r/AssamValley

Day celebrated as " Bhasha Saheed Divas" not just for the Bengali s in the valley but for all the communities residing in Barak Valley, Assam and every corner of this country. This shows the Love with the gratitude towards those gave their life for their mother tongue. Same as 21st February celebrated as international mother language day, India's very own first sacrifices for language happened in Barak Valley ✨🪷🙏

Joi Aai Axom Joi Barak

On May 19, 1961, police opened fire on peaceful protesters at the Silchar Railway Station. The activists were part of a mass movement in the Barak Valley against the Assam government's decision to make Assamese the state's sole official language.

The Martyrs: Eleven individuals lost their lives, including Kamala Bhattacharya, who is recognized as the world's first female language martyr.

Joy Bangla.

Most of you all may have heard about the French Renaissance and the Bengali Renaissance. But how many of you know about the Assamese Renaissance in the 19th century?

And more than that, how many people know about Anandaram Dhekial Phukan, who worked all his life towards protecting the Assamese language and promoting vernacular education in the state?

Well, today I am going to share the story of him and his contributions in protecting the Assamese language during the Dark Age of our language when Bengali was imposed by the British administration on Assam.

Anandaram Dhekial Phukan was born to Haliram Dhekial Phukan on 22nd September, 1829 at Guwahati in the Dhekial Phukan family which was a family committee to social and cultural reform. His father, Haliram, was a distinguished historian who published books like 'Assam Buranji', one of the first comprehensive historical accounts of Assam. More than just a historian, Haliram was a visionary who saw education as a pillar of societal progress. He was particularly known for his support of women's education, a cause not commonly supported during his time.

His father influenced Anandaram's ideals a lot. Hence, he understood the importance of language for the advancement of the people, the language which the people speak, the language indigenous to the land. His central belief was that no society can progress without education in its mothertongue.

Anandaram started his school life in Guwahati. In 1841, the then commissioner Jenkins sponsored him to go to Calcutta and study in the Hindu college. After studying for three years there, he came back to Guwahati and took further lessons in English from Mr. Blend. He also took up some lessons in Sanskrit and Urdu.

He got married in 1846 and took a government job the following year. He served as the Dewan of the king of Bijani, as a Munsif, and Junior Assistance Commisioner among other positions.

Anandaram Dhekial Phukan started his literary life at the age of 17. From then until his demise, his sole aim was the development of his land Assam, and its people. This led to Col. Hopkins to compare him to the Raja Rammohan Roy of Bengal.

Phukan published 'ইংলেণ্ডৰ বিৱৰণ' (Description of England) on the Assamese magazine Orunudoi (অৰুণোদই) in 1847. In 1849, he published 'অসমীয়া‌ ল'ৰাৰ মিত্ৰ' (Assamese Children's Friend) in two volumes containing almost 400 pages which is considered a milestone in the story of Assamese literature.

In the era of colonial India, education was largely imparted in foreign languages like English and Bengali. Anandaram Dhekial Phukan recognised that while learning foreign languages like English was necessary for global communication and competitive growth, neglecting one's mother tongue and native language would ultimately erode the cultural foundation of society. He strongly advocated for the introduction of vernacular education in Assamese, emphasizing that learning in one's native language would enhance the understanding of concepts and real-life situations among the masses. Phukan argued that true education could not take root unless it was in a language that the people could fully understand and engage with.

In 1853, when Moffat Mills came to Assam to review the economic condition, Anandaram Dhekial Phukan presented him with a report written in lucid English describing the political and administrative situation or Assam, in-depth analysis of problems faced by the Assamese language regarding its implementation and official usage of the language due to imposition of Bengali.

Phukan's resistance to the use of Bengali as the medium of instruction in Assam's primary schools was particularly significant. In his seminal work, he argued that primary education should be imparted in the mothertongue. He pointed out that Bengali, being a foreign language in Assam, created significant obstacles in education, as neither the teachers not the students were fluent in it. The result was a gross misunderstanding or concepts, with students unable to grasp the full meaning of the subjects being taught.

Furthermore, Phukan criticised the educational system for using textbooks in Bengali, which were inaccessible to most of Assam's population.

