| Revision as of 04:19, 8 October 2013 editBhaskarbhagawati (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users5,015 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 12:12, 7 August 2022 edit undoChaipau (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users24,035 edits This is a WP:POVFORK and repeats other articles from a POV. Redirecting instead to Lower Assam division.Tag: New redirect | ||
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| {{Geobox Region | |||
| <!-- ***Western Assam*** --> | |||
| | name = Lower Assam | |||
| | native_name = | |||
| | other_name = Western Assam | |||
| | other_name1 = Kamrup (Historical) | |||
| | category = ] | |||
| <!-- *** Image *** --> | |||
| | image = | |||
| | image_size = | |||
| | image_caption = | |||
| <!-- *** Symbols *** --> | |||
| | flag = | |||
| | flag_size = | |||
| | symbol = Kamakhya.jpg | |||
| |symbol_type = | |||
| |symbol_size = 100 | |||
| <!-- *** Etymology *** ---> | |||
| | etymology = | |||
| <!-- *** Country etc. *** --> | |||
| | country = ] | |||
| | state = | |||
| | region = | |||
| | district = | |||
| <!-- *** Parts *** --> | |||
| | capital = | |||
| | capital_lat_d = | |||
| | capital_lat_m = | |||
| | capital_lat_s = | |||
| | capital_lat_NS = | |||
| | capital_long_d = | |||
| | capital_long_m = | |||
| | capital_long_s = | |||
| | capital_long_E = | |||
| | capital_elevation_imperial = | |||
| | part_type = | |||
| | part_count = | |||
| | part = | |||
| | part1 = | |||
| | city = Barpeta | |||
| | city1 = Bongaigaon | |||
| | city2 = Guwahati | |||
| | city3 = Nalbari | |||
| | municipality_type = | |||
| | municipality_count = | |||
| <!-- *** Geography *** --> | |||
| | area_imperial = | |||
| | highest = | |||
| | highest location = | |||
| | highest_lat_d = | |||
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| | highest_lat_NS = | |||
| | highest_long_d = | |||
| | highest_long_m = | |||
| | highest_long_s = | |||
| | highest_long_EW = | |||
| | highest_elevation_imperial = | |||
| | lowest = | |||
| | lowest_location = | |||
| | lowest_lat_d = | |||
| | lowest_lat_m = | |||
| | lowest_lat_s = | |||
| | lowest_lat_NS = | |||
| | lowest_long_d = | |||
| | lowest_long_m = | |||
| | lowest_long_s = | |||
| | lowest_long_EW = | |||
| | lowest_elevation_imperial = | |||
| <!-- *** Population *** --> | |||
| | population_as_of = | |||
| | population = | |||
| | population_density_imperial = | |||
| <!-- *** Government *** --> | |||
| | established_type = | |||
| | established = | |||
| | leader = | |||
| <!-- *** Various codes *** --> | |||
| | timezone = UTC+05:30 (IST) | |||
| | utc_offset = +5.30 | |||
| | timezone_DST = | |||
| | utc_offset_DST = | |||
| | code_type = | |||
| | code = | |||
| | code1_type = | |||
| | code1 = | |||
| <!-- *** Free fields *** --> | |||
| | free_type = | |||
| | free = | |||
| | free1_type = | |||
| | free1 = | |||
| <!-- *** Map section *** --> | |||
| | map = | |||
| | map_size = | |||
| | map_caption = | |||
| | map_locator = | |||
| | map_locator_x = | |||
| | map_locator_y = | |||
| <!-- *** Website *** --> | |||
| | website = | |||
| <!-- *** Footnotes *** --> | |||
| | footnotes = | |||
| }} | |||
| ] | |||
| '''Lower Assam''' (also '''Western Assam''') ({{lang-as|পশ্চিম/নামনি অসম}}), ''Kamrup'' (ancient and medieval); is an administrative ] of ], comprising the ] and ] regions under the jurisdiction of a ], who is stationed at ]. The division covers the lower reaches of the ] occupying entire western ].<ref name="etym">" territory from Biswanath to Goalpara—was known as Western Assam; but another name—Lower Assam—gradually came into use." {{harv|Banerjee|1992|p=9}}</ref> Soon after the formal creation of the British districts in 1833, Lower Assam denoted one of the five initial districts that were created west of the Dhansiri river,<ref>"The territories on the west of the river Dhansiri were to be divided into five districts: (1) North-east Rangpur of Goalpara; (2) six ''paraganas'' of Kamrup, roughly corresponding to the present district of Barpeta including Bagarberra; (3) Lower Assam with twenty ''parganas'', mostly on the north and the nine ''duars'' on the south; (4) Central Assam comprising Naduar, Charduar and Darrang on the north, Nagaon and Raha on the south of the Brahmaputra; (5) Biswanath, from the river Bharali to Biswanath on the north together with the territory known as Morung, extending from Kaliabor to the river Dhansiri." {{harv|Banerjee|1992|p=53}}</ref> which along with the six paraganas became a single district of ] in 1836.<ref>"By 1836 the districts assumed names which became familiar in later years: Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang and Nagaon." {{harv|Banerjee|1992|pp=53–54}}</ref> | |||
