Online Encyclopedia
Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.
ASSAM
Online EncyclopediaEncyclopedia Home :: ARN-AUD
del.icio.us it!
|
ASSAM , a former See also:province of See also:British See also:India, which was amalgamated in 1905 with " Eastern See also:Bengal and Assam " (q.v.). See also:Area 56,243 sq. m.; pop. (1901 ) 6,126,343. The province of Assam lies on the N.E. border of Bengal, on the extreme frontier of the See also:Indian See also:empire, with See also:Bhutan and See also:Tibet beyond it on the N., and See also:Burma and See also:Manipur on the E. It comprises the valleys of the See also:Brahmaputra and See also:Surma See also:rivers, together with the mountainous See also:watershed which intervenes between them. It is situated between 24° o' and 28° 17' N. See also:lat., and between 89° 46' and 97° 5' E. See also:long. It is bounded on the N. by the eastern See also:section of the See also:great Himalayan range, the frontier tribes from See also:west to See also:east being successively Bhutias, Akas, Daphlas, Miris, Abors and Mishmis; on the N.E. by the See also:Mishmi hills, which sweep See also:round the See also:head of the Brahmaputra valley; on the E. by the unexplored mountains that See also:mark the frontier of Burma, by the hills occupied by the See also:independent Naga tribes and by the See also:state of Manipur; on the S. by the Lushai hills, the state of See also: The highest points in the range are Nokrek See also:peak (4600 ft.) in the Garo hills, See also:Shillong; peak (6450 ft.) in the Khasi-Jaintia hills, and Japva peak (nearly 10,000 ft.) in the Naga hills. South of, the range comes the third See also:division of the province, the Surma valley, comprising the two districts of Cachar and See also:Sylhet. The Surma valley is much smaller than the Brahmaputra valley, covering only 7506 against 24,283 sq. m.; its mean See also:elevation is much lower and its rivers are more sluggish. See also:Physical Aspects.—Assam is a fertile See also:series of valleys, with the great channel of the Brahmaputra (literally, the Son of Brahma) flowing down its See also:middle, and an See also:infinite number of tributaries and watercourses pouring into it from the mountains on either See also:side. The Brahmaputra spreads out in a See also:sheet of See also:water several See also:miles broad during the See also:rainy See also:season, and in its course through Assam forms a number of islands in its See also:bed. Rising in the Tibetan plateau, far to the north of the Himalayas, and skirting round their eastern passes not far from the Yang-tsze-kiang and the great See also:river of See also:Cambodia, it enters Assam by a series of waterfalls and rapids, amid vast boulders and accumulations of rocks. The See also:gorge, situated in See also:Lakhimpur district, through which the southernmost See also:branch of the Brahmaputra enters, has from See also:time immemorial been held in reverence by the See also:Hindus. It is called the Brahmakunda or Parasuramkunda; and although the See also:journey to it is both difficult and dangerous, it is annually visited by thousands of devotees. After a rapid course westwards down the whole length of the Assam valley, the Brahmaputra turns sharply to the south, spreading itself over the alluvial districts of the Bengal See also:delta, and, after several changes of name, ends its course of i800 m. in the See also:Bay of Bengal. Its first tributaries in Assam, after See also:crossing the frontier, are the Kundil and the Digaru, flowing from the Mishmi hills on the north, and the Tengapam and Dihing, which take their rise on the Singpho hills to the south-east. Shortly afterwards it receives the Dibang, flowing from the north-east; but its See also:principal confluent is the Dihong, which, deriving its origin, under the name of the Tsangpo, from a spot in the vicinity of the source of the See also:Sutlej, flows in a direction precisely.opposite to that river, and traversing the tableland of Tibet, at the back of the great See also:Himalaya range, falls into the Brahmaputra in 27° 48' N. lat., 95° 26' E. long., after a course of nearly See also:i000 m. Doubts were long entertained whether the Dihong could be justly regarded as the continuation of the Tsangpo, but these were practically set at See also:rest by the voyage of F. J. Needham in 1886. Below the confluence, the See also:united stream flows in a south-See also:westerly direction, forming the boundary between the districts of Lakhimpur and See also:Darrang, situated on its See also:northern See also:bank, and those of See also:Sibsagar and See also:Nowgong on the south; and