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68-723: In the 18th century, a divine Hindu origin was constructed for the rulers of the Kachari kingdom and it was named Hidimba , and the kings as Hidimbesvar. The name Hiḍimbā continued to be used in the official records when the East India Company took over the administration of Cachar. The origin of the Dimasa Kingdom is not clear. According to tradition, the Dimasa had their domain in Kamarupa and their king belonged to

136-687: A Buranji , the first Ahom king Sukaphaa (r. 1228–1268) encountered a Kachari group in the Tirap region (currently in Arunachal Pradesh ), who informed him that they along with their chief had to leave a place called Mohung (salt springs) losing it to the Nagas and that they were settled near the Dikhou river . This supports a tradition that the eastern boundary of the Kachari domain extended up to Mohong or Namdang river (near Joypur, Assam ) beyond

204-683: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ekasarana Traditional Ekasarana Dharma ( lit.   ' Shelter-in-One religion ' ) is a neo-Vaishnavite religion propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century in the Indian state of Assam . It reduced focus on Vedic ritualism and focuses on devotion ( bhakti ) to Krishna in the form of congregational listening ( shravan ) and singing his name and deeds ( kirtan ). The simple and accessible religion attracted both Hindu and non-Hindu populations into its egalitarian fold. The neophytes continue to be inducted into

272-515: A Sanksritised name of the king (Viravijay Narayan, identified with Khorapha) with the mention of a goddess Chandi , there is no mention of the King's lineage but a mention of Hachengsa, a Boro-Garo name indicated that an appropriate Kshatriya lineage had still not been created by 1520. The first Hindu coin from the Brahmaputra valley, it followed the same weights and measures of the coins from

340-653: A close association between the Dimasa language and the Moran language that was alive till the beginning of the 20th-century, suggesting that the Dimasa kingdom had an eastern Assam presence before the advent of the Ahoms . The eastern Assam origin of the Dimasas is further reinforced by the tradition of the tutelary goddess Kecaikhati whose primary shrine was around Sadiya ; the tribal goddess common to many Kachari peoples : as

408-511: A corruption of Dimasa . The Dimasa kingdom did not record their history, and much of the early information come from other sources. The Ahom Buranjis, for instance, record that in 1490 the Ahom king Suhenphaa (1488–93) created a forward post at Tangsu and when the Dimasas killed the commander and 120 men the Ahoms sued for peace by offering a princess to the Dimasa king along with other presents, but

476-577: A lineage called Ha-tsung-tsa or Ha-cheng-sa , a name first mentioned in a coin from 1520. Some of them had to leave due to a political turmoil and while crossing the Brahmaputra some of them were swept away—therefore, they are called Dimasa ("Son-of-the-big-river"). The similarity in Dimasa traditions and religious beliefs with those of the Chutiya kingdom supports this tradition of initial unity and then divergence. Linguistic studies too point to

544-567: A part of the wider, pan-Indian Bhakti movement, it does not worship Radha with Krishna, which is common in many other Vaishnava schools. It is characterised by the dasya form of worship. Historically, it has been against caste system, and especially against animal sacrifices common in other sects of Hinduism, especially Shaktism . Noted for its egalitarianism , it posed a serious challenge to Brahminical Hinduism, and converted into its fold people of all castes, ethnicity and religion (including Islam ). The preceptors as well as later leaders of

612-639: A representative to the royal assembly called Mel , a powerful institution that could elect a king. The representatives sat in the Mel mandap (Council Hall) according to the status of the Sengphong and which provided a counterfoil to royal powers. Over time, the Sengphongs developed a hierarchical structure with five royal Sengphongs though most of the kings belonged to the Hacengha (Hasnusa) clan. Some of

680-453: A special place in this religion: Kirtan Ghoxa , composed by Sankardev; and Naam Ghoxa and Ratnavali , composed by Madhavdev. The religion fissured into four sanghati ( samhatis or sub-sects) soon after the death of Srimanta Sankardeva. Sankardev handed down the leadership to Madhabdev , but the followers of Damodardev and Harideva did not accept Madhabdev as their leader and formed their own group ( Brahma sanghati ). Madhabdeva at