| It was home to the mighty kingdom of ] (3-12 AD), ruled by ] and ] from their capital's ] (]) and ] (]). Today Guwahati is largest city of ] while ], the capital of Assam, is within the town. | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| In the middle of the ], the ] emerged in Western Assam along with ] of central Assam.<ref>Suresh Kant Sharma, Usha Sharma (2005), ''Discovery of North-East India: Geography, History, Cutlure, ...'', Davaka (Nowgong) and Kamarupa as separate and submissive friendly kingdoms</ref> Davaka was absorbed; time frame for the event as per some is middle of 5th century during the reign of ],<ref>"It is presumed that (Kalyana Varman) conquered Davaka, incorporating it within the kingdom of Kamarupa." {{harv|Puri|1968|p=11}}</ref> while other authorities prescribed 6th-7th-century period.<ref>Kanak Lal Barua (1933), '''', Page 47 "in the sixth or the seventh century this kingdom of Davaka was absorbed by Kamarupa."</ref> The ], discovered in 1972 in Golaghat is dated to the 5th century, showing an early expansion of the Kamarupa kingdom to the east.<ref>{{harv|Sharma|1978|pp=303–305}}</ref>{{qn|date=September 2013}} | |||
| Medieval Muslim invaders too refer this region as Kamrup. After the ], eastern part (Kamrup region) became a part of the ] in 1682,<ref>"In the Battle of Itakhuli in September 1682, the Ahom forces chased the defeated Mughals nearly one hundred kilometers back to the Manas river. The Manas then became the Ahom-Mughal boundary until the British occupation." {{harv|Richards|1995|p=247}}</ref> till defeated by Burmese. | |||
| With British occupation in nineteenth century, western parts (Goalpara region) excluding ], became part of colonial Assam, which comprised most parts of Northeast India excluding modern states of Tripura and Manipur. Later in second part of nineteenth century it became part of ],<ref name="etym"/> along with ], ], ] and ]. The region (Western Assam and North Bengal) historically ''Kamrup'',<ref>Upendranath Goswami (1970), ''A Study on Kāmrūpī: A Dialect of Assamese'', Page iii</ref> referred as ''Western Assam'' from colonial times and later . | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{Gallery | |||
| |title=History | |||
| |width=150 | |||
| |height=160 | |||
| |lines=4 | |||
| |align=center | |||
| |File:East-Hem 300ad.jpg|alt1=East-Hem 300ad|300 A.D Kingdoms - ], ], ], ], Nagas, ], ], ]. | |||
| |File:Kamarupa 7th-8th Century Cities.jpg|alt4=Kamarupa 7th-8th Century Cities|Kamarupa, the first historical kingdom of Assam, 7th-8th century cities. | |||
| |File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|alt3=Assam .|9th-10th century lion sculpture representing powerful ], ]. | |||
| |File:Seal of Bhaskar Varman Found at Nalanda dated 643 A.D.jpg|alt2=Seal of Bhaskar Varman Found at Nalanda dated 643 A.D.|] seal of ]. | |||
| |File:Nidhanpur Inscription of Bhaskar Varman.jpg|alt4=] ] of Bhaskar Varman|] ] of Bhaskar Varman}} | |||
| Region was capital of ancient Kamrup Kingdom,<ref>{{cite book |title=Discovery of North-East India |last= Sharma, Sharma |first=Suresh Kant, Usha|authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2005 |publisher=Mittal Publications |location= |isbn= |page=265 |accessdate=|url=}}</ref> with capitals at present ]. | |||
| ===Varman Dynasty=== | |||
| {{main|Varman dynasty}} | |||
| ] (350-374) named after ], became first ruler of Kamrup as founder ruler of ]. His son ] (374-398), named after ], was accepted as an overlord by many local rulers. ] (494-518) and his son ] (518-542) offered the ]; and as the ] inscription of ] avers, these expansions included the region of Chandrapuri visaya, identified with present-day ]. Thus, the small but powerful kingdom that Pushya Varman established grew in fits and starts over many generations of kings and expanded to include adjoining possibly smaller kingdoms and parts of ] covering most part of ], much larger area than modern Kamrup from which it initially begins. | |||
