History of the North-East
The history of the North-East since the
colonial and postcolonial times have predominantly focused
on its relations with the
rest of India and how
it has shaped the communities over
the years. While there has been
some research on the Ahom kingdom of Assam, histories of the rest of the
kingdoms and chiefs are completely missing. The case of prehistory is even worse.
Despite North-East India boasting of substantial prehistoric archaeological
evidences, there has been little effort to understand the same. Since there are no efforts to understand the same, they
languish as mere watermarks in
historical records and
often the people themselves
fail to understand and appreciate their own heritage. While the Stonehenge of
England or the Bhimbhetka
closer home in Bhopal makes for
interesting historical trips,
such examples are
unheard of in the case of North-East India.
Among the many examples of such historical significance, the Neolithic sites of Meghalaya stand out
Since 2013-14, regular excavations have
unearthed a number of Neolithic pottery and agricultural tools in the Lum-Sohpetbneng
region of Meghalaya. The site is a place of pilgrimage for those who profess
the indigenous Khasi religion.
Legend has it
that it was in Lum-Sohpetbneng
that a golden ladder connected
Heaven and Earth, God
and Man. Researchers have
concluded that the evacuated remains go back to as early as 1220 BC. Evidences
also suggest that later on, these communities moved to other parts, to the
Khasi Jayantia hills and settled there.
Another important Neolithic site of Meghalaya is
the Gagol Rongram River Valley in the West Garo Hills. The site is triangular
in shape and is spread over an area of over 16 square kilometers. A number of
tools, both from the Neolithic and Paleolithic age were discovered in these
sites.
The
third important and,
perhaps, the most intriguing site
in Meghalaya is the site
that is located
in the point of the Purana/Old Bhaitbari, a
small village in the West Garo Hills district on the southern bank of the River
Jingjiram, at a
distance of about
three miles from Phulbari (Garden
of flowers) on the way to Tura.
This site has revealed a number of interesting discoveries which make the history
of Meghalaya unique. One of the first discoveries that was made was of
fortifications, signalling settlements which were of a permanent nature of some
kind. A second discovery that was made was of the debris of a burnt brick temple. Interestingly, this temple had a number of teracotta
figurines resembling Hindu gods like Parvati, Kubera, etc., where figures of
Ganesha seemed to dominate. The
third and most impressive
discovery during the
excavation was the discovery
and exposure of the site of an
octagonal Shiva temple with eight miniature octagons, each having a Shiva Linga. The structure is of a
more magnificent architecture, having eight square subsidiary shrines radiating
from the eight arms of the main octagon. Burnt bricks were used to make this
temple. However, the most important
and unique discovery from this
site was the discovery
of a Stupa dedicated to Lord Buddha. While there
is no evidence of Buddhism being practised in Meghalaya today, the discovery of
Buddha, indeed, points out to the confluence and change that history undergoes.
A look at the prehistorical Neolithic and other
sites of Meghalaya throws up interesting questions of history. Today Meghalaya is
a predominantly Christian state and yet it had a Hindu and more interestingly,
a Buddhist history as well. Also, scholars often mistake the kind of Hinduism
that must have been professed. Hinduism is often a way of life. The history of
Hinduism in the North-East may not necessarily align itself with that of the
more dominant themes. For example, Hinduism in Assam in the pre-Ahom era found
its heroes among those who sided with the Kauravas during the Mahabharata war. At the same time, the story
of the golden ladder in the Lum-Sohpetbneng
region of the Ri Bhoi district is
quite close to the
Ahom story of the King and his
descendents climbing down from
a golden ladder
from heaven. Do they signal a common history or common origin? Do the Khasis
and the Ahoms share
a common ancestral link
then, their stories
suggesting similarities? The history of Buddhism is something that
remains even more unexplored. In summation, there is no doubt that the North-East
has much diversity and interesting history to offer, and efforts must be made
to study and popularise the same.
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