Anandaram Dhekial Phukan also recognised the importance of using Assamese in courts and administrative matters. He strongly objected to the imposition of Bengali as the court language, emphasizing that it violated the rights of the Assamese people. Phukan believed that the legal and judicial system should be accessible to the common people and this could only be achieved by using the native language.

The root of all this, the Bengali imposition in Assam had its roots in colonial administrative policies. British officers who lacked the initiative to learn Assamese, mistakenly regarded Assamese as a mere variant or dialect of Bengali. This misconception, combined with the extremely similar alphabet of Assamese and Bengali, led to the erroneous belief that the two languages were essentially the same. Bengali was adopted as the official language in Assam's courts and schools, leading to widespread discontent among the Assamese populace.

Anandaram Dhekial Phukan was at the forefront of this movement, known as the 'Assamese Renaissance', a period of resilience and resistance to the imposition of a foreign language on the soil of Assam. Phukan believed that the imposition of Bengali threatened to erase the Assamese cultural identity. Phukan meticulously documented the differences between the two languages, proving that Assamese was a distinct language with its own grammar, syntax and vocabulary.

In his work, "A Few Remarks on the Assamese Language and on Vernacular Education In Assam", Phukan provided concrete examples to illustrate the linguistic differences between Assamese and Bengali. Through comparative analyses of everyday words, literary passages and even Sanskrit texts, Phukan demonstrated that has Assamese was not a mere variant of Bengali but a unique and independent language with a rich literary history.

Phukan's comparison of Assamese and Bengali went beyond vocabulary. He argued that while Assamese and Bengali shared certain commonalities due to their Sanskritic origins, this did not make them the same language. His meticulous research and clear arguments helped establish Assamese as a language in its own right, distinct from Bengali. This intellectual defence of Assamese laid the foundation for the eventual restoration of Assamese as the official language of Assam.

One of Phukan's most significant achievements was the restoration of Assamese as the language of courts. For many years, Bengali had been imposed as the court language in Assam, creating a barrier between the legal system and the Assamese people. Phukan's tireless efforts to replace Bengali with Assamese resulted in the successful reintroduction of Assamese in Assam's judicial and educational system.

Drawing on the provisions of the Act XXIX of 1837, which had abolished Persian as the court language in Bengal and India and replaced it with regional languages like Bengali and Hindustani, Phukan argued that the same logic should be applied to Assam. If Persian can be replaced by Bengali and Hindustani in other regions, then Bengali could similarly be replaced by Assamese in Assam. Phukan's arguments were compelling and after years of advocacy, Assamese was finally restored as the court language in Assam, a victory that was warmly welcomed by the Assamese people.

Anandaram Dhekial Phukan's fight for the Assamese language was not just a linguistic battle, it was a philosophical and cultural one. Phukan understood that language was more than just a means of communication. It was the soul of the people and the culture, history and identity. He believed that the survival of the Assamese culture depended on the preservation and promotion of the Assamese language. Phukan argued that the Assamese people would lose their unique identity and be consumed by more dominant cultures if there isn't a strong linguistic foundation.

While Phukan advocated for learning of foreign languages like English, he stated that education in the native language was as much important.

Anandaram Dhekial Phukan's life was short, with his demise at the young age of 29 on 16th June 1859, but his legacy lasts. His tireless efforts proved fruitful for the implementation of Assamese as the state language of Assam in independent India in the future and in October 2024, Assamese got the status of a classical language as well which further proves the legitimacy of the language.

Through his simple pen name 'A Native', he created a safe future for the Assamese language and now it's on us, the newer generation to carry his legacy and the Assamese language forward...

