Identity Crisis – To be Axomiya or to be Hindu?

Kalpana Bora

(kalpana.bora@gmail.com)

Although more than seven decades have passed since Bharat gained independence from the British Raj in 1947, the question of identity continues to haunt the hearts and minds of many indigenous Assamese (Axomiya) people: should they identify as Axomiya or as Hindu? The question is, why does this confusion still haunt us? To answer this question, which creates a sort of “identity crisis”, we need to understand the Itihaas of Assam and also why and how this confusion has been created artificially and purposefully by some people and powers with vested interests, with systematic planning to achieve their mission to separate North East Bharat from Bharat.

Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar Hiuen Tsang (Yuan Chwang) visited Assam (ancient Kamarupa) around 640–643 AD (during the reign of our illustrious King Kumar Bhaskarvarman) and, in his book, ‘Siyuki’, mentioned that “there were hundreds of Deva temples in Assam”.

Many archaeological and astronomical pieces of evidence have proved that the Mahabharata may have happened between 2000 BC and 1800 BC (4000 years ago). In the epic Mahabharata, the word ‘Pragjyotish’ is repeated 20 times to describe the place, its rulers, and the valour of Bhagdutta, who went from Pragjyotish to fight in the Mahabharata. Hidimba, wife of Pandav Bhim, was a Kachari. The term “Kirat” is used in the Yoga Vasistha and other ancient texts, such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Vishnu Purana. Mention of the name Pragjyotish is also found in Allahabad inscriptions, inscribed during the rule of Maharaj Samudragupta of the 4th century CE.

It should be noted that Hindutva existed in Assam even during the Varman dynasty (4th century CE onwards), and Vedic rituals increased with the increase in the migration of Brahmins by the 6th century. There are so many contexts for Puranas written in NE Bharat that connect the region with Sanatan Dharma. In Kalika Puran (11th-12th century CE) it is mentioned that Brahma created (identified) and gave names of Graha-Nakshatra, and hence we have Navgraha Mandir in Guwahati. The Ramkatha tradition in the region was initiated by Madhav Kandali in the 14th century AD, who composed the first rendition of the Valmiki Ramayana in a Bharatiya language of Aryan origin. In the sixteenth century AD, Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva and Sri Madhabdeva added the Uttarakanda and Adikanda, respectively, to complete the Kandali’s Ramayan. Mahabhagwat Puran, composed by Srimanta Sankardev, is based on philosophies of Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, etc., which were deeply studied by him and are revered scriptures of Sanatanis/Hindus. Ancient scriptures like the Yog Vasistha (based on the Basistha Ashram in Guwahati), Shiv Puran, and Jyotish Shastra were written based on the Itihaas of ancient (undivided) Assam.

Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism, which are different traditions within Hinduism collectively referred to as Hindutva, have prevailed in Assam for thousands of years. Inscriptions of King Kumar Bhaskarvarman mention that Brahmins were present in Assam in the 5th-7th century AD. There are records indicating that Pragjyotishpur also had Hindu kings during the 12th century AD. We have innumerable naamghars, xatras and temples in Assam. Two 7th-century copper plate inscriptions of King Bhaskaravarman mention Bhagwan Ram, Dasharatha, and Janaka (father of Mata Sita). At “Deopahar”, the archaeological site dating back to the 10th-11th century, Mata Sita is seen in a scene of Sunderkand, with a monkey (Hanuman). Agnigarh in Tezpur is connected with Sri Krishna (Hari-Har Yuddha).

Above is a very brief summary of the Itihaas of Assam, in which several examples from Mahabharata, Ramayana, Jyotish Vedanga have been noted. Let’s not forget that these are not “mythology”; there is real proof to all of them. The above illustrations of the cultural-spiritual tapestry show a deep connection of the ancient civilisation of Assam with Hindutva.

So, now we turn to our original question – who is Axomiya? Or what is meant by being Assamese? This can be understood from the cultural, spiritual, social, and literary aspects of the lives of Assamese people –

1. Axomiya people speak the Axomiya language, which got the status of classical language of Bharat on October 3, 2024, and has many words from the Sanskrit language (the divine language of Sanatan Dharma).

2. Assamese people follow the teachings and philosophies of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev, who had deeply studied Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, etc.

3. Bihu is the lifeline of the cultural and spiritual life of Assamese people. Magh Bihu is the festival of harvest, which matches in essence and celebration with harvest festivals being celebrated in the rest of Bharat, like Makar Sakranti, Lohri, and Pongal. Bohag/Rongali Bihu of Assam matches with Puthandu, Baisakhi, Vishu, Gudi Padwa, and Ugadi.