748-605: Is Bhagavat of Sankardeva , which was rendered from the Sanskrit Bhagavata Purana by Srimanta Sankardeva and other early members of the Eka Sarana school. This book is supplemented by the two books of songs for congregational singing: Kirtan Ghoxa by Sankardeva and Naam Ghoxa by Madhabdev . These books are written in the Assamese language. The sect is also called Mahapuruxiya because it

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816-608: Is Nārāyana, the Supreme Reality or Parama Brahma and not merely an avatara of Visnu. Krishna is God Himself. It considers Narayana (Krishna) as both the cause as well as the effect of this creation, and asserts Narayana alone is the sole reality. From the philosophical angle, He is the Supreme Spirit (Param-Brahma). As the controller of the senses, the Yogis call him Paramatma. When connected with this world, He assumes

884-497: Is a corrupted form of the word Kochpur. Gopichandranarayan (r.1745-1757), Harichandra (r.1757-1772) and Laxmichandra (r.1772-1773) were brothers and ruled the kingdom in succession. In 1790, a formal act of conversion took place and Gopichandranarayan and his brother Laxmichandranarayan were proclaimed to be Hindus of the Kshatriya caste. During the reign of Krishnachandra (1790 - 1813), a number of Moamarias rebels took shelter in

952-648: Is based on the worship of the Mahapurux or Mahapurush (Sanskrit: Maha : great and purusha: being), an epithet of the supreme spiritual personality in the Bhagavata and its adherents are often called Mahapuruxia , Sankari etc. In course of time, the epithet 'Mahapurux' came also to be secondarily applied to Sankardeva and Madhabdev, the principal preceptors. Non-adherence to the Hindu varna system and rejection of Vedic karma marked its character. Though often seen as

1020-465: Is called Nika (clean) because it developed strict codes for purity and cleanliness in religious matters as well as in general living, as laid down by Madhabdeva. Idol worship is strictly prohibited and it gives special importance to Madhavdev. The Kala sanghati , initiated by Gopal Ata (Gopalldev of Bhavanipur) and named after the place of his headquarters Kaljar, placed its emphasis on Guru . The sattariya of this sanghati came to be considered as

1088-528: Is in the form of Krishna that Narayana is usually worshiped. The description of Krishna is based on the one in Bhagavat Puran, as one who resides in Vaikuntha along with his devotees. Thus the worshipful form is different from other forms of Krishna-based religions (Radha-Krishna of Caitanya, Gopi-Krishna of Vallabhacharya, Rukmini-Krishna of Namadeva and Sita-Rama of Ramananda). The form of devotion

1156-589: Is infused with the dasya and balya bhava in the works of Sankardev and Madhabdev. Madhura bhava , so prevalent in the other religions, is singularly absent here. The cari vastu or the Four Principles defined this religious system are: Sankardev defined the first, second and fourth of these, whereas Madhavdev introduced the third while at Belaguri when he accepted Sankardev as the guru for himself and for all others who accepted his faith. The four principles are revealed and their meaning explained at

1224-648: Is the Hiḍimbā Devi Temple in Manali . Some of the sacred objects enshrined here include chariots, footprints and a small statue. Hiḍimbī is one of the most powerful deities in Kullu Valley . The pagoda-shaped wooden temple, situated in the Deodar forests , has intricately-carved wooden doors and wooden shikhara , is believed to be over 500 years old. Believers may travel to the town of Kullu to participate in

1292-549: Is the act of creation, by which Narayana created everything. Unlike in Gaudiya Vaishnavism it claims no distinction between Brahman, Paramatman and Bhagavat, which are considered in Ekasarana as just different appellations applied to the same supreme reality. Even though Narayana is sometimes used synonymously with Vishnu, the gods Vishnu , Brahma and Shiva are considered of lower divinity. Narayana as