| After the initial expansion till the beginning of Bhuti Varman's reign, the kingdom came under attack from ] (525-535) of ], the first major assault from the west. Though it is unclear what the effect of this invasion was on the kingdom; that Bhuti Varman's grandson, ] (566-590), enjoyed victories over the ] of ] and performed two aswamedha ceremonies suggests that the Kamarupa kingdom had recovered nearly in full. His son, Susthita Varman (590-600) came under the attack of Mahasenagupta of East Malwa. These back and forth invasions were a result of a system of alliances that pitted the Kamarupa kings (allied to the Maukharis) against the ] kings (allied with the East Malwa kings). Susthita Varman died as the Gaur invasion was on, and his two sons, ] and Bhaskar Varman fought against an elephant force and were captured and taken to Gaur. They were able to regain their kingdom. Suprathisthita Varman's reign is given as 595-600, a very short period, at the end of which he died without an heir. | |||
| Supratisthita Varman was succeeded by his brother, Bhaskar Varman (600-650), the most illustrious of the Varman kings who succeeded in turning his kingdom and invading the very kingdom that had taken him captive. Bhaskar Varman had become strong enough to offer his alliance with ] just as the ] king ascended the throne in 606 after the murder of his brother, the previous king, by ] of Gaur. Harshavardhana finally took control over the kingless ] kingdom and moved his capital to ]. The alliance between Harshavardhana and Bhaskar Varman squeezed Shashanka from either side and reduced his kingdom, making Shasanka escaping to hills further south near modern Bengali-Orissan border. This decisive victory leads to takeover of most of Gauda kingdom by Bhaskar Varman. He issued the Nidhanpur copper-plate inscription from his victory camp in the Gaur capital Karnasuvarna (present-day Murshidabad, West Bengal) to replace a grant issued earlier by Bhuti Varman for a settlement in the Sylhet region of present-day Bangladesh. | |||
| In about 643, ] (Xuanzang/Hiuen Tsang) visited Bhaskar Varman's court and recorded details of his kingdom. Yuan Chwang mentioned the western border of the Kamarupa kingdom was the ] and eastern boundary as Dikkaravasini (Sadiya). At the end of this visit, Bhaskar Varman accompanied Yuan Chwang to Kanauj, and participated in a religious assembly and a festival at Prayaga (]) with Harshavardhana, spending more than a year away from his own kingdom. Assembly was participated by eighteen vassal kings, while Bhaskar Varman impersonated as "Brahma", Harsha kept himself the subordinate position of "Indra". It seems Bhaskar Varman maintained relations with ]. He recounted to Yuan Chwang a Chinese song about the ] which became very popular in his kingdom. In 648 A.D after the death of Harshavardhana, Wang-Hiuen-ts'oe was sent on a mission to India with Tsiang Cheu-jenn as his second in command was helped by Bhaskar Varman, according to a Chinese account. Bhaskar Varman, also called Kumar, or Shri Kumar, was a bachelor king and died without an heir. | |||
| ===Pala Dynasty=== | |||
| ] (900-920), was founder ] (900–1100 A.D) of Kamarupa. Dynasty ruled from its capital ], modern day ]. The greatest of the Pala kings, ] had his capital at Kamarupa Nagara, now identified with ]. ] was another notable sovereign of this line. Records of his land-grants have been found at Bargaon and ], while a similar relic of ], has been discovered at Guwahati. Pala dynasty come to end with ] (1075-1100).<ref>{{cite book |title=Readings in the history & culture of Assam |last=Samiti |first=Kamarupa Anusandhana |year=1984 |publisher=Kamarupa Anusandhana Samiti|pages=227}}</ref> | |||
| ==People== | |||
| ===Demography=== | |||
| According to 2011 census, Western Assam has total population of 1,12,5,355; out of which urban population accounting to 19,59,707 while rural population is 92,93,843. | |||
| ===Ethnic division=== | |||
| The ethnic composition of present Western Assam consists of ], along with tribes like ] in the north, ]s in south and ]es in the southwest. | |||
| ==Culture== | |||
| ]</center>]] | |||
| Villages still contained the traditional Vedic culture, while in case of towns and cities it relaxed a bit. Western Assamese culture largely flourished in the reign of ] (350-374), the founder of great Varman dynasty of Kamrup Kingdom which reached its zenith in the reign of Bhaskar Varman (600-650). | |||
| Scholars believes Kamrupi culture had a distinctive mark in every sphere, whether it be science or literature. Astronomy is a Kamrupi science. Daka, the great Kamrupi poet flourished undoubtedly during the ancient period.<ref>Barua, Prafulla Chandra (1967), ''Fragments of a lost picture'', Page viii</ref> | |||
| ===Festivals=== | |||
| ], ] and other ]; ], ], ], ] to name a few, are major festivals of the region.. Harvesting festivals like ] are also popular. Muslims celebrate ]. | |||
| ===Religion=== | |||
