TAI KHAMYANG (SHYAM) BUDDHIST PEOPLE IN TITABAR - JORHAT AREA, ASSAM, INDIA
Three villages, 100-odd families, a wonderful tapestry of culture and
traditions, and a history that goes back 700 years – Assam has just
discovered a tourism goldmine.
Residents of Balijan Shyamgaon, Betbari Shyamgaon and Na Shyamgaon, all in Jorhat district, are said to be descendants of those who came to Assam in the 13th century from Thailand, via the Patkai hill ranges. That was the Great Migration from Southeast Asia, leading to 600 years of Ahom rule.
However, what is of immediate interest to the tourism department is the fact that these descendants of the original migrants have maintained a link with their past. The inhabitants of Balijan Shyamgaon, Betbari Shyamgaon and Na Shyamgaon – near Titabor, – remain Buddhists and have temples (viharas) and pagodas with art and sculptures that echo their distinctive history, culture and traditions.
Among the objets d’art and relics preserved in these villages are a statue of the Buddha, a pair of Burmese chivar (robe), a golden kammawara (a religious book) and a large cane basket that was gifted to the Balijan Buddhist temple as a token of love and friendship by the Burmese general Mingimaha Bandula about 300 years ago.
The Balijan shrine is already a major pilgrimage spot for Buddhists of the Northeast. The first general conference of the All Assam Buddhists’ Association, which is a regional chapter of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, was held at Balijan Shyamgaon in 1942.
Residents of Balijan and the other two villages play traditional musical instruments like the kong (flute), which is still used in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China and Vietnam. Although there have been slight deviations from the original Tai-Khamyang culture, the villagers still adhere to customs such as the birth ritual called khawn.
Each of the villages has a vihara, where monks teach Tai and Pali scriptures to students. Regular schooling is taken care of by Assamese-medium institutions.
Several Buddhist scholars from Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan and Japan have already visited the three villages for research.
Residents of Balijan Shyamgaon, Betbari Shyamgaon and Na Shyamgaon, all in Jorhat district, are said to be descendants of those who came to Assam in the 13th century from Thailand, via the Patkai hill ranges. That was the Great Migration from Southeast Asia, leading to 600 years of Ahom rule.
However, what is of immediate interest to the tourism department is the fact that these descendants of the original migrants have maintained a link with their past. The inhabitants of Balijan Shyamgaon, Betbari Shyamgaon and Na Shyamgaon – near Titabor, – remain Buddhists and have temples (viharas) and pagodas with art and sculptures that echo their distinctive history, culture and traditions.
Among the objets d’art and relics preserved in these villages are a statue of the Buddha, a pair of Burmese chivar (robe), a golden kammawara (a religious book) and a large cane basket that was gifted to the Balijan Buddhist temple as a token of love and friendship by the Burmese general Mingimaha Bandula about 300 years ago.
The Balijan shrine is already a major pilgrimage spot for Buddhists of the Northeast. The first general conference of the All Assam Buddhists’ Association, which is a regional chapter of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, was held at Balijan Shyamgaon in 1942.
Residents of Balijan and the other two villages play traditional musical instruments like the kong (flute), which is still used in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China and Vietnam. Although there have been slight deviations from the original Tai-Khamyang culture, the villagers still adhere to customs such as the birth ritual called khawn.
Each of the villages has a vihara, where monks teach Tai and Pali scriptures to students. Regular schooling is taken care of by Assamese-medium institutions.
Several Buddhist scholars from Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan and Japan have already visited the three villages for research.
Photo: Tai Khamyang Women From Na Shyam Village, Performing A Buddhist Ritual In The Occasion Of Assam Mahotsava 2015 Jorhat.
By- Bijit Dutta.
By- Bijit Dutta.
Very good website, thank you.
ReplyDeleteOdia Book Kokua
Order Odia Books
Odia Books Online