1360-810: The Ahom kingdom . The last king, Govinda Chandra Hasnu, was restored by the British after the Yandabo Treaty in 1826, but he was unable to subjugate Senapati Tularam who ruled the hilly regions. Senapati Tularam Dimasa domain was Mahur River and the Naga Hills in the south, the Doyang River on the west, the Dhansiri River on the east and Jamuna and Doyang in the north. In 1830, Govinda Chandra Hasnu died. In 1832, Senapoti Tularam Thaosen

1428-605: The Gandharva system and a son was born to princess Hidimbi, named Ghatotkacha. He ruled the Kachari Kingdom for many decades. Thereafter, kings of his lineage ruled over the vast land of the " Dilao " river ( which translates to "long river" in English), now known as Brahmaputra River for centuries until 4th century AD. The Dimasa Kachari kingdom came under Burmese occupation in the late early 19th-century along with

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1496-689: The Jiri frontier of Manipur . Hidimba Hidimba ( Sanskrit : हिडिम्ब , Hiḍimba ) was a powerful demon king who is mentioned in the epic Mahābhārata . He was killed by Bhima and this is recounted in the 9th sub-parva (Hidimba-vadha Parva) of the Adi Parva . The demon Hidimba lived in a forest along with his sister Hidimbi. While travelling, the Pandavas stopped in that forest to rest while Bhima stood on guard. Hidimba ate human flesh and became eager to devour them. He sent Hidimbi to kill

1564-622: The Rabhas , Morans , Tiwas , Koch , Chutias , etc. According to legend Hachengsa (or Hasengcha ) was an extraordinary boy brought up by a tiger and a tigress in a forest near Dimapur who replaced the existing king following divine oracles; which likely indicates the emergence of a strong military leader able to consolidate power. Subsequently, the Hasengcha Sengfang (clan) emerged and beginning with Khorapha (1520 in Dimapur),

1632-463: The Tripura Kingdom , which was taken over by Koch king Chilarai in the 16th century. The region was ruled by a tributary ruler, Kamalnarayana, the brother of king Chilarai. Around 18th century Bhima Singha, the last Koch ruler of Khaspur, didn't have any male heir. His daughter, Kanchani, married Laxmichandra, the Dimasa prince of Maibang kingdom. And once the last Koch king Bhima Singha died

1700-443: The sattra institution. Institutions propagating Eka Sarana like sattra (monasteries) and village Namghar (prayer houses), had profound influence in the evolution of the social makeup of Assam. The artistic creations emanating from this movement led to engendering of new forms of literature, music ( Borgeets or songs celestial), theatre ( Ankia Naat ) and dance ( Sattriya dance ). The central religious text of this sect

1768-486: The 16th century by those outside the Dimasa kingdom who practiced sedentary agriculture and who had already experienced Brahminism. After subjugating the Ahoms in 1564, the Koch commander Chilarai advanced on Marangi, subjugated Dimarua and finally advanced on the Dimasa kingdom, then possibly under Durlabh Narayan or his predecessor Nirbhay Narayan and made it into a feudatory of the Koch kingdom . This campaign realigned

1836-468: The Ahoms went on the offence and Khunkhara's brother Detcha lost his life attacking the newly erected Ahom fort at Marangi. Both the Ahom king and the commander then attacked the Nenguriya fort, and Khunkhara had to flee with his son. The Ahoms force under Kan-Seng then reached Dimapur following which Detchung, a son of the earlier king Khorapha, approached Suhungmung at Nenguriya and submitted his claim to

1904-608: The Cachar state. The Ahoms blamed the Dimasa for providing refuge to the rebels and this led to a number of small skirmishes between the Ahoms and the Dimasas from 1803 to 1805. The King of Manipur sought the help of Krishna Chandra Dwaja Narayan Hasnu Kachari against the Burmese Army . The King Krishna Chandra defeated Burmese in the war and in lieu was offered the Manipuri Princess Induprabha. As he

1972-551: The Dimasa king Khorapha was killed, and Khunkhara, his brother, came to power. The two kingdoms made peace and decided to maintain the Dhansiri river as the boundary. This peace did not hold and fighting broke out between an advancing Ahom force against a Kachari force arrayed along the Dhansiri—the Kacharis were successful initially, but they suffered a massive loss at Marangi, and again an uneasy stalemate prevailed. In 1531

