North-East India: Land, People and Economy by K. R. Dikshit & Jutta K. Dikshit

Author:K. R. Dikshit & Jutta K. Dikshit
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht

11.10.3.3 The Hindus in Assam

Hindus in Assam, as anywhere else in India, are a monogamous people who are not monotheistic and worship a pantheon of gods and goddesses. The multiplicity of gods and goddesses existed all through the history, starting from pre-Christian Vedic period down to the present day. Thus, in Assam, one can find temples of Indra, a Vedic god, to those of Sankara; Vishnu; goddess Kamakhya; and even various incarnations of Vishnu, besides local deities, all representing a supreme god in different incarnations

As seen earlier, before the Muslims appeared on the scene in thirteenth century, the Assamese society consisted largely of Hindus and the pre-existing tribes who practised some kind of totemistic belief. Besides the Hindus, there were some Buddhists. The arrival of Muslims notwithstanding, the Hindu religion and, in turn, the Hindu society have undergone a prolonged period of evolution, during which the faith once greatly influenced by Buddhist ‘Tantric’ tradition has adopted Vaishnavism, a sect of Hinduism that follows ‘Bhakti’ tradition, implying complete surrender to God. This transformation of Hinduism was effected by Sankardeb, a fifteenth-century poet saint and his followers. The old ritualistic approach and animal sacrifices were done away with, and Sankardeb introduced a simple religion based on complete surrender to one God, a faith where worship consisted in ‘kirtan’, singing hymns in praise of God. The religion, Bhagbat dharma, propagated by Sankardeb and his disciples, had greater appeal because of its simplicity, shorn as it was of all the elaborate rituals. Besides the followers of Vaishnavism, the most widespread sect of Hinduism in Assam, there are other sects like Saivism, which have their followers. Yet another sect that believes in the worship of ‘Shakti’, the goddess of energy, represented by Kamakhya Devi, including animal sacrifice, also attracts devotees.

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