| ] and ] are main religion of Western Assam. Hinduism is further divided into ] and ]. | |||
| ===Language=== | |||
| ] and ] languages are spoken in ]<ref>{{cite book |title=A contrastive analysis of the morphological aspects of Assamese and Oriya |last= Baruah |first=P. N. Dutta |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2007 |publisher=Central Institute of Indian Languages |location= |isbn= |page=10 |accessdate=|url=}}</ref> and ] regions. | |||
| ], ], ] languages are spoken in respective tribal belts. | |||
| Upendranath Goswami writes, "Assamese entered into Kamarupa or western Assam where this speech was first characterised as Assamese. This is evident from the remarks of Hiuen Tsang who visited the Kingdom of Kamarupa in the first half of the seventh century A.D., during the reign of Bhaskaravarman." | |||
| ===Music=== | |||
| The folk songs of Goalpara region is known as ], of Kamrup region is known as ]. ] is form of dance technique has been evolved from Bhaona which is a sophisticated type of dancing.<ref>Banerji, Projesh (1959),''The folk-dance of India'', Page 72</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ===Notes=== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ===Citations=== | |||
| {{refbegin}} | |||
| * {{Citation | |||
| | first = A. C.| last = Banerjee| editor-last =Barpujari| editor-first =H. K.| contribution = The New Regime, 1826-31| contribution-url =| title = The Comprehensive History of Assam| volume = IV| series =| year = 1992 | |||
| | pages = 1–43| place = Guwahati| publisher = Publication Board, Assam| url =| doi =| id = }} | |||
| *{{cite book| ref = harv| last = Puri| first = Baij Nath | title = Studies in Early History and Administration in Assam| publisher = Gauhati University| year = 1968}} | |||
| *{{cite book |ref=harv|last=Richards |first=John F. |authorlink= |title=The Mughal Empire |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=HHyVh29gy4QC |accessdate=January 26, 2013 |year=1995 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=0521566037 |page= |pages=}} | |||
| {{refend}} | |||
| ===Further reading=== | |||
| {{refbegin}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title= The Social History of Kamarupa|last=Vasu |first=Nagendranath |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1922 |publisher= |location= |isbn= |page= |pages= |accessdate=|url=}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title= Kamarupa-Kalinga-Mithila politico-cultural alignment in Eastern India : history, art, traditions|last=Tripathi |first=Chandra Dhar |year=2008 |publisher=Indian Institute of Advanced Study|pages=197}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title= Kamarupa|last=Wilt |first=Verne David |year=1995 |publisher=V.D. Wilt|pages=47}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title=Ancient India |last=Majumdar |first=Ramesh Chandra |year=1977|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publications |pages=538}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of ancient Indian geography |last=Kapoor |first=Subodh |year=2002 |publisher=Cosmo Publications|pages=364}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |last=Sen |first=Sailendra Nath |year=1999 |publisher=New Age International|pages=668}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title=The Indian encyclopaedia: biographical, historical, religious,administrative, ethnological, commercial and scientific |last=Kapoor |first=Subodh |year=2002 |publisher=Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd|pages=320}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title= Aspects of historical geography of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa (ancient Assam)|last=Sarkar |first=Ichhimuddin |year=1992 |publisher=Naya Prokash|pages=295}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title=The great Indian corridor in the east |last=Deka |first=Phani |year=2007 |publisher=Mittal Publications|pages=404}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title=Assam's history and its graphics |last=Pathak |first=Guptajit |year=2008 |publisher=Mittal Publications|pages=211}} | |||
| * {{cite book |title=Readings in the history & culture of Assam |last=Samiti |first=Kamarupa Anusandhana |year=1984 |publisher=Kamarupa Anusandhana Samiti|pages=227}} | |||
| {{refend}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * | |||
| {{Western Assam}} | |||
| {{coord missing|India}} | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 12:12, 7 August 2022
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