A History of Assam c13.100

c13.100

Death of king. Further progress of Hinduism. Sib Singh himself died in 1744. He erected numerous temples and gave away land for the support of Brāhmans and temples with all the generosity of a new convert.† According to one Buranji he was himself the writer of a number of hymns. Thanks to his support, Hinduism became the predominant religion, and the Ahoms who persisted in holding to their old beliefs and tribal customs came to be regarded as a separate and degraded class. The Deodhāis and Bailongs resisted the change with all their might, and succeeded, for some time longer, in enforcing the observance of certain ceremonies, such as the worship of the Somdeo. But the people gradually fell away from them, took Hindu priests, and abandoned the free use of meat and strong drinks. The change was a disastrous one. By accepting a subordinate place in the hierarchy of Hinduism, not only did the Ahoms lose their pride of race and martial spirit, but, with a less nourishing diet, their physique also underwent a change for the worse. The process of deterioration has gone on steadily, and no one, looking at an average Ahom of the present day, would suspect him of being the descendant of a race of conquerors who, though small in number, gradually extended their rule over the whole of the Brahmaputra valley, and successfully resisted the assaults of the Mughals, even when the latter were at the zenith of their power.