finally bisecting See also:Kamrup, it crosses over the frontier of the province and passes into Bengal. In its course it receives on the See also:left side the Dihing, a river having its rise at the south-eastern See also:angle of the province; and lower down, on the opposite side, it parts with a considerable offset termed the See also:Buri Lohit, which, however, reunites with the Brahmaputra 6o m. below the point of divergence, bearing with it the additional See also:waters of the Subansiri, flowing from Tibet. A second offset, under the name of the Kalang river, rejoins the See also:parent stream a See also:short distance above the See also:town of See also:Gauhati. The remaining rivers are too numerous to be particularized. The streams of the south are not rapid, and have no considerable current until May or See also:June. Among the islands formed by the intersection and confluence of the rivers is Majulii or the Great See also:Island, as it is called by way of pre-See also:eminence. This island extends 55 M. in length by about to in breadth, and is formed by the Brahmaputra on the south-east and the Buri Lohit river on the north-west. In the upper See also:part of the valley, towards the gorge where the Brahmaputra enters, the See also:country is varied and picturesque, walled in on the north and east by the Himalayas, and thickly wooded from the See also:base to the See also:snow-See also:line. On either bank of the Brahmaputra a long narrow See also:strip of plain rises almost imperceptibly to the See also:foot of the hills. Gigantic reeds and See also:grasses occupy the See also:low lands near the See also:banks of the great river; expanses of fertile See also:rice-See also:land come next; a little higher up, dotted with villages encircled by groves of bamboos and See also:fruit trees of great See also:size and beauty, the dark forests succeed, covering the interior table-land and mountains. The country in the vicinity of the large rivers is See also:flat, and impenetrable from dense tangled See also:jungle, with the exception of some very low-lying tracts which are either rmanent marshes or are covered with water during the rains. Jungle will not grow on these depressions, and they are covered either with water, reeds, high grasses or rice cultivation. On or near such open spaces are collected all the villages. As the traveller proceeds farther down the valley, the countrygradually, opens out into wide plains. In the western district of Kamrup the country forms one great expanse, with a few elevated tracts here and there, varying from zoo to 800 ft. in height. Soils.—The See also:soil is exceedingly See also:rich and well adapted to all kinds of agricultural purposes, and for the most part is composed of a rich See also:black See also:loam reposing on a See also:grey sandy See also:clay, though occasionally it exhibits a See also:light yellow clayey texture. The land may be divided into three great classes. The first division is composed of hills, the largest See also:group within the valley being that of the Mikir Mountains, which stand out upon the plain. Another set of hills project into the valley at Gauhati. But these latter are rather prolongations of spurs from the Khasi chain than isolated See also:groups belonging to the plains. The other hills are all isolated and of small extent. The second division of the lands is the well-raised part of the valley whose level lies above the See also:ordinary inundations of the Brahmaputra. The channels of some of the hill streams, however, are of so little See also:depth that the highest lands in their neighbourhood are liable to sudden floods. On the north bank of the great river, lands of this sort run down the whole length of the valley, except where they are interrupted by the beds of the hill streams. The breadth of these plains is in some places very trifling, whilst in others they comprise a See also:tract of many miles, according to the number and the height of the rocks or hills that protect them from the aberrations of the river. The alluvial deposits of the Brahmaputra and of its tributary streams may be considered as the third See also:general division of lands in Assam. These lands are very extensive, and See also:present every degree of fertility and elevation, from the vast chars of pure See also:sand, subject to See also:annual inundations, to the See also:firm islands, so raised by See also:drift-sand and the accumulated remains of See also:rank See also:vegetable See also:matter, as no longer to be liable to See also:flood. The rapidity with which wastes, composed entirely of sand newly washed forward by the current