4. Assamese people have deep respect for river Brahmaputra - Hindus also worship rivers, as rivers are a lifeline for survival.

5. Assamese people worship the sacred cow during Bohag Bihu, and Hindus also worship cows.

6. Assamese people worship Tulsi during Kaati Bihu, and this practice is also observed by Hindus.

7. So many rituals and customs of Assamese people, like during birth, weddings, and death, match those of Hindus.

8. Xatriya dance developed by Srimanta Shankardev has similarities with other dances of Bharat like Bharatnatyam, Odishi, Mohiniattam, etc., as they all were performed in xatras/temples in praise/respect of the deity.

9. In daily life, all the time Assamese people keep saying ‘O Ram’, ‘O Krishna’, and also in Kirtans in Naamghar.

10. Assamese people worship Bhumi as Mata (as a fertile and living goddess), as is done by Hindus. Many tribal communities in Assam, such as the Bodos, Karbis, and Sonowal Kacharis, have traditional animistic practices.

11. The traditional attire of indigenous Assamese is the Mekhela Sador (which matches the half-saree of South Bharat or the lehnga choli of Northern Bharat, while men wear dhoti kurta, which is the same as traditional attire in many other parts of Bharat).

When there are so many similarities between the lifestyles of Assamese and Hindus of Bharat, then why are people of Assam afflicted with conflict of identity – whether to call themselves Assamese or Hindu?

This is because there has been systematic planning to include Assam with Bangladesh ever since the 1920s onwards, or to carve a new Christian country out of some areas of North East Bharat, Bangladesh, Myanmar, etc. Hence, some people/agencies with such vested interests have tried to instil the ideologies of “separatism” among Assamese people. Such people have been trying to divide us and rule over us. People of Assam and the Northeast need to be aware of such conspiracies and need to be united within themselves and with Bharat. During the past few years, the government has done a lot to bring peace and development and build self-confidence, mutual trust and faith in Assam.

Before the arrival of Islam and Christianity in Bharat through foreign invasions, all over Bharatvarsh, people used to follow Sanatan Dharma, indigenous faiths and animism. Animism means the worship of ancestors, nature, hills, Mother Earth, rivers, and trees, which is nothing but Hindutva. Anyone who worships ancestors of Bharat like Bhagwan Ram, Krishna, Srimanta Shankardev, Bhagwan Buddha, Mahavir Jain, or Guru Nanak Dev; who worships nature; believes in ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah’; and takes pride in the legacy of science, knowledge and wisdom imbibed in our ancient scriptures is Bharatiya.

However, Hindutva gives freedom to all to follow their faith/religion because Bharat believes in mutual coexistence and accepting all.

Axomiya Jaati’s existence in Assam can be saved only until Hindutva prevails in Assam. Axomiya people need to understand this critical urgency very carefully and sensitively. It doesn’t matter if people have migrated to Assam from Bihar, Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, or Haryana – if they speak the Assamese language, if they respect Assamese culture like celebrating Bihu, eat traditional Assamese food, revere Srimanta Sankardev, Bir Lachit Borphukan, Bir Chillarai, Maharaja Prithu, Ahom Kings, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, Zubeen Garg, love Ai Asom and work against separatist forces to protect Pavitra Asom Bhumi, its land, its indigenous culture and resources (Jaati-Mati-Bheti) from illegal immigrants – then they are Assamese. Nothing else matters.

There should not be any conflict of identity – we are Hindus as far as our Dharma is concerned, at the national level; at the same time, we are Assamese at the regional level. Just like in a garden, there may be flowers of different types; each retains its individual character but still adds to the beauty and value of the garden as a whole. Sanatan Dharma has always been there. Like, gravity has always been there, and objects always fall towards Earth. But these laws were given the name ‘Newton’s laws’. Similarly, the name ‘Hindu’ was given to us by foreign invaders.

Hence, it is our Dharma to support those people who are working to protect the indigenous culture, identity, land and resources of Assam; who respect great ancestors of Assam like Bir Lachit Borphukan and Srimanta Sankardev; and who pay respect to martyrs of the Axom Andolan.

Can the so-called “leftist-liberal-seculars” believe in being Asomiya without following Bihu, without following teachings of Mahapurush Srimanta Shankardev and without speaking the Assamese language? If not, then they must believe in Hindu/Sanatan Dharma, because you can’t separate these two identities from each other, as is clear from the above discussion. “Awesome Assam” is a crown state of Bharat. We can maintain our uniqueness of being Asomiya, and at the same time we should proudly say that we are Hindu Bharatiyas living in Assam. Jai Ai Asom, Jai Ma Bharati.