A History of Assam c7.s1.29

c7.s1.29

The comparatively short existence of the old Assam dynasties explains the slow and intermittent character of the progress of Hinduism in past generations. Hindu priests and warriors undoubtedly found their way to Assam at a very early date. The Indian king Samuda who, according to Forlong, was ruling in Upper Burma in 105 A.D., must have proceeded thither through Assam, and so must the Hindus who led the Tchāmpās or Shāns in their conquest of the mouths of the Mekong in 280 A.D.* The chief ruler in Assam in 640 A.D. was a Hindu who claimed to be a Kshatriya. And yet, in the Brahmaputra valley, large sections of the population are still outside the pale of Hinduism, or in the lower stages of conversion, where their adopted religion still sits lightly on them and they have not yet learnt to resist the temptation to indulge in pork, fowls and other articles regarded by the orthodox as impure. The reason seems to be that in early days the number of Hindu settlers and adventurers was small, and they confined their attention to the king and his chief nobles, from whom alone they had anything to gain. They would convert them, admit the nobles to Kshatriya rank and invent for the king a noble descent, using, as will be seen, the same materials over and over again, and then enjoy as their reward lucrative posts at court and lands granted to them by their proselytes. They would not interfere with the tribal religious rites, as to do so would call forth the active animosity of the native priests; nor would they trouble about the beliefs of the common people, who would continue to hold to their old religious notions. If the dynasty lasted long enough, the influence of Hindu ideas would gradually filter down to them and they would follow the example of their betters, as has now actually happened in the case of the Ahoms. But before this could come to pass, the dynasty would ordinarily be overthrown; the down-fallen survivors of the old aristocracy would become merged in some Hindu caste,* such as the Kalita, and Hinduism would sink into insignificance until, in course of time, its priests should succeed in inducing the new rulers to accept their ministrations.