during floods, become converted into rich pasture is astonishing. As the freshets begin to lessen andretire into the deeper channels, the currents See also:form natural embankments on their edges, preventing the return of a small portion of water which is thus left stagnant on the sands, and exposed to the See also:action of the See also:sun's rays. It slowly evaporates, leaving a thin crust of See also:animal and vegetable matter. This is soon impregnated with the seeds of the Saccharum spontaneum and other grasses that have been partly brought by the winds and partly deposited by the water. Such places are frequented by numerous flocks of aquatic birds, which resort thither in See also:search of See also:fish and See also:mollusca. As vegetation begins to appear, herds of See also:wild elephants and buffaloes are attracted by the See also:supply of See also:food and the solitude of the newly-formed land, and in their turn contribute to manure the soil. See also:Geology.—Geographically the Assam hills See also:lie in the angle between the Himalayas and the Burmese ranges, but geologically they belong to neither. The older rocks are like those of Bengal, and the newer beds show no sign of either the Himalayan or the Burmese folding—on the See also:top of the plateau they are nearly See also:horizontal, but along the See also:southern margin they are See also:bent sharply downwards in a See also:simple monoclinal See also:fold. The greater part of the See also:mass is composed of See also:gneiss and See also:schists. The Sylhet traps near the southern margin are correlated with the See also:Rajmahal traps of Bengal. The older rocks are overlaid unconformably by Cretaceous beds, consisting chiefly of sandstones with seams of See also:coal, the whole series thinning rapidly towards the north and thus indicating the neighbourhood of the old See also:shore-line. The fossils are very similar to those of the South Indian Cretaceous, but very different from those of the corresponding beds in the See also:Nerbudda valley. The overlying See also:Tertiary series includes nummulitic beds and valuable seams of coal. The border ranges of the east and south of Assam belong to the Burmese system of See also:mountain chains (see BURMA), and consist largely of Tertiary beds, including the great coal seams of Upper Assam. The Assam valley is covered by the alluvial deposits of the Brahmaputra. Of the See also:mineral productions by far the most valuable is coal. Compared with the See also:Gondwana coal of the See also:peninsula of India the Tertiary coal seams of Assam are remarkable for their purity and their extraordinary thickness. The "Thick Seam " of Margherita, in Upper Assam, averages 50 ft., and in some places reaches as much as 8o ft. The average percentage of ash in 27 assays of Assam coal was 3.8 as against 16.3 in 17 assays of Raniganj coal. The coal seams are commonly associated with See also:petroleum springs. See also:Gold is found in the alluvial deposits, but the results of exploration have not been very promising. Earthquakes.—Assam is liable to earthquakes. There was a severe See also:earthquake in Cachar on the loth of See also:January 1869, a severe See also:shock in Shillong and Gauhati in See also:September 1875, and one in See also:Silchar in See also:October 1882; but by far the severest shock known is that which occurred on the evening of 12th June 1897. The area of this seismic disturbance extended over north-eastern India, from Manipur to See also:Sikkim; but the See also:focus was in the Khasi and Garo hills. In the station of Shillong every See also:masonry See also:building was levelled to the ground. Throughout the country See also:bridges were shattered, roads were broken up like ploughed See also:fields, and the beds of rivers were dislocated. In the hills there were terrible landslips, which wrecked the little See also:Cherrapunji railway and caused 600 deaths. The See also:total mortality recorded was 1542, including two Europeans at Shillong. The levels of the country were so affected that the towns of See also:Goalpara and Barpeta became almost uninhabitable during the rains. See also:Fauna.