Sources: https://w.wiki/5H7r

https://www.sentinelassam.com/more-news/editorial/anandaram-dhekial-phukan-pioneer-of-assamese-renaissance-and-guardian-of-assamese-language

We all already know about the Kamba Ramayanam, the Tamizh Ramayana, as the first Ramayana to be translated from Sanskrit to another language. But, most of us are unaware that, the first Ramayana to be translated from Sanskrit to another Indo-Aryan language and the third Ramayana to be translated to another language, preceded only by the Tamizh and Telugu Ramayana, is actually from our own state Assam. It is called the 'Xoptokando Ramayon' (সপ্তকাণ্ড ৰামায়ণ), authored by the 14th century Assamese poet Madhav Kandali who translated the Valmiki Ramayana to Assamese. Most of the Xoptokando Ramayon was written by Madhav Kandali upon the request of the Kachari king Mahamanikya. In his court, as his court poet Madhav Kandali authored the translated version as a long poem. The poetic work uses various metres for different moods and situations. Some of the metres used are 'pada' (fourteen syllables, four lines of verses), 'jhumura' (four lines, with eight syllables each), 'dulari' (three lines, first and second has six syllables each and the third has eight syllables), and 'chhavi' (like 'dulari' but with different syllabic structure). The 'pada' metre became very popular in later Assamese compositions.

The Xoptokando Ramayon is also regarded one of the earliest written examples of the Assamese language.

A unique feature of this work is the non-heroic portrayal of Lord Rama, Sita and other characters as stated by Madhav Kandali himself which apparently made the translated version 'unsuitable' for religious purposes. Moreover, there was a critical overview of the character of Rama rather than blind praise. Plus, Sita wasn't shown as a calm and composed woman. Her emotions were shown raw. She sometimes cried while thumping her chest, or pointed fingers at those who questioned her character and was shown as a defiant woman, showing actual human feminine emotions. This feature disturbed a later post, Ananta Kandali, who was a disciple of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva, who was moved enough to comment on it. According to one tale called the 'Guru Sorito', the poet Ananta Kandali apparently tried to erase the Xoptokando Ramayon and replace it with a Ramayana of his own that was conservative in manner. After which, Madhav Kandali apparently appeared in the dream of his disciple Sankardeva and told him to preserve the Ramayana.

By then, the first and last chapters of the Ramayana were lost, called the Adikanda and Uttarakanda.

After having the dream, Sankardeva told his disciple Madhabdeva to author the Adikanda while he himself began work on translating the Uttarakanda. They both, hence completed the Xoptokando Ramayon in the 15th century. There were also undeniable later additions and refinements by poets like Ananta Kandali and others which sophisticated the work.

Sankardeva praises his teacher Madhav Kandali after the completion of the poem. This poetic work had a great influence on Sankardeva and later Assamese poets.

This work is one of the many examples of the richness of the Assamese language and Assamese Vaishnavite culture.

Source: https://w.wiki/5HhR

The Umachal rock inscription (উমাচল শিলালিপি) is one of the earliest epigraphic sources discovered in Assam, from the age of the Kamarupa kingdom. Dated to be from the 5th century CE, the rock inscription was discovered in the north-east side of the Nilachal Hills (called Umachal), near Guwahati. The artifact is dated on the basis of the identification of the named 'Surendra Varman' in it with the king of Kamarupa, Mahendra Varman (470–494 CE) of the Varman dynasty. The script is in the Nagari variety of the Gupta script and the language is Sanskrit prose. Though the Nilachal Hills is known for Shakta worship and the Kamakhya Temple, a shakta or tantra site, the temple mentioned in the inscription was for Lord Balabhadra, a god of the Vaishnavite pantheon.

The content of the inscription goes as follows:

Transliteration into Latin script:

mahārājādhirāja-śrī

surendravarmmaṇā-kr̥tma

bhagavataḥ-valabhadra

svmināya-idaṁ-guhaṁ

Transliteration into Assamese script:

মহাৰজাধিৰাজ শ্ৰী সুৰেন্দ্ৰবৰ্ম্মণা কৃত্মা ভগৱতঃ বলভদ্ৰ স্বমিনায় ইদম্ গুহম্

Translation into English:

This cave (temple) of the illustrious Lord Balabhadra has been constructed by Maharajadhiraja Sri Surendra Varman.

This stone inscription is one of the important ones which helped historians further to trace ancient Assam's history and its timeline.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umachal_rock_inscription

The Dimasa kingdom, or the Kachari kingdom (কছাৰী ৰাজ্য) was a late medieval kingdom in Southern Assam, ruled by the Dimasa kings. The origin of the Dimasa kingdom is not clear. According to folktales, the Dimasas had their own domain in Kamarupa (ancient Assam) and their king belonged to a lineage called Ha-tsung-tsa or Ha-chem-sa, a name first mentioned in a coin from 1520.