2040-591: The Dimasa king preparing to attack them. This led Sankardeva and his group to abandon the region for good. One of the earliest mention of Kachari is found in the Bhagavat of Sankardev in the section composed during the later part of his life in the Koch kingdom where he uses it synonymously with Kirata . Another early mention of the name Kachari comes from Kacharir Niyam ( Rules of the Kacharis ), composed during

2108-518: The Dimasa king, installed Jasa Manik on the throne of Jaintia Kingdom , who manipulated events to bring the Dimasa Kacharis into conflict with the Ahoms once again in 1618. Satrudaman, the most Dimasa powerful king, ruled over Dimarua in Nagaon district , North Cachar, Dhansiri valley, plains of Cachar and parts of eastern Sylhet . After his conquest of Sylhet, he struck coins in his name. By

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2176-560: The Dimasa kings continued to draw lineage from Hachengcha in Maibong and Khaspur till the 19th century. Given different traditions and legends, the only reliable sources of the early history of the Dimasa kingdom is that given in the Buranjis, even though they are primarily narrations of wars between the Ahom and the Dimasa polities. The historical accounts of the Dimasas begin with mentions in Ahom chronicles: according to an account in

2244-534: The Dimasa throne. The Ahoms thereafter claimed the Dimasa king as thapita-sanchita (established and preserved), and the Dimasa kingdom provided support to the Ahom kingdom when it was under the attack of Turbak in 1532/1533, a Turko-Afghan commander from Bengal. But when Detchung (also called Dersongpha) tried to throw off the yoke Suhungmung advanced against Detchung captured and killed him, and then advanced on and occupied Dimapur in 1536. The Dimasas rulers thereafter abandoned Dimapur. The current ruins at Dimapur,

2312-536: The Dimasas migrated to Khaspur, thus merging the two kingdoms into one as Kachari kingdom under the king Gopichandranarayan, as the control of the Khaspur kingdom went to the ruler of the Maibong kingdom as inheritance from the royal marriage and established their capital in Khaspur, near present-day Silchar . The independent rule of the Khaspur's Koch rulers ended in 1745 when it merged with the Kachari kingdom. Khaspur

2380-733: The Ekasarana religion focused mainly on the religious practice of bhakti and kept away from systematically expounding philosophical positions. Nevertheless, references found scattered in the voluminous works of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva indicate that their theosophical positions are rooted in the Bhagavata Purana with a strong Advaita influence via its commentary Bhavartha-dipika by Sridhar Swami. Nevertheless, Sankardeva's interpretation of these texts were seen at once to be "original and new". Scholars hold that these texts are not followed in-toto and deviations are often seen in

2448-616: The King of Jaintia Kingdom, after his imprisonment he sent messengers to the Assam king for help, in response Rudra Singha deputed his generals with over 43,000 troops to invade Jaintia kingdom. The Jaintia king was captured and taken to the court of Rudra Singha where the Jaintia king submitted and the territories of the Dimasa Kingdom and Jaintia kingdom got annexed to the Ahom kingdom . Kacharis had three ruling clans ( semfongs ): Bodosa (an old historical clan), Thaosengsa (the clan to which

2516-601: The Muslim Sultans of Bengal and Tripura and indicate influence from them. This kingdom might have been part of ancient Sinitic networks such as the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Soon after absorbing the Chutia kingdom in 1523 Suhungmung , the Ahom king, decided to recover the territory the Ahoms had lost in 1490 to the Dimasa kingdom and sent his commander Kan-Seng in 1526 who advanced up to Marangi. In one of these attacks

2584-471: The Pandavas and to bring them back to him. Hidimbi went on his instructions, but her mind changed on seeing Bhima. She assumed the form of a beautiful woman and told about her brother to Bhima. She proposed him to become his husband. Hidimba got furious at his sister and rushed towards her to kill her. Bhima interjected Hidimba and challenged him to fight him instead. The sleeping Pandavas woke up on hearing