—The See also:zoology of Assam presents some interesting features. Wild elephants abound and commit many depredations, entering villages in large herds, and consuming everything suitable to their tastes. Many are caught by means of See also:female elephants previously tamed, and trained to See also:decoy See also:males into the snares prepared for subjecting them to captivity. A considerable number are tamed and exported from Assam every See also:year. Many are killed every year in the forests for the See also:sake of the See also:ivory which they furnish. The See also:government See also:keddah See also:establishment from See also:Dacca captures large See also:numbers of elephants in the province, and the right of See also:hunting is also sold by See also:auction to private bidders. The annual catch of. The latter averages about two See also:hundred. The See also:rhinoceros is found in the denser parts of the forests and generally in swampy places. This animal is hunted and killed for its skin and its See also:horn. The skin affords the material for the best See also:shields. The horn is sacred in the eyes of the natives. Contrary to the usual belief, it is stated that, if caught See also:young, the rhinoceros is easily tamed and becomes strongly attached to his keeper. Tigers abound, and though many are annually destroyed for the sake of the government See also:reward, their numbers seem scarcely, if at all, to diminish. Leopards and bears are numerous; and the sand-See also:badger, the Arctonyx collaris of See also:Cuvier, a small animal somewhat resembling a See also:bear, but having the snout, eyes and tail of a hog, is found. Among the most formidable animals known is the wild See also:buffalo or See also:gaur which is of great size, strength and fierceness. The See also:fox and the See also:jackal exist, and the wild hog is very abundant. Goats, See also:deer of various kinds, See also:hares, and two or three See also:species of See also:antelope are found, as are monkeys in great variety. The See also:porcupine, the See also:squirrel, the See also:civet See also:cat, the See also:ichneumon and the See also:otter are See also:common. The birds are too various to admit of enumeration. Wild See also:game is plentiful; pheasants, partridges, See also:snipe and water-See also:fowl of many descriptions make the country a tempting See also: Among the non-poisonous serpents the See also:python ranks first. This is an enormous See also:boa-constrictor of great length and See also:weight, which drops upon his prey from the branch of a See also:tree, or steals upon it in the thick grass. He kills his•: victim by See also:rolling himself round the See also:body till he breaks its ribs, or suffocates it by one irresistible convolution round its See also:throat. He seldom or never attacks human beings unless in self-See also:defence, and loss of life from this cause is scarcely ever reported. See also:Agriculture.—The principal and almost the only food-See also:grain of the plains portion of the province is rice. The See also:production of this See also:staple is carried on generally under the same conditions as in Bengal; but the times of See also:sowing and See also:reaping and the names given to the' several crops vary much in different parts of the province. In 1901-1902 out of a total cultivated area of 1,736,000 acres, there were 1,194,000 acres under rice. In addition jute is grown to a considerable extent in Goalpara and Sylhet; See also:cotton is grown in large quantities along the slopes of the Assam range. See also:Rubber is grown in government plantations and is also brought in by the hill tribes; while See also:lac, See also:mustard and potatoes are also produced. See also:Tea Plantations.—T he most important article of See also:commerce produced in Assam is tea. The rice See also:crop covers a very great proportion of the cultivated land, but it is used for See also:local See also:consumption, and the Brahmaputra valley does not produce enough for its own consumption, large quantities being imported for the coolies. The tea plantations. are the one great source of See also:wealth to the province, and the necessities of tea cultivation are the See also:chief stimulants, to the development of Assam. The plant was discovered in 1823 by Mr See also:Robert See also:Bruce, who had proceeded thither on a See also:mercantile exploration. The country, however, then formed part of. the Burmese dominions. But See also:war with this See also:monarchy shortly after-wards See also:broke out, and a,See also:brother of the first discoverer, happening to be appointed to the command of a division of 'gunboats employed in some part of the operations, followed up the pursuit of the subject, and obtained several hundred See also:plants and a considerable quantity of See also:seed. Some specimens were ultimately forwarded to the See also:superintendent of the botanic See also:garden at See also:Calcutta. In.1832 See also:Captain F. See also:Jenkins was deputed by the See also:governor-general of India, See also:Lord See also: 
