Assam from Mythology to Neo Vaishnavism of Srimanta Sankardeva
Assam’s cultural landscape can be looked at as pre and post Srimanta Sankardeva.
In the ancient time, Assam was a country known as Pragjyotishpur. The name is mentioned in the Indian Epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The literal meaning of this word is “astrology of the east” or “jewel of the east”. However, in the medieval period this region came to be known as Kamarupa. The earliest reference regarding the name of Kamarupa is found in the Allahabad Eulogy of Samudra Gupta, a Gupta dynasty ruler in the fourth century.
During the olden days Shaivism was the popular form of religion both among the incumbents or the tribes and the migrants. Harsacharita of Banabhatta talks about Bhaskarvarman, a 7th century ruler to be a devout Shiva follower. The ancient Yogini Tantra also talks about a number of shrines dedicated to Shiva who was both a Tribal God and the deity of Royal families. Interestingly, Shiva temples were attached to every Shakt temple invariably in the form of Bhairava. In these temples Shiva was worshipped in two different forms i.e. Bhogi Shiva and Yogi Shiva. The former one is worshipped according to the Tantric rites while the latter one is worshipped according to the Puranic rites
The Chinese traveler, Hiuen Tsang who was in India during the seventh century was invited by the then king of Kamarupa, Bhaskarvarman . He mentions this region as Kamolup’o . It is believed that Kalika Purana was written in Assam or Kamarup region in the 9th century. Kalika Purana also mentioned that before the introduction of Devi Worship in Kamakhya by Naraka, Shiva was recognised as the guardian deity of the land.
Assam in the mythological stories
During the Mahabharata era, Narkasur was the king of this region. He had attacked the Swargaloka (Heaven ), defeated the King and made 16000 girls captive. Shri Krishna killed Narkasur and took all 16000 girls to Dwarka and married them. Later, Bhagdutt, the ruler of Pragjyotishpur, fought the war of Mahabharata from the side of the Kauravas and was killed by Arjun. It is believed that Narakasur had built the temple of Kamakhya Devi on top of Neelachal Hills
The place is also mentioned in the Bhagwata Purana (sacred book of Hindus, dedicated to Lord Vishnu). After Sati’s death, Lord Shiva was roaming around in anger and despair carrying his wife’s dead body . To save the world from his wrath and get Shiva back to normalcy, Lord Vishnu – with the help of his Sudarshan Chakra (a divine discus) cut Sati’s dead body into pieces and scattered them at different places . Of the 51 pieces of the dead body of Sati , her genitals (Yoni) fell in Kamakhya and a temple was built there.
Another very popular story is from the Mahabharata Era. Hidimba , a Kachari princess from Assam falls in love with Bhima and marries him. Their son Ghatotkach, grows up to become a great warrior and fights from the pandavas side in the Battle of Kurukshetra .
Though there are ruins of Vishnu temples , they seem to be related to Tantric cult in some form . And Shakti cult took deep roots in the then Assam. It was considered as a land of magic and witch-craft and the heartland of Tantra. In fact Mayong in Assam is known as the Black Magic capital of India .
Ain-e-Akbari and Fathiya-i-Ibriyah talk about sorcery of the medieval Assam. Alamgir-namah of Mirza Muhammad Qazim also says that the people who came to the Kamarupa from outside lost their way and could not return back.
Shaktism became very popular in the society, primarily because there were no restrictions with respect to gender or caste. The Tantric rituals consisted of partaking of five elements i.e. madira (wine), mangsa (flesh), matsya (fish), mudra (parched grain) and maithuna (sexual union)
The historical account of Assam began with the establishment of PushyaVarman‟s dynasty in the fourth century in the Kamarupa Kingdom which marked the beginning of the Ancient history of Assam. Shaivism and Shaktism were the main religions embraced by the royal families and it was a commonly practised religion in Assam. However, it is believed that tribal practices coexisted with Hinduism in Assam
Srimanta Sankardeva & Neo Vaishnavism in Assam
The Neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam was started by Srimanta Sankardeva, a scholar , poet playwright & social-religious reformer . This movement played an important role in constructing the medieval Assam. It transcended deep into the fabric of the Assamese society overcoming all barriers of caste, creed and religion.