2652-492: The Sanskrit markings of the 1520 silver coin issued by Viravijay Narayan (Khorapha), the city lacked any sign of Brahminical influence, from the observations in 1536 as recorded in the Buranjis, as well as the colonial observations of 1874. The fall of Dimapur in 1536 was followed by a 22-year period of interregnum , and there is no mention of a king in the records. In either 1558 or 1559 a son of Detsung, Madanakumara, assumed

2720-452: The annual festival of Dussehra , where Hiḍimbā's chariot leads a rally of gods from all over the Kullu valley, escorting the main chariot of Raghunāth . At the end of the seven-day festivities, on the "Lanka Dahan" day, sacrifices are made to Hiḍimbā. Ghaṭotkaca is also a popular deity in the neighboring Banjar village and Siraj district. This Hindu mythology–related article is

2788-516: The clans provided specialized services to the state ministers, ambassadors, storekeepers, court writers, and other bureaucrats and ultimately developed into professional groups, e.g. Songyasa (king's cooks), Nablaisa (fishermen). By the 17th century, the Dimasa Kachari rule extended into the plains of Cachar. The plains people did not participate in the courts of the Dimasa Kachari king directly. They were organized according to khels , and

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2856-473: The earlier king, claimed in the coin issued earlier in 1520 from Dimapur that he had defeated the enemies of Hachengsa without specifying his relationship to him but Nirbhaya Narayana and his successors in Maibong for the next hundred years or so claimed in their coins that they belonged to the family of Hachensa; thereby signalling a change in the mode of legitimacy from deed to birth. On the other hand Dimasa kings from Maibang are recorded as Lord of Heremba from

2924-406: The existence of other gods, it asserts that Narayana alone is worshipful and the others are strictly excluded. Following the Bhagavata Purana , the object of devotion in Ekasarana is Krishna , who is the supreme entity himself. All other deities are subservient to Him. Brahman, Vishnu and Krishna are fundamentally one. Krishna is alone the supreme worshipful in the system. Sankaradeva's Krishna

2992-497: The faith via an initiation ceremony called xoron-lowa (literally: take-shelter), usually conducted by Sattradhikars , heads of monastic institutions called Sattras , who generally draw apostolic lineage from Sankardev. Some Sattradhikars, especially those from the Brahma-sanghati, reject apostolic lineage from Sankardev due to an early schism with the order. Some modern reformation institutions conduct xoron-lowa outside

3060-540: The jiva is restored to its natural state ( maya is removed). Though other Vaishnavites (Ramanuja, Nimbarka, Vallabha, Caitanya) recognise only videhamukti ( mukti after death), the Ekasarana preceptors have recognised, in addition, jivanmukti ( mukti during lifetime). Among the five different kinds of videhamukti , the Ekasarana rejects the Sayujya form of mukti , where the complete absorption in God deprives jiva of

3128-508: The king provided justice and collected revenue via an official called the Uzir . Though the plains people did not participate in the Dimasa Kachari royal court, the Dharmadhi guru and other Brahmins in the court cast a considerable influence, especially with the beginning of the 18th century. In the medieval era, after the fall of Kamarupa kingdom the region of Khaspur was originally a part of

3196-414: The kings belonged), and Hasyungsa (to which the kings relatives belonged). The king at Maibang was assisted in his state duties by a council of ministers ( Patra and Bhandari ), led by a chief called Barbhandari . These and other state offices were manned by people of the Dimasa group, who were not necessarily Hinduized. There were about 40 clans called Sengphong of the Dimasa people, each of which sent

3264-438: The name of Bhagavanta. Moreover, some of the characteristics usually reserved for the impersonal God in other philosophies are attributed to Narayana with reinterpretations. The embodied self, called jiva or jivatma is identical to Narayana. It is shrouded by maya and thus suffers from misery, When the ego ( ahamkara ) is destroyed, the jiva can perceive himself as Brahma. The jiva attains mukti (liberation) when