It was never, however, the intention of government to carry on the See also:trade, but to resign it to private See also:adventure as soon as the experimental course could be fairly completed. Mercantile associations for the culture and manufacture of tea in Assam began to be formed as See also:early as 1839; and in 1849 the government disposed of their establishment„ and relinquished the manufacture to the ordinary operation of commercial enterprise. In 1851 the crop of the principal See also:company was estimated to produce 280.000 lb. Since then the enterprise has rapidly See also:developed. Tea is now cultivated in all the plains district of• the. provinces. When the See also:industry was first established, the land which was supposed to be best for the plant was hill or undulating ground; but now it has been found in the Surma valley that with See also:good drainage the heaviest crops of tea can be raised from low-lying land, even such as formerly supported rice cultivation. At the See also:close of..the year 1905 there were 942 gardens in all, with 422,335 acres, and employing 464,912 coolies. The See also:majority of gardens are owned by Euro- ns, 405,486 acres belonging to them as against 16,849 to See also:Indians. We total out-turn for the province in1905was 193,556,047 lb. Between 1893 and 1898 there was a great See also:extension of tea cultivation, with the result that the industry began to suffer from the congestionthat follows over-production. Also to meet the requirements of the industry, an enormous number of coolies had to be brought into the province from other parts of India, and in See also:recent years the supply of labour has begun to fall off, causing a rise in the cost of production. For these reasons there was a crisis in the tea industry of Assam, which was relieved to some extent by the reduction of the See also:English See also:duty on tea in 106. Tea-Garden Coolies.-The labour required on the tea gardens is almost entirely imported,, as the natives of the province are too prosperous to do such See also:work.. During the See also:decade 1891-1901, 596,856 coolies were imported, or about a tenth of the total See also:population of the province. The, importation of coolies is controlled by an elaborate system of legislation, which provides for the See also:registration of.,coptracts, the medical inspection of coolies during the journey,' and supervision over rates of pay, &c.,, on the gardens, The first labour See also:act was passed in 1863, and since then the See also:law on the subject has been changed by successive enactments. The measure now in force is called Act VI. of 19oi. Under this act the maximum See also:term of the labour See also:contract is fixed at four years, and a minimum monthly wage is laid down, the See also:payment of which, however, is contingent on the completion of a daily task by the labourer. Labourers under contract deserting are liable to See also:fine and imprisonment, and, subject to certain restrictions, may be arrested without See also:warrant by. their employers. In addition to the labourers engaged under this act, a large number are employed under contract enforceable by Act X1tI of 1859, which provides penalties for See also:breach of the contract, but does not allow of the See also:arrest of deserters without warrant. Neither does this act regulate in any way the terms of the contract, nor contain any See also:special provisions for the See also:protection of the labourer, Many labourers on the conclusion of their first engagement under Act VI. of 1901 enter into renewed contracts under Act XI I I. of 1859. In 1905 there were in all 664,296 labourers, and 24,209 fresh importations, of whom 62 % See also:chose the old act. See also:Railways.—The Assam-Bengal railway runs from the seaport of See also:Chittagong to the Surma valley, and thence across the hills to See also:Dibrugarh, at the head of the Brahmaputra valley, with a branch to Gauhati lower down the Brahmaputra. The hill section of this line was found exceedingly difficult of construction, and extensive damage was done by the earthquake of 1897; but it is now See also:complete. This railway is financed by the government, though worked by a company, and therefore ranks as a state line. At the end of 1904 its open mileage was 576 M. There are several short lines of light railway or See also:tramway in the province. The most important is the Dibru-See also:Sadiya railway, at the head of the Brahmaputra valley, with a,branch to the coal-fields. Trade.