The historical accounts of the Dimasas begin with mentions in Ahom buranjis. The Ahom buranjis called the Dimasa kings 'khun timisa' and placed them initially in Dimapur where Timisa is a corruption of Dimasa.

The Dimasa kingdom did not record their history and much of the early information come from other sources.

Ekasarana biographies of Sankardeva written after his death use the name 'Kachari' for the Dimasa people and their kingdom and record that around 1516, the Baro-Bhuyans at Alipukhuri came into conflict with their Dimasa neighbours which escalated into the Dimasa king preparing to attack them. One of the earliest mentions of the word 'Kachari' is found in the Bhagavat of Sankardeva in the section composed during the later part of his life in the Koch kingdom where he uses it synonymously with the word 'Kirata'.

Another early mention comes from 'Kacharir niyam' (Rule of the Kacharis) composed during the reign of Tamradhwaj Narayan who ruled from 1697-1708 when the Dimasa rulers were still ruling in Maibang.

A coin dated 1520 commemorating a decisive victory over enemies is one of the earliest direct evidence of the historical kingdom. The first capital of the kingdom was in Dimapur, which eventually fell to the Ahoms after the Ahom-Dimasa Wars (1520s-1530s).

After conquering the Chutia kingdom (1523–24), Ahom king Suhungmung tried to recover territories earlier lost to the Dimasas and therefore in 1526, Ahom forces attacked the Dimasa kingdom.

In the war, Dimasa king Khorapha was killed and his brother Khunkhara became king.

Both kingdoms temporarily agreed to keep the Dhansiri River as the border.

But the peace didn't last long. War resumed.

The Dimasas first defeated the Ahoms near Marangi and after which, the Ahoms captured forts like Nenguriya and advanced toward the capital of the Dimasas, Dimapur.

A Dimasa prince named Detchung sought Ahom support to claim the Dimasa throne and after which, the Ahoms claimed that the Dimasa king was under their protection.

Then the Dimasas later helped the Ahoms fight the Turko-Afghan invader from Bengal, Turbak Khan (1532–33).

Now, Detchung after being under the Ahoms for some time, later rebelled against the Ahom control.

This led to Suhungmung invading the Dimasa kingdom again, capturing and killing Detchung.

The Ahom forces occupied the Dimasa capital, Dimapur in 1536.

After this defeat, the Dimasas abandoned Dimapur permanently.

According to archaeological evidences and historical mentions, Dimapur was a large fortified city.

Moreover, the Dimasas were using advanced brick construction at a time when Ahom architecture still relied heavily on bamboo and timber.

Dimapur had huge brick walls, water tanks, brick gateways and giant stone monoliths with carvings of animals and birds.

One interesting fact about Dimapur is that, despite Sanskrit coins issued by Dimasa kings, observers noted that there was very little Hindu influence in the city at that time.

After losing Dimapur, there was about a 22-year gap with unclear rule in the kingdom.

Around 1558–59 CE, Nirbhaya Narayana established a new capital at a region called Maibang in the hills.

Although, not all Dimasa people moved to this new capital.

The plains Dimasas gradually developed differently in language and customs while in the hills, the Dimasas ruled over local Naga groups.

Earlier Dimasa kings claimed legitimacy through military achievements. But Maibang rulers instead claimed descent from the legendary ancestor Hachensa.

This marked a shift from legitimacy through military wins to legitimacy through bloodline.

This shift had a strong impact on the governance of the kingdom.

Next, we arrive to the Koch invasion of the Dimasa kingdom. The Koch general Chilarai defeated the Ahoms and then invaded the Dimasa kingdom. This was known as the 'Koch invasion of the Kachari kingdom'.

The Dimasas thus became tributaries (subordinate allies) of the Koch kingdom. Koch general Chilarai reorganized territories, created buffer states, and occupied parts of modern day Cachar.

The tribute paid by the Dimasas after their defeat was enormous. 70,000 rupees, 1,000 gold coins and 60 elephants.

Although this also proved that the kingdom was still wealthy and powerful.