3332-517: The name of the Dimasa king is not known. The Dimasas thus recovered the region east of the Dikhau river that it had lost in the late 13th century. Ekasarana biographies of Sankardeva written after his death use the name Kachari for the Dimasa people and the kingdom and record that around 1516 the Baro-Bhuyans at Alipukhuri came into conflict with their Kachari neighbors which escalated into

3400-530: The other sanghatis are allowed in this sanghati . Brahmins too found this sanghati attractive and most of the Sattras of this sanghati have traditionally had Brahmin sattradhikars . Among the cari vastus , Deva is emphasised, worship of the images of the deva (Vishnu and the chief incarnations, Krishna and Rama) are allowed. Among the gurus Damodardev is paramount. Later on they came to call themselves Damodariya after Damodardev. The Purush sanghati

3468-470: The personal and worshipful god is considered to be a loving and lovable god, who possesses auspicious attributes that attract devotees. He is non-dual, omnipotent and omniscient; creator, sustainer, and destroyer of all. He also possesses moral qualities like karunamaya (compassionate), dinabandhu (friend of the lowly), bhakta-vatsala (beloved of devotees) and patit-pavana (redeemer of sinners) that make him attractive to devotees. Though it does not deny

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3536-484: The physical embodiment of Deva , and the disciples of this sect are not allowed to pay obeisance to anyone else. This sect was successful in initiating many tribal and socially backward groups into the Mahapuruxia fold, and it had the largest following among the different sanghatis . The Dihing sattra, one of the large sattra's received royal patronage; but the largest sattra, Moamara, forged an independent path and

3604-476: The reign of Birdarpan Narayan (reign around 1644), the Dimasa rule had withdrawn completely from the Dhansiri valley and it reverted to a jungle forming a barrier between the kingdom and the Ahom kingdom . When a successor king, Tamradhwaj, declared independence, the Ahom king Rudra Singha deputed 2 of his generals to invade Maibong with over 71,000 troops, and destroyed its forts in 1706. Tamardhwaj fled to Jaintia Kingdom where he got treacherously imprisoned by

3672-546: The reign of Tamradhwaj Narayan ( r.  1697–1708? ), when the Dimasa rulers were still ruling in Maibang. A coin dated 1520 commemorating a decisive victory over enemies is one of the earliest direct evidence of the historical kingdom. Since no conflict with the Kacharis is mentioned in the Ahom Buranjis it is conjectured that the enemy could have been the nascent Koch kingdom of Biswa Singha . Though issued in

3740-628: The relationships and rearranged the territorial controls among the political formations of the time. Dimarua, which was a feudatory of the Dimasa kingdom, was set up by Chilarai was a buffer against the Jaintia kingdom . The hold of the Ahom kingdom, which was already subjugated, over the Dimasa kingdom weakened. Further, Chilarai defeated and killed the Twipra king, and occupied the Cachar region from him and established Koch administration there at Brahmapur (Khaspur) under his brother Kamal Narayan—this region

3808-477: The river Dichang, before the arrival of Ahoms. Given the settlement was large, Sukaphaa decided not to engage with them before settling with the Barahi and Moran polities. During the reign of Sukaphaa's successor Suteuphaa ( r.  1268–1281 ) the Ahoms negotiated with this group of the Dimasa, who had been in the region between Dikhou and Namdang for about three generations by then, and the Dimasa group moved to

3876-472: The same city that Suhungmung occupied, include a 2 mile long brick wall on three sides, with the Dhansiri river on the fourth with water tanks—indicating a large city. The existing gateway too was in brick and display the Islamic architectural style of Bengal. The ruins include curious carved 12 feet tall pillars of sandstone with hemispherical tops and foliated carvings with representations of animals and birds but no humans that display no Hindu influence. Despite

3944-455: The sounds of them fighting and offered to help Bhima in killing Hidimba but Bhima asked them to watch the duel as spectators. Arjuna reminded Bhima that daybreak was about to set in and the demons become stronger at that time and Bhima should kill Hidimba as soon as possible. Bhima ended up crushing and tearing Hidimba into two pieces. There are a few temples dedicated to Hiḍimbā's sister Hiḍimbī in Himachal Pradesh . The most famous temple