—The See also:external trade of Assam is conducted partly by steamer, partly by native See also:boat, and to a small extent by See also:rail. In the Brahmaputra valley steamers carry as much as 86 % of the exports, and, 94% of the imports. In the Surma valley native boats;carry..about 443% of both. In. 1904-1905 the total exports were valued. at 726 lakhs of rupees. The chief items were tea, rice in. the husk, oil-seeds, tea-seed, See also:timber, coal and jute. The imports were valued at 457 lakhs of rupees. The chief items were cotton piece-goods, rice nqt in the husk, See also:sugar, grain and See also:pulse, See also:salt, See also:iron and See also:steel, See also:tobacco, cotton twist and See also:yarn, and See also:brass and See also:copper. No less than two-thirds of the total trade is conducted with Calcutta. The trans-frontier trade is insignificant; and most of it is conducted with the Bengal state of Hill Tippera. The trade through Chittagong is increasing owing to the opening . of the hill-section of the Assam-Bengal railway, which gives See also:direct communication between the districts of Upper Assam and the See also:port of Chittagong, and the See also:incorporation of that port in the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam. Inhabitants.—The total population of Assam, according to the See also:census of 1901, was 6,126,343, of whom 3,429,099 were Hindus, 1,581,317 Mahommedans and 1,068,334 Animists. The number of foreigners in the population due to See also:immigration by the tea-garden coolies was 775,844. But in spite of this immigration the See also:rate of increase in the population was only 5.9 % in the decade, and with the immigrants deducted 1.36 % Amongst native-See also:born See also:Assamese during the decade there was a serious decrease in Nowgong and some other districts, due to kalaazar and other diseases. The Assamese are an interesting See also:race, of distinct origin from the neighbouring Bengalis. A large proportion of them derive their origin from tribes who came from the Himalayan ranges, from Burma or from the- Chinese frontier. The most important of.. these are the Ahoms or Ahams, an offshoot of the See also:Shari race of northern Burma. They were the last conquerors of Assam before the Burmese, and they long preserved their See also:ancient 'traditions, habits and institutions. See also:Hinduism first. made its encroachments among their See also:kings and See also:nobility. Several generations ago they gave up eating See also:beef, and they are now completely Hinduized, except in a few remote recesses of Assam. Hinduism has also impressed its See also:language upon the province, and the See also:vernacular Assameselpossesses a close See also:affinity to See also:Bengali, with the substitution of s for the Bengali ch, of a guttural it for the Bengali h or sh, and a few other See also:dialectic changes. Indeed, so close was the resemblance that'for a time Bengali was used as the See also:court and See also:official language of the province under British See also:rule. But with the development of the country the Assamese See also:tongue. asserted its claims•to be treated as a distinct vernacular, and a See also:resolution of government (1873) re-established it as the language of official life and public business. The Assam See also:peasant, living in a "See also:half-populated province, and surrounded by surplus land, is indolent, good-natured and, on the whole, prosperous. He raises sufficient food for his wants with very little labour, and, with the exception of a few religious ceremonies, he has no demand made upon him for See also:money, saving the Iight rental of his fields. Under the peaceful influences of British rule, he has completely lost his ancient warlike instincts, and forgotten his predatory habits. In complexion he is a shade or two fairer than the Bengali. His See also:person is in general short and robust, but devoid of the See also:grace and flexibility of the See also:Hindu. A flat See also:face, with high cheek-bones, presents a See also:physiognomy resembling the Chinese, and suggests no See also:idea of beauty. His See also:hair is abundant, black, lank and coarse, but the See also:beard is scanty; and usually plucked out, which gives him an effeminate See also:appearance. The See also:women form a striking contrast to the men; there is more of feminine beauty in them than is commonly seen in the women of Bengal, with a form and feature somewhat approaching'the See also:European. The habits of life of the Assamese peasantry are pre-eminently domestic. Great respect is paid to old See also:age; when parents are no longer capable of labour they are supported by their See also:children, and scarcely any one is allowed to become a See also:burden to the public. They have also in general a very See also:tender regard for their offspring, and are generous and See also:kind to their relations. They are hospitable to See also:people of their own See also:caste, but to no others. The use of See also:opium is very general. Hill Tribes.