom marked the end of the Kamarupa kingdom and the period of Ancient Assam.
Medieval and Modern History of Assam
In the middle of the 13th century, Sandhya, a king of Kamarupanagara, moved his capital to Kamatapur, and thus established the Kamata kingdom. on account of attacks by the Turks of Bengal. The last of the Kamata kings, the Khens, were removed by Alauddin Hussain Shah in 1498.
But Hussein Shah and subsequent rulers could not consolidate their rule in the Kamata kingdom, mainly due to the revolt by the Bhuyan chieftains, a relic of the Kamarupa administration, and other local groups. Soon after in the beginning of the 16th century Vishwa Singha of the Koch tribe established the Koch dynasty in the Kamata kingdom. The Koch dynasty reached its peak under his sons, Nara Narayan and Chilarai.
The Kamata Kingdom
The Kamata Kingdom emerged in western Kamarupa probably when Sandhya, a ruler of Kamarupanagara, moved his capital west to Kamatapur sometime after 1257 CE. Since it originated in the old seat of the Kamarupa kingdom, and since it covered most of the western parts of it, the kingdom is also sometimes called as Kamarupa-Kamata.
The Ahom Kingdom
The Ahom kingdom was founded in the 13th century AD and ruled Assam for over 600 years. The Ahoms were a Tai-speaking people who migrated from Myanmar. The Ahom kingdom was a powerful and prosperous kingdom, and it played a major role in the development of Assam’s culture and society.
In the eastern part of present Assam, the Kachari (south bank of river Brahmaputra, central Assam) and the Chutiya (north bank of river Brahmaputra, eastern Assam) kingdoms arose, with some Bhuyan chiefs controlling the region just west of the Chutiya kingdom. In the tract between the Kachari and the Chutiya kingdoms, a Shan group, led by Sukaphaa, established the Ahom kingdom.
The British Conquest of Assam
The British East India Company began its expansion into Assam in the 18th century. In 1826, the British defeated the Ahom kingdom and annexed Assam.
Assam was included as a part of the Bengal Presidency. The annexation of upper Assam is attributed to the successful manufacture of tea in 1837, and the beginning of the Assam Company in 1839. Under the Wasteland Rules of 1838, it became nearly impossible for natives to start plantations. After the liberalization of the rules in 1854, there was a land rush.
The Freedom Movement in Assam
From 1769, disaffected population of the Kingdom, under the leadership of their Mahantas, took part in a series of uprisings against Ahom rulethat devastated Upper Assam. The leader of the first uprising was Ragha Maran.His two wives Radha and Rukmini also participated in the battles against the royalarmy.
Post Mutiny Situation
The Role of Assam Association
Non-Cooperation Movement
Civil Disobedience Movement
Satyagraha against War Efforts
Quit India Movement
Police Firing (in 1942)
Train Derailment and Other Cases
The freedom movement in Assam began in the early 20th century. Some of the key figures in the Assam freedom movement include:
- Maniram Dewan
- Kanaklata Barua
- Lachit Borphukan
- Gopinath Bordoloi
- Prafulla Chandra Goswami
The Assam freedom movement was characterized by a number of non-violent protests and civil disobedience movements. The Assamese people also played a key role in the Indian National Army (INA), which was founded by Subhas Chandra Bose.
Assam After Independence
Assam became a part of independent India in 1947. Assam has continued to play an important role in Indian politics and culture.
In 1979, Assam flared into Assam Agitation (or Assam Movement) a popular movement against illegal immigration. The movement, led AASU and AAGSP, set an agitational program to compel the government to identify and expel illegal immigrants and prevent new immigration.
The agitational programs were largely non-violent, but there were incidents of acute violence, like the Nellie massacre where over 3000 (non officially 10000 murdered) Bengali speaking Muslim were massacred in Nagaon district.
It ended in 1985 following the Assam Accord that was signed by the agitation leaders and the Government of India. The agitation leaders formed a political party, Asom Gana Parishad, which came to power in the state of Assam in the Assembly elections of 1985.
In 2012 violent riots broke out between indigenous people led by NDFB(S) and minority Muslims of BTAD. But those were termed as immigration from Bangladesh, resulting in more than 85 deaths and displacement of 400,000 people.
There are 35 districts in total in Assam, by population, Nagaon is the largest district and Dima Hasao is the smallest district, Karbi Anglong is the largest district in terms of area and Kamrup Metropolitan is the smallest district.
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