4012-416: The sweetness and bliss associated with bhakti . Bhakti is thus not a means to mukti but an end to itself, and this is strongly emphasised in Ekasarana writings—Madhavdeva begins his Namaghosha with an obeisance to devotees who do not prefer mukti . Narayana often manifests through avatars , and Krishna is considered as the most perfect one who is not a partial manifestation but Narayana himself. It

4080-422: The throne with the name Nirbhaya Narayana, and established his capital at Maibang in the North Cachar hills . Not all the Kachari people accompanied the rulers from Dimapur to Maibong—and those who remained in the plains developed independently in language and customs. In the hills around Maibong, the Dimasa rulers encountered already established Naga and Kuki peoples, who accepted the Dimasa rule. Khorapha,

4148-625: The time of his death did not name a successor. After his death three leaders formed their own denominations: Bhabanipuria Gopal Ata ( Kaal sanghati ), Purushuttom Thakur Ata, a grandson of Sankardev ( Purusa sanghati ) and Mathuradas Burhagopal Ata ( Nika Sanghati ). They differ mostly in the emphasis of the cari vastus (four fundamental principles) The Brahma sanghati developed as a result of Damodardev and Haridev moving away from Sankardev's successor Madhabdev's leadership. Over time this sanghati brought back some elements of Brahminical orthodoxy. The vedic rituals which are generally prohibited in

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4216-422: The time of initiation ( xonron-lowa ). The single most important religious text is the Bhagavata , especially the Book X ( Daxama ). This work was transcreated from the original Sanskrit Bhagavata Purana to Assamese in the 15th and 16th centuries by ten different individuals, but chiefly by Srimanta Sankardev who rendered as many as ten Cantos (complete and partial) of this holy text. Three other works find

4284-400: The west of the Dikhou river. These isolated early accounts of the Dimasas suggest that they controlled the region between the Dikhu river in the east and the Kolong river in the west and included the Dhansiri valley and the north Cachar hills from the late 13th century. The Ahom language Buranjis call the Dimasa kings khun timisa , and place them initially in Dimapur , where Timisa is

4352-408: The writings especially when the original philosophical contents came into conflict with the primary focus of bhakti as enunciated in the Ekasarana-dharma. Though Ekasarana acknowledges the impersonal ( nirguna ) god, it identifies the personal ( saguna ) one as worshipful which it identifies in the Bhagavad-Puranic Narayana . The sole aspect that distinguishes the personal from the impersonal one

4420-411: Was already married to Rani Chandraprabha, he asked the princess to be married to his younger brother Govinda Chandra Hasnu. The fictitious but widely believed legend that was constructed by the Hindu Brahmins at Khaspur goes as follows: During their exile, the Pandavas came to the Kachari Kingdom where Bhima fell in love with Hidimbi (sister of Hidimba ). Bhima married princess Hidimbi according to

4488-425: Was initiated by the grandsons of Sankardeva—Purushottam Thakur and Chaturbhuj Thakur—after the death of Madhavdev. The emphasis is on Naam . Sankardeva has a special position among the hierarchy of Gurus . Some Brahminical rites as well as the worship of images is tolerated to some extent. This sanghati was initiated by Badala Padma Ata , Mathuradas and Kesava Ata. The emphasis is on sat-sanga . This sanghati

4556-415: Was pensioned off and his region was annexed by the British to ultimately become the North Cachar district; and in 1833, Govinda Chandra's domain was also annexed to become the Cachar district. In The British annexed the Dimasa Kachari Kingdom under the doctrine of lapse . At the time of British annexation, the kingdom consisted of parts of Nagaon and Karbi Anglong ; North Cachar (Dima Hasao), Cachar and

4624-414: Was to form the core of the Dimasa rule in the 18th century. The size of the annual tribute— seventy thousand rupees, one thousand gold mohurs and sixty elephants— testifies to the resourcefulness of the Kachari state. A conflict with the Jaintia Kingdom over the region of Dimarua led to a battle, in which the Jaintias suffered defeat. After the death of Jaintia king Dhan Manik, Satrudaman

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