The ideas and philosophy of Sankaradeva became an integral part of the life of locals. The religious institutions like Namghars (prayer hall) and Satras (monasteries), which were built to spread the Bhakti movement, had a big influence in the political & social life of the people. These institutions worked as a community centre for the masses.
The Neo-Vaishnavite movement spread the message of Bhakti, religion and love amongst the common people. It was a welcome change for the masses who were oppressed by the Brahmanical and Tantric rituals which were the norm in Assam then. The common man found a way to connect with the God without any razzmatazz and external interference. Srimanta Sankardeva created a Vaishnavite society with three components, namely, Nama-Kirtana (community prayer), Satra (monastery) and Namghar (prayer hall)
The Satra became the centre for disseminating spiritual knowledge as well as for imparting training in different crafts and the village Namghar worked as the pseudo parliament to address local issues at a community level.
The religious preaching and activities of Sankaradeva contributed significantly in shaping the Assamese culture and literature. A prominent historian, Debabrata Dutta in his book “History of Assam” also talks about the support of Koch Kings towards the Bhakti movement. This could have helped Sankardeva to take his preaching across different places in Assam.
Srimanta Sankardeva had spent twelve years in different holy places like Vrindavana, Mathura, Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Prayag, Jagannatha Puri etc which were all centres of Vaishnavism (connected to the lives of Rama & Krishna) and Vedic studies. It was at Jagannath Puri , that he received enlightenment and learnt jnana-bhakti from people of different religious opinion. Sankaradeva composed his first Bargeeta (devotional song) near the bank of Ganges.
Srimanta Sankardeva led the Vaishnavism through community mobilisation
Srimanta Sankardeva built this sect upon three elements. Satsanga, a sacred gathering of Bhakts; Nama, the chanting of the verses from various religious scriptures like Bhagawata Purana and Bhagwat Geeta and Eksarana, the undivided devotion to one (Vishnu). Sankaradeva started holding daily devotional discourses known as Nama kirtana at Naam Ghars. The official name of Sankaradeva‟s Vaishnavism is Eksarana Nam dharma; meaning , the religion which devotes itself to one; that is Vishnu who takes different forms like Rama, Krisha, Narasingha in different eras. In Assam, the Vaishnavas worship Lord Krishna , 8th avatar of Vishnu . The neo Vaishnavism religion was against idol worship and it focussed on devotion rather than salvation. This religious system was strictly monotheistic.
Something very interesting about Sankardev’s Vaishnavism is that unlike other parts of India where Radha (Krishna’s consort) is an integral part of worshipping, in Assam, it is just Krishna. In the neighbouring state of Manipur , Vaishnavism is about Radha-Krishna. Sankaradeva was never against a married life. He himself was a householder. In lot of his books and dance drama series (Bhaona) he has spoken in favour of marriage.
Sankardev’s disciples were from varied communities including practising Hindus, indigenous tribes and Muslims. He was a poet and composer and he spread Vaishnavism through literature and music. The main centres of Vaishnavism in Assam are Majuli, Barpeta, Nagaon . He found his most ardent devotee and Spiritual successor, Madhavdeva in Majuli. Madhavadeva was an accomplished poet, dramatist, lyricist and a musician and he propagated the Naam dharma to different parts of Assam.
Historians believe that Srimanta Sankardeva and his Bhakti movement asserted the dignity of man in society independent of birth and social rank, and established the spiritual equality amongst all men. It not only fostered unity and brotherhood, but also worked towards abolition of the Tantric practices like animal and human sacrifice, appeasement of the priest.
The Neo Vaishnavism is still a very prominent religion in Assam and it has shaped the Assamese culture into a progressive, welcoming and inclusive culture. No wonder, the state is cosmopolitan and is not known for caste based clashes or religious turmoil.
To know more about the longest ruling dynasty of Assam and India click here
Best time to visit Assam
The best time to visit is between September to April.
How to reach Assam ?
Guwahati, capital of Assam is well connected with all the cities in India via flights and train
For more such spiritual experiences in India, you could take a look at the article on India – The Spiritual Abode
In case culture is of interest, check out the places of cultural interest in India.
In case you are keen on traveling to north eastern India, you could take a look at the itinerary of Assam and experience the neo vaishnavism cult as a part of this itinerary.
India is not just about spirituality. There are many more facets to this ancient land – culture, mystery, history, nature, wildlife and so on. Read more about how the different facets of India travel are celebrated here…
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