Tai Ahom

Pre-hindu structure

jAti-s and varNa-s

  • The Tai Ahoms royalty under Sukaphaa (1228–1268) came in with their own nobility and priestly class who were also of divine origin. Royal clans were barred from being ministers, who were themselves dominated by specific noble clans (Burhagohain, Borgohain, Borpatrogohain, Borbarua and Borphukan).
  • “Ahom clans, called phoids, formed socio-political entities. At the time of ingress into Assam, or soon thereafter, there were seven important clans, called Satghariya Ahoms (Ahoms of the Seven Houses). There were Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan to which the Chao-Pha (Sukaphaa) belonged; his two chief counselors Burhagohain (Chao-Phrung-Mung) and Borgohain (Chao-Thao-Mung); and three priestly clans: Bailung (Mo-plang), Deodhai (Mo-sham), Mohan (Mo-hang) and Siring. Soon the Satghariya group was expanded—four additional clans began to be associated with nobility: Dihingia, Sandikoi, Lahon and Duarah. In the 16th-century Suhungmung added another great counselor, the Borpatrogohain and a new clan was established.”
  • “Over time sub-clans began appearing.”
  • “In general, the aristocratic clans, the priestly class, and the gentry clans did not intermarry.”

Tai paNDita-s

Function

  • “The Ahom Priestly Class i.e. the Mohan, Deodhai and the Bailungs had great role in Ahom kingdom and in the court. Performing religious ceremonies was the main task assigned to them. However, writing buranjisor keep recording political events as well as genealogies of the Ahom kings and other officials such as Buragohain, Borgohain etc. were their other task. They were the preserver of the Ahom tradition as well as the Tai Ahom language.”
  • “These pundits or molungs had to teach the history, genealogies, culture and politics to the nobles and their sons and at the command of the king, they used to consult the books of astrology and divination, at the time of war or battle, when unnatural events took place when the king dies or whenever a good work was started.”
  • Generally the Tai-Ahom Pundits or molungs were household pundits.
  • “The molungs used to advise the kings about the perfect time of going to a war, auspicious moment of starting a good work. In the coronation ceremony (Kheun rwan mai kaw) of a king, the molungsused to empower the royal throne by bringing chengor divine power to the throne by performing a ritual.”
  • The molungs or Tai Pundits had to pass several stages before he was given the status of ‘molung’.
  • Generally all the important works related to priesthood or priestly activities were done in front of puthi changand it was a more or less a custom that Tai Pundits should have a puthi chang in their home.
  • “They used to take their livelihood from the cultivation. Moreover they took sword whenever there was in need of war or any other external aggression. The chief molung appointed in the royal palace was given paiks and other privileges.”
  • “The molungs also knew about the use of medicinal plants and penned down the use of medicinal plants on several diseases in Tai scripts.”

Training

  • “fter attainingthe knowledge of Tai language and other important knowledge from the elderly person of home or from other Tai pundits, they were given the responsibility of copying from original Tai manuscripts. Moreover they were taught about the making of ink, pen or any other important writing material. After this they were given the knowledge about the religious practices, astrology etc. After attaining maturity knowledge about the religious ceremonies they were appointed as helper to the chief molung. Those who attained maturity about this were inspired towards seng hadhonawhich was regarded as a higher spiritual attainment.”

Acceptance by hindus

  • “According to Ahom tradition, Sukaphaa was a descendant of Khunlung, the grandson of the king of the heavens Leungdon, who had come down from the heavens and ruled Mong-Ri-Mong-Ram. During the reign of Suhungmung (1497–1539) which saw the composition of the first Assamese Buranji and increased Hindu influence, the Ahom kings were traced to the union of Indra (identified with Lengdon) and Syama (a low-caste woman), and were declared Indravamsa kshatriyas, a lineage created exclusively for the Ahoms.[2] Suhungmung adopted the title Swarganarayan, and the later kings were called Swargadeo’s (Lord of the heavens). It was during his reign that the Buranji titled Sri Sri Swarganarayan Maharajor Jonmokotha was written wherein the source and lineage of the Ahom kings was connected to the Hindu God, Indra, Lord of the Heaven. "
  • Title of the king was taken to be svargadeva/ Swargadeo, in translation of Chao(=heaven)-pha(=ruler).

Acceptance of hindu ethos by ahoms

  • Polytheism, ancestor reverence, social stratification with separate nobility and priestly class were common between Ahoms and hindus.
  • Choice Gods of the royalty were Chum-Pha (→ Somdeo) and Sheng-mung.

brAhmaNa influence

  • Sudangphaa (1397–1407) was brought up in a brAhmaNa household, and hence called Bamuni Konwar. He installed a brAhmaNa from there as a primary minister.
  • Susenphaa (1439–1488) constructed a temple at Negheriting.
  • Suhungmung Dihingia Rojaa (1497–1539) expanded the kingdom, accepted the title svarganArAyaNa and the composition of “Sri Sri Swarganarayan Maharajor Jonmokotha”.
  • “Sukhaamphaa Khora Rojaa (1552–1603) began consulting Hindu astrologers alongside the traditional Deodhai-Bailung priests, and Pratap Singha (1603–1641) installed 13 Brahmin families as diplomats.”
  • “Assamese language coexisted with Tai language in the court till the reign of Pratap Singha, during whose rule Assamese became dominant.”
  • Suremphaa (reign 1751–1769), or Swargadeo Rajeswar Singha, for example, took the advice of the Hindu astrologers and built his capital palace at Rangpur; rather than heed Deodhais (Ahom priests) preference of Taimung (where he later built a palace too). He erected many temples and gifted much land to the Brahmins. Soon after his accession he paid a long visit to Gauhati to worship at the Kamakhya and other temples.

Sidelining Tai Ahom paNDita-s

  • “With the inclination of the Ahom kings towards Hinduism, the Priestly class opposed the acceptance of Hinduism by the kings and resisted the king from doing this.” They were gradually sidelined.
  • As the mahApuruxia satra-s came to dominate, ahoms increasinbly took “saraN”-s (sharaNa) from them. The Ahom Priestly Class refused to take saranas. Other Ahoms started to neglect them, stopped marriage relationship and other social functions with them, began using derogatory term on them such as aa-sarania, abhogia etc.
  • In the meantime, they had themselves sanskritized in language and some customs. For example, the composition of “Mohung Vamsavali”.
  • This continued later, under the Ahom Sabha (formed 1893). Mohan Deodhai Bailung Sanmilan, Assam in 1962 attemped some revival, which established All Assam Phuralung Sangha, Purbanchal Tai Sahitya Sabha.

Adapting hindu cults

  • " Sutamla (1648–1663) was the first Ahom king to be initiated into the Mahapuruxiya Dharma, and Ahom kings till Sulikphaa lora roja (1679–1681) continued to be disciples of one sattra or the other. Mahapuruxiya pontiffs belonging to different sects began playing a greater role in state politics.”
  • Gadadhar Sinha (1681–1696) and Rudra Singha (1696–1714) reduced Mahapuruxiya influence and Siba Sinha (1714–1744) adapted the rival shaktism. “The persecution of the Mahapuruxiya Sattras under the Tunkhungiya rulers following Siba Singha was a crucial factor leading to the Moamoria rebellion that greatly depleted the Ahom kingdom.”
  • Suremphaa (reign 1751–1769), or Swargadeo Rajeswar Singha took “sharaN” from Nati Gosain, who was related to the kAmAkhya temple.