Preservation of archaeological ruins of Doyang-Dhansiri valley stressed

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, April 27: A day-long tiol-level symposium stressing the need to preserve the archaeological ruins of the Doyang-Dhansiri Valley and making history compulsory as an academic discipline was conducted by the Jorhat College in Jorhat on Monday based upon a survey study of the Baksapahar and Deopahar region situated on the Golaghat-Karbi Anglong border on April 1 and another survey of the remains of the Kachari kingdom of Dimapur on April 18.

Speaking on the occasion, the first resource person, Dr Hemendrath Dutta, eminent archaeologist and Vice Chancellor (VC) of the galand Global Open University, said, “The Doyang - Dhansiri valley served as the trade link between the Indian mainland and the South East Asia since the second century-third century.” Focusing on his area of research interest-the history and archaeology of Doyang-Dhansiri valley, Dr Hemendrath Dutta also presented a documentary on the excavations of the archaeological ruins led by him at Dubarani, Borpathar and called upon all to take interest in archaeology and congratulated Jorhat College for the sincere endeavour in bringing to light the long buried past.

The Principal of the college, Dr Devabrat Sharma commented that historical research on the pre-Ahom era in Assam would bring to light many unknown facts and thereby increase and contribute to the knowledge of history. Welcoming all participants, Dr Sharma said that anti-history drive propelled by the forces of globalization could be checked by making history compulsory in the school/college curriculum.

Dr Dambarudhar th, Professor holding Aniruddhadeva Chair at the Department of History, Dibrugarh University, theorized on the basis of Charyapada and Madhav Kandali’s religious discourses that religion in the pre-Ahom era in Assam was Buddhistic/Tantric which was essentially anti-Brahminical and that the revolutiory views of Buddha affected the religious beliefs of many tribes in pre-Ahom Assam.

On the other hand, Uttam Bathari, Assistant Director of ICHR (North Eastern Region) stressed the need to study history from the modern perspective. Speaking on the whole issue of migration of the Kacharis of Doyang – Dhansiri Valley to Dimapur, he questioned whether Doyang - Dhansiri civilization was Aryan or Mongolian? He argued with evidence that ‘Pani Kheti’/ ‘Shali Kheti’ (rice cultivation) was the contribution of the Tantric –Tibeto Burman and not of the Indo- Aryans. He further said that history could and should be studied from the multidiscipliry perspective.

Earlier, eminent jourlist and retired Professor of English, Prafulla Rajguru congratulated the college for the initiative and said that the present could only be built on the foundations of the past. Also on the occasion Krishkanta Mech of the Mech-Kachari Unyan Parishad - the collaborating organization – said that his organization would like to establish a long- term relationship with Jorhat College.