The Dimasas fought the neighbouring Jaintia kingdom over a place called Dimarua.

Dimasa king Satrudaman became one of the most powerful rulers who controlled modern day Dima Hasao, the Dhansiri valley, the Cachar plains, and parts of Sylhet. He even issued coins after conquering Sylhet.

But, by the time of king Birdarpan Narayan (mid-1600s), Dimasa control over the Dhansiri valley disappeared. The area became just a jungle separating Ahom and Dimasa realms.

Then comes the Ahom invasion of Maibang.

Dimasa king Tamradhwaj tried to become fully independent and in response, the Ahom swargadeo Rudra Singha invaded with huge armies. The Maibang forts were destroyed and Tamradhwaj had to flee to the Jaintia kingdom but was captured and imprisoned there. Ahom Swargadeo Rudra Singha then invaded the Jaintia kingdom too and captured the Jaintia king and annexed territories of both Jaintia and Dimasa kingdoms.

Now let's discuss the Dimasa governance system.

The kingdom had three major royal clans, Bodosa, Thaosengsa and Hachemsa.

The kings were assisted by ministers and councils.

Around 40 clans (Sengphongs) sent representatives to the royal assembly called the Mel.

The Mel could even help choose kings, limiting royal power.

Different clans were specialized in different precessions like cooks, ambassadors, fishermen, writers, administrators etc.

After the Ahom invasion of Maibang, the Dimasa kingdom shifted to Khaspur in Cachar plains. Khaspur was originally linked to the Koch kingdom.

Through marriage between a Koch princess and a Dimasa prince, the two kingdoms merged and the Dimasa rulers moved their capital to Khaspur near present-day Silchar in Southern Assam.

By 1745 CE, the Koch kingdom of Khaspur officially merged into the Dimasa kingdom.

Around 1790 CE, the Dimasa rulers officially adopted the Hindu Kshatriya (warrior) identity.

Brahmins promoted legends connecting the Dimasas to the Mahabharata, Bhima and Hidimbi's love story and their son Ghatotkacha as the ancestor of Dimasa kings. This was part of a wider process of Sanskritization.

During Dimasa king Krishna Chandra’s reign, the Moamoria rebels were sheltered in Cachar.

This caused conflicts with the Ahoms.

The Dimasa kingdom also helped Manipur fight the Burmese but the Burmese occupied the region in the early 19th century. And then, the British liberated the kingdom from Burmese rule. After the Treaty of Yandabo (1826) the British restored king Govinda Chandra. But Dimasa authority slowly weakened and the British gradually annexed the kingdom.

The hill regions were annexed in 1832 while the

remaining Cachar area was annexed in 1833.

This ended the independent Dimasa kingdom and its long history.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimasa\_Kingdom

2. "The comprehensive history of Assam volume 2" edited by Dr. HK Barpujari.

The Pala dynasty of Assam (অসমৰ পাল ৰাজবংশ) is an often under discussed dynasty which happened to be the last dynasty of the kingdom of Kamarupa. It ruled roughly from 900 CE to 1100 CE. It was the last major dynasty to rule the ancient kingdom of Kamarupa before it got fragmented into several small kingdoms and succeeded by the Ahom kingdom.

The Pala dynasty succeeded the Mlechchha dynasty.

It was founded by King Brahma Pala. Brahma Pala was likely elected by regional chiefs, as suggested by historical sources.

The Pala dynasty was a Hindu dynasty in nature, and its rulers claimed descent from the legendary Narakasura lineage to strengthen legitimacy.

The rulers of the dynasty used the imperial title 'Pragjyotisadhipati'. Another fact related to the title used by the kings is that, there was little to no mention of the name 'Kamarupa' in the kingdom. Instead of Kamarupa, the records used the name 'Pragjyotisha' to refer to their kingdom.

Their capitals included Durjaya (Present day North Guwahati), Kamarupanagara (present day Kamrup Metro district), Harrupeshvar (present day Tezpur city).