—The hill and frontier tribes of Assam include the Nagas, Singphos, Daphlas, Miris, See also:Khamtis, Mishmis, Abors, &c., nearly all of whom, excepting the Nagas, are found near the frontiers of Lakhimpur district. The principal of these, in point of numbers, are the Nagas, who inhabit the hills and forests along the eastern and south-eastern frontier of Assam. They reside partly in the British district of the Naga hills and partly in independent territory under the See also:political See also:control of the See also:deputy-See also:commissioner of the adjoining districts. They cultivate rice, cotton, yams and Indian See also:corn, and prepare salt from the brine springs in their hills. The different tribes of Nagas are independent of and unconnected with one another, and are often at war with each other. The Singphos are another of the main population of the same race, who occupy in force the hilly country between the Patkai and See also:Chindwin rivers, and are nominally subject to Burma. The Akas, Daphlas, Miris, Abors, Mishmis and Khamtis are described under See also:separate headings. Under regulation V. of 1873, an inner line has been laid down in certain districts, up to which the protection of British authority is guaranteed, and beyond which, except by special permission, it is not lawful for British subjects to go. This inner line has been laid down in Darrang towards the Bhutias, Akas- and Daphlas; in Lakhimper towards the Daphlas, Miris, Abors, Mishmis, Khamtis, Singphos and Nagas; and in Sibsagar towards the Nagas. The inner line formerly maintained along the Lushai border has since 1895 been allowed to fall into desuetude, but Lushais visiting Cachar are required to take out passes from the superintendent of the Lushai hills. The line is marked at intervals by frontier posts held by military See also:police and commanding the roads of See also:access to the tract beyond; and any person from the plains who has received permission to See also:cross the line has to present his pass at these posts.
See also:History.—Assam was the province of Bengal which remained most stubbornly outside the limits of the See also:Mogul empire and of the See also:Mahommedan polity in India. Indeed, although frequently overrun by Mussulman armies, and its western districtsannexed to the Mahommedan See also:vice-See also:royalty of Bengal, the province maintained an uncertain See also:independence till its invasion by the Burmesetowardsthe end of the 18th See also:century, and its final cession to the British in 1826. ' It seems to have been originally included, along with the greater part of north-eastern Bengal, in the old Hindu territory of Kamrup. Its early legends point to great religious revolutions between the See also:rival See also:rites of See also:Krishna and See also:Siva as a source of dynastic changes. Its See also:roll of kings extends deep into See also:pile-historic times, but the first rajah capable of indentification flourished about the year 76 A.D. Kamrup, the Pragjotishpur of the ancient Hindus, was the See also:capital of a legendary See also: The soil was deep and fertile, and the towns were surrounded- by moats with water .brought from rivers or banked-up lakes. Subsequently we read of See also:Pal rulers in Assam. It is supposed that these kings were Buddhist and belbnged to the Pal See also:dynasty of Bengal. Although the whole of Kamrup appears from time to time to have been united: into one See also:kingdom under some unusually powerful monarch, it was more often split up into numerous See also:petty : states; and for' several centuries the See also:Koch, the See also:Ahom and the Chutia See also:powers contested for the Assam valley. In the early part of the 13th: century the Ahoms or Ahams, from northern Burma and the Chinese frontiers, poured into the eastern districts of Assam, founded a kingdom, and held it firmly for several centuries. The Ahoms were See also:Shans from the ancient Shan kingdom of Pong. Their See also:manners, customs, religion and language were, and for a long time continued to be, different from those of the Hindus; but they found themselves compelled to respect the See also:superior See also:civilization of: this race; and slowly adopted its customs and language: The See also:conversion of their king Chuchengpha to Hinduism took See also:place in the year A.D 1655, and all the Ahorns of Assam gradually followed