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Illustrations: Few Maps Description: This work is the first analytical and comprehensive account of the civilization of Assam from earliest to the present times. Its object is ti acquaint the readers with the forces and factors moulding the society and culture of Assam through the ages. It analyses the salient features of Assamese civilization giving proper weightage to the contributions made by different tribes or ethnic groups of both the hills and the plains as well as by the followers of different faiths towards its growth and development. The work is divided into four parts. Part I gives a brief idea of the present state of Assam. It also discusses the source materials as well as the pre-history and the proto-history of the land. Part II deals with the ancient period beginning with the legendary kings till the dismemberment of the ancient kingdom of Pragjyotisha or Kamarupa in the close of the twelfth century AD. Part III treats the history of the medieval period from the rise of different tribal states on the ruins of the ancient kingdom till the fall of the Ahom monarchy in 1826. Part IV deals with the modern period covering the history of the British rule upto the attainment of the country's independence in 1947. It also contains a chapter dealing briefly with the events after independence. The authoress has made full use of all available sources, published and unpublished, preserved in different libraries within and outside the state. Attempt has been made to make the information up-to-date with proper notes and references and the treatment clear and precise. The work also contains a bibliography, glossary and index.
This book presents a comprehensive account of the transformation of Assam's forests and ecology from early nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. It locates present-day ecological conflicts in the colonial era when contest over forest, land, and resource began to take new shape. Arupjyoti Saikia delineates how forest resources in Assam were mapped and intergrated with mechant capitalism since the early nineteenth century. He shows how imperial forestry practices led to changes in traditional resource utilization patterns. The book also examines the political economy of conservation practices. It explores the question of law and conservation, role of institutions and organizations, and the changing role of the forests in imperial economy. The book argues how the making of forest policy in the postcolonial period was defind by the complexities of the political matrix. It discusses plantation, silvicultural practices, protection and regeneration of forests, and livlihood practices. The author also analyses public debates surrounding ecology and environmental changes in conservation practices after the 1980 Act.
This volume offers a fresh approach to the existing literature on religion in Early Assam, bringing together perspectives from the fields of archaeology, religion, history and heritage. For decades, the Naraka legend has been incorporated into history without due critical attention and analysis of the historical context, while archaeological studies in religion have been largely descriptive. The sacred landscape of the erstwhile Prāgjyotiṣa and Kāmarūpa kingdoms had linkages with the history of other parts of India, and beyond. This book offers a comprehensive reconstruction of religion in Early Assam based on an exhaustive use of archaeological sources. It opens with a useful overview of the conceptual and methodological foundations of religion, archaeology and history. Heritage conservation of sacred sites such as Kāmākhyā which face the impact of rapid urbanization illustrates implications for Assam’s history and identity.
The Partition of India left in its wake far-reaching consequences for the northeastern state of Assam. Appearing to be caught in a time warp, the region continues to grapple with questions that engaged the public mind more than seven decades ago, before and immediately after the Partition. Alarmingly, issues such as immigration, demographic change, language, and identity have not only retained their relevance but have also gained an extra edge today. In this volume, the author outlines the present contentious issues confronting the state. Explaining the roots of these disputes and how the challenge posed by Assam held serious consequences for the nation as a whole, this work examines the developments that occurred in the years preceding Independence and the Partition. These developments have etched their effect on the society, politics, and economy of Assam, along with the entire northeastern region, in an indelible manner. As the volume reveals, the burden of those momentous years still rests heavily on Assam’s contemporary political scenario.
The unruly Brahmaputra has always been an agent in shaping both the landscape of its valley and the livelihoods of its inhabitants. But how much do we know of this river’s rich past? Historian Arupjyoti Saikia’s biography of the Brahmaputra reimagines the layered history of Assam with the unquiet river at the centre. The book combines a range of disciplinary scholarship to unravel the geological forces as well as human endeavour which have shaped the river into what it is today. Wonderfully illuminated with archival detail and interwoven with narratives and striking connections, the book allows the reader to imagine the Brahmaputra’s course in history. This evocative and compelling book will be interesting reading for anyone trying to understand the past and the present of a river confronted by the twenty-first century’s ambitious infrastructural designs to further re-engineer the river and its landscape.