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An
ideal meeting ground for diverse races, Assam gave shelter to streams
of human waves carrying with them district cultures and trends of civilization.
Austro-Asiatics, Negritos, Dravidians, Alpines, Indo -Mongoloids, Tibeto-Burmese
and Aryans penetrated into Assam through different routes and contributed
in their own way towards the unique fusion of a new community which came
to be known in later history as theAssamese. Assam however, remained predominantly
a land of the Tibeto-Burmese.
The vast section of the people of Assam belong either to this stock or
owe their origin to the fusion of this stock with other racial groups.
Assam, known in the ancient lore as Kamarupa, originally included in addition
to modern Assam, parts of modern Bengal and Bangladesh. Guwahati, the
pulsating centre of Assam, is an ancient town whose history goes back
to the puranic days.
The city, anciently known as Pragjyotishpur, was said to have been founded
by King Narakasur, who is mentioned in the puranas and epics. His son
Bhagadatta led a large elephant force to the battlefield of Kurukshetra,
and fell fighting on the side of the Kauravas. In the 13th century, the
country was conquered by the Ahoms under the leadership of Sukapha, a
prince of the Shan tribe, in the upper Irravaddy Valley.
The advent of the Ahoms changed the course of Assam's history. Ahoms fought
the local Karchari, Chutia and Moran kings and established their sway
in course of time, over the whole of Brahmaputra Valley. The Ahoms appointed
Bharphakans to rule Kamapura and Gauhati became the capital of these Viceroys.
The last of the Viceroys was Badanchandra, whoin an ill-advised bid for
power invited the Burmese to help him. The Burmese dislodged the Ahoms
and dismissed their Viceroy, Badanchandra. The Ahoms appealed to the British
for help.
The British defeated the Burmese in several battels, in what has since
been called the first Burmese War. With the Treaty with Yandabo in 1826,
the Burmese vacated Assam, leaving British in possession. The conquered
territory was placed under the administrator of an Agent to the Governor
General. In 1832 Chachar was annexed to Assam. In 1835, the Jaintia hills
were made part of Assam. In 1874 a seperate province of Assam under a
Chief Commissioner was created, with Shillong as Capital. On the partition
of India almost the whole of the predominantly Muslim district of Sylhet
was merged with East Bengal.
Dewanagiri in North Kamapura was ceded to Bhutan in 1951. In 1948, the
North East Frontier Agency was separated from Assam, for security reasons.
In 1963, Nagaland was carved out of Assam as a full-fledged state. On
21st Jan. 1972, Meghalaya was cut out of Assam, as a separate state and
Mizoram became Union Territory. In 1987, Mizoram was granted statehood.
*Though many cultures and different races mingled in the development of
Assamese culture, predominantly it is Tibeto-Burmese.
In olden days it was known as Kamrupa. Guwahati, the biggest was called
Prag Jyotishpur in ancient times. King Narakasur was the founder and his
son Bhagadatta died in the battlefield of Kurukshetra fightng for the
Kauravas, says Mahabharata. In the 13th century, the Ahom tribe conquered
Assam. They appointed Viceroys to rule Guwahati and Kamrupa.
The last
Viceroy in the last century invited the Burmese to help him to become
independent. But the Burmese dislodged the viceroy and began to rule.
The Ahoms appealed to the British and they defeated the Burmese.
In 1826,
Assam became part of British India.
Kings and
Monarchs of Independent Assam Before 4th century BC: Nothing much known
Mohiranga Danaw and his descendents; the last king's name was Ghatakaaxur
Bhouma Dynasty
Brief History of Assam after 1826
1826: Assam annexation by British complete; Assam made a part of the Province
of Bengal; Assam divided into two commissions: Upper Assam and Lower Assam
1832: Division of Assam into the districts of Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang,
Nagaon
1832: Kochaari Kingdom consisting of current districts of Karbi Anglong,
Cachar and others annexed to Assam, made part of Nagaon district
1833: Upper Assam made an independent kingdom and Purandar Xingha made
king
1834: Independent Kochaari Kingdom reestablished 1835: Tea Plantation
Inauagarated
1835: Jaintia Hills were annexed to Assam
1836: Assamese language was replaced by Bengal as the official language
of Assam
1838: Upper Assam again annexed by the British, districts of Sibsagar
and Lakhimpur established
1842: Matak Kingdom around Xodiyaa annexed by British into Assam 1850:
Kochaari Kingdom re-annexed to Assam
1866: Angaami Naga Kingdom annexed to Assam, made a district 1869: Garo
Kingdom annexed to Assam, made a district
1873: Assamese was once again made the official language of Assam after
a period of 37 years
1874: Assam separated from Bengal and made into a separate province
1898: Lushaai Kingdom annexed by British, made a district of Assam 1905-12:
Assam made a part of the new province of East Bengal and Assam under a
lieutenant governor
1912: Division of Bengal ends, Assam made a part of Bengal again; Assam
is overseen by a chief commissioner
1917: Kuki Naga Kingdom annexed to the District of Nagaland in Assam
1919: Assam made a separate province again, Sylleht made a district of
Assam
1921: Governorship is created in Assam
1947: District of Sylleht votes to join East Pakistan
1948: University established in Guwahati
1951: Dewangiri in Kamrup ceded to Bhutan
1963: District of Nagaland separated from Assam and made into a state
1972: NEFA, Garo and Khaasiyaa Hills, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura separated
from Assam.
Gaaro and Khaasiyaa Hills become the state of Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura
also become a state. NEFA becomes the state of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram
becomes a state, both in 1987.
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History