his example. - In See also:medieval history, the Assamese were known to the Mussulman population as a warlike, predatory race, who sailed down the Brahmaputra in fleets. of innumerable canoes, plundered the rich -districts of the delta, and - retired in safety to their forests and swamps. As the Mahommedan See also:power consolidated itself in Bengal, repeated. expeditions were sent out against these river pirates of the north-east. The physical difficulties which an invading force had to contend with - in Assam, however, prevented anything like- a See also:regular subjugation of the country; and after repeated efforts, the Mussulmans " contented themselves with occupying ^ western districts at the mouth of the Assam valley. The following details will suffice for the history of a struggle in which no great political See also:object was attained, and which left the Assamese still the same wild and piratical people as when their-fleets of canoes first sallied forth against the Bengal delta. In 1638, during the reign of the See also:emperor Shah Jahan, the Assamese descended the Brahmaputra, and pillaged the country round the See also:city of Dacca; they were expelled by the governor- of :Bengal; who retaliated upon the plunderers by ravaging Assam. During the See also:civil See also:wars between the sons of Shah Jahan, the king of Assam renewed his predatory incursions into Bengal; upon the termination of the contest, See also:Aurangzeb determined to avenge these repeated insults, and despatched a considerable force for the regular invasion of the Assamese territory (166o-1662) - His general, Mir Jumla, defeated the rajah, who fled to the mountains, and most of the chiefs made their submission to the conqueror. But the rains set in with unusual violence, and Mir Jumla's See also:army was almost annihilated by See also:famine and sickness. Thus terminated the last expedition against Assam by the Mahommedans, whose fortunes in this countrywere never prosperous. A writer of the Mahommedan faith says:-" Whenever an invading army has entered their territories, the- Assamese have sheltered themselves in strong posts, and have distressed the enemy by stratagems, surprises and alarms, and by cutting off their provisions. If these means failed, they have declined a See also:battle in the field, but have carried the peasants into the mountains, burned the grain and left the country See also:desert. But when the rainy season has set in upon the advancing enemy, they have watched their opportunity to make excursions and vent their rage; the famished invaders have either become their prisoners or been put to See also:death. In this manner powerful and numerous armies have been sunk in that whirlpool of destruction, and not a soul has escaped." The same writer states that the country was spacious, populous and hard to be penetrated; that it abounded in dangers; that the paths and roads were beset with difficulties; and that the obstacles to See also:conquest were more than could be expressed. The inhabitants, he says, were enterprising, well-armed and always prepared for battle. Moreover, they had lofty forts, numerously garrisoned and plentifully provided with warlike stores; and the approach to them was opposed by thick and dangerous jungles, and broad and boisterous rivers. The difficulties in the way of successful invasion are of course not understated, as it was the object of the writer to exalt the prowess and perseverance of the faithful. He accounts for their temporary success by recording that " the Mussulman hordes experienced the comfort of fighting for their religion, and the blessings of it reverted to the See also:sovereignty of his just and pious See also:majesty." The short-lived See also:triumph of the Mussulmans might, however, have warranted a less ambitious See also:tone. About the middle of the 17th century the chief became a convert to Hinduism. By what mode the See also:con-version was effected does not clearly appear, but whatever were the means employed, it seems that the decline of the country commenced about the same See also:period. See also:Internal dissensions, invasion and disturbances of every kind convulsed the province, and neither prince nor people enjoyed See also:security. See also:Late in the 18th century some interference took place on the part of the British government, then conducted by Lord See also:Cornwallis; but the successor of that nobleman, See also:Sir See also: See E. A. Gait, The History of Assam (1906). Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML. Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide. |
|
|
[back] ASSAB |
[next] ASSAMESE |