The major rulers of the dynasty included Brahma Pala (the founder of the dynasty) who ruled around 900-920 CE,

Ratna Pala who ruled around 920-960 CE, who is also associated with military campaigns against the Pala rulers of ancient Bengal (completely different from Assam's Pala dynasty),

Indra Pala, who ruled around 960-990 CE,

Go Pala, who ruled around 990-1015 CE,

Harsha Pala, who ruled around 1015-1035 CE,

Dharma Pala, who ruled around 1035-1060 CE, and Jaya Pala who was among the last rulers of the dynasty. The later Kamarupa Pala rulers after this gradually became weaker due to internal instability and pressure from neighbouring powers such as the Pala Empire.

One of the last major rulers of the line was Jaya Pala and during his period, Ramapala of the Pala Empire launched campaigns into Kamarupa. After which, many regions of Kamarupa became a part of the Pala Empire.

This is sourced by the poem Ramacharitam, a biographical poem written by Ramapala's court poet Sandhyakar Nandi that Ramapala's reign was marked by successful military campaigns including the subjugation of Kamarupa, Rar and Orissa.

Following which, Ramapala did not fully annex the region but rather appointed Timgyadeva as his governor to rule Kamarupa. Timgyadeva governed as a vassal of the Pala Empire for about 16 years, from 1110 to 1126 CE.

Then Timgyadeva rebelled against Ramapala who then sent Vaidyadeva to defeat him. Vaidyadeva defeated Timgyadeva and became the new ruler of Kamarupa under the suzerainty of Pala Empire. The Kamauli copper plate inscription, dated back to 1139 CE mentions Vaidyadeva in his fourth year of rule under Kumarapala.

And then came Prithu Deva who ruled Kamarupa and is famous for repelling the invasions by Bakhtiyar Khilji into Kamarupa. This is how the political scenario continued after the decline of the Pala Dynasty.

The importance of the Pala dynasty in ancient Assam's history cannot be ignored.

The dynasty preserved political continuity of the Kamarupa kingdom after the earlier dynasties declined.

After the fall of Kamarupa, Assam got fragmented into several kingdoms:

The Sutiyas, the Kacharis, the Kamatas, the Baro-Bhuyans and later, the Ahoms who succeeded the Kamarupa kingdom and united Assam again and ruled it for 600 years.

The Pala dynasty has undeniable contributions in the development of medieval Assamese temple art and sculpting. The dynasty's emphasis on art and architecture can be seen in the Madan Kamdev architecture style. The dynasty's copper plate records also helped modern historians to understand the ancient history of Assam before the arrival of the Ahoms.

The Pala dynasty represents one of the final phases of ancient Kamarupa and ancient Assamese kingdoms before the rise of medieval Assamese kingdoms.

By now, almost all of us are aware that Tagore is connected to Lakshminath Bezbarua, as Bezbarua married the niece of Tagore, Pragyasundari Devi. But another under discussed story about Tagore is his three visits to Assam. In 1919, in 1923 and in 1927. He also had close connections to numerous Assamese writers and famous personalities, for example, Deshbhakta Tarunram Phukan's connection to Thakur's family. Then Surya Kumar Bhuyan, the renowned historian of Assam, went to Jorasankor Thakurbari with his wife and met Tagore. Bhuyan's write-up 'One Hour with Tagore' gives readers a vivid description of the meeting.

Tagore stood as an ideal figure for the Assamese litterateurs. He had the fortune to be acquainted with poems of Bengali poet and folksong writer Hasan Raja during one of his visits to Assam.

Some historical photographs show Tagore with Assamese figures. One such shows him with Satyanath Bora, Hemchandra Goswami, Bholanath Das and Banikanta Kakati. Another one shows him students of the Cotton College in Guwahati.

During Tagore's 1919 Guwahati visit, he received massive public reception. He then visited Shillong, the former capital of undivided Assam and stayed there at Brookside Compound, a house in the Rilbong area on the outskirts of the city. He also wrote a poem named 'Shillong-er Chithi' meaning 'The letter to Shillong'. He also visited the Barak Valley of Assam, particularly the Karimganj area which he named Sribhumi translating to the Land of Lakshmi. In his memory, the Assam government renamed Karimganj district as Sribhumi in 2024. Moreover, a university named 'Rabindranath Thakur University' was built in Hojai.

His influence on Assam and its personalities remains significant to this date. His story is a perfect example of Assam's long lasting ties with Bengal.