The Rich Culture of Assam

Symbolism

Xorai , a traditional symbol of Assam.

Pic: Xorai

Symbolism is an important part of Assamese culture. Various elements are being used to represent beliefs, feelings, pride, identity, etc. Symbolism is an ancient cultural practice in Assam, which is still very important for the people. Tamulpan, Xorai and Gamosa are three important symbolic elements in Assamese culture.
Tamul-paan (the areca nut and betel leaves) or
guapan (gua from kwa ) are considered as the offers of devotion, respect and friendship. It is an ancient tradition and is being followed since time-immemorial with roots in the aboriginal Austric culture.
Xorai, a traditional symbol of Assam, is a manufactured bell-metal object and an article of great respect and is used as a container-medium while performing respectful offerings. It is an offering tray with a stand at the bottom similar to those found in East and South East Asia. There are xorais with or without a cover on the top. Traditionally xorai are made of bell metal although nowadays they can be made from brass and/or silver. Hajo and Sarthebari are the most important centres of traditional bell-metal and brass crafts including xorais. Xorais are used:
as an offering tray for tamul-pan (betel nuts and betel leaves) to guests as a sign of welcome and thanks.
as an offering tray for food and other items placed in front of the altar(naamghar)for blessing by the Lord.
as a decorative symbol in traditional functions such as during Bihu dances.
as a gift to a person of honour during felicitations.
                     

Pic: Gamosa

Gamosa , an honorary piece of cloth commonly used for Felicitation in Assam very similar to other traditional headgears of East and South East Asia.
The Gamosa is an article of great significance for the people of Assam. Literally translated, it means 'something to wipe the body with' (Ga =body, mosa =to wipe); interpreting the word “gamosa” as the body-wiping towel is misleading. It is generally a white rectangular piece of cloth with primarily a red border on three sides and red woven motifs on the fourth (in addition to red, other colors are also used). Though it is used daily to wipe the body after a bath (an act of purification), the use is not restricted to this. It is used by the farmer as a waistcloth ( tongali ) or a loincloth (suriya ); a Bihu dancer wraps it around the head with a fluffy knot. It is hung around the neck at the prayer hall and was thrown over the shoulder in the past to signify social status. Guests are welcomed with the offering of a gamosa and
tamul ( betel nut) and elders are offered
gamosas ( bihuwaan ) during Bihu . It is used to cover the altar at the prayer hall or cover the scriptures. An object of reverence is never placed on the bare ground, but always on a
gamosa . One can therefore, very well say, that the gamosa symbolizes the life and culture of Assam.
Significantly the gamosa is used equally by all irrespective of religious and ethnic backgrounds.
At par with Gamosa, there are beautifully woven symbolic clothes with attractive graphic designs being used by different cultural sub-systems and ethno-cultural groups as well.
There were various other traditional symbolic elements and designs in use, which are now found only in literature, art, sculpture, architecture, etc. or used for only religious purposes (in particular occasions). The typical designs of assamese-lion , dragon , flying-lion , etc. were used for symbolising various purposes and occasions.
Festivals
There are several important indigenous traditional festivals in Assam. Bihu is the most celebrated festival among all. Indigenous traditional festivals are celebrated every year around different corners of Assam.
Main article: Bihu
Youth wearing Assamese traditional costumes
   

Pic: Bihu Dance

Bihu is a series of three prominent festivals of Assam. Primarily a festival celebrated to mark the seasons and the significant points of a cultivator's life over a yearly cycle, in recent times the form and nature of celebration has changed with the growth of urban centers. Three Bihus are celebrated: rongali , celebrated with the coming of spring and the beginning of the sowing season; kongali, the barren bihu when the fields are lush but the barns are empty; and the bhogali , the thanksgiving when the crops have been harvested and the barns are full. Rongali, kongali & bhogali bihu are also known as 'bohag bihu', 'kati bihu' & 'magh bihu' respectively. The day before the each bihu is known as 'uruka'. There are unique features of each bihu. The first day of 'rongali bihu' is called 'Goru bihu' (the bihu of the cows). On this day the cows are taken to the nearby rivers or ponds to be bathed with special care. Traditionally, cows are respected as sacred animals by the people of Assam. Bihu songs and Bihu dance are associated to rongali bihu.
Main article: Bwisagu
Bwisagu is a very popular seasonal festival of the Bodo of Assam. Bwisagu means start of the new year. Baisagu is a Boro word which originated from the word "Baisa" which means year or age, and "Agu" that means starting or start
Main article: Ali Ai Ligang
Ali-Ai-Ligang is the spring festival of the Mising people of Assam, India. The name of the festival is made up of three terms, 'Ali', root and seed, 'Ai', fruit and 'Ligang', to sow.
Main article: Bohuwa dance
Bohuwa dance is festival of Sonowal Kacharis of Assam, India.
Music
Main article: Music of Assam
Assam, being the home to many ethnic groups and different cultures, is rich in folk music. The indigenous folk music has in turn influenced the growth of a modern idiom, that finds expression in the music of such artists are Jyoti Prasad Agarwala , Bishnuprasad Rabha, Parvati Prasad Baruva , Bhupen Hazarika , Nirmalendu Choudhury & Utpalendu Choudhury, Pratima Barua Pandey , Luit Konwar Rudra Baruah ,
Parvati Prasad Baruva , Jayanta Hazarika ,
Khagen Mahanta , Beauty Sarma Baruah . Among the new generation Zubeen Garg, Angaraag Mahanta , Kalpana Patowary , Joi Barua , Jitul Sonowal and Manoj Borah are well known.
And other than traditional assamese music assam's capital city Guwahati have become country's capital for rock music other than Shillong. A number of talented rock bands have formed showcasing their talents around the world.
Traditional crafts
See also: Assam silk and Textiles and dresses of Assam
Mekhela, the traditional attire of women in Assam.
Pictured, one of the most exclusive variants, Muga
Mekhela.
Assam has maintained a rich tradition of various traditional crafts for more than two thousand years. Presently, Cane and bamboo craft, bell metal and brass craft, silk and cotton weaving ,
toy and mask making, pottery and terracotta work, wood craft, jewellery making, musical instruments making, etc. are remained as major traditions. Historically, Assam also excelled in making boats , traditional guns and gunpowder, colours and paints , articles of lac , traditional building materials, utilities from iron, etc.
Cane and bamboo craft provide the most commonly used utilities in daily life, ranging from household utilities, weaving accessories, fishing accessories, furniture, musical instruments to building construction materials. Traditional utilities and symbolic articles made from bell metal and brass are found in every Assamese household. The Xorai and bota have been in use for centuries to offer gifts to respected persons and are two prominent symbolic elements. Hajo and Sarthebari are the most important centres of traditional bell-metal and brass crafts. Assam is the home of several types of silks , the most prominent and prestigious being Muga, the natural golden silk is exclusive only to Assam. Apart from Muga, there are other two varieties called Pat, a creamy-bright-silver coloured silk and Eri, a variety used for manufacturing warm clothes for winter. Apart from Sualkuchi, the centre for the traditional silk industry, in almost every parts of the Brahmaputra Valley , rural households produce silk and silk garments with excellent embroidery designs. Moreover, various ethno-cultural groups in Assam make different types of cotton garments with unique embroidery designs and wonderful colour combinations.
Moreover, Assam possesses unique crafts of
toy and mask making mostly concentrated in the Vaishnav Hermitage, pottery and terracotta work in Western Assam districts and wood craft, iron craft, jewellery , etc. in many places across the region. However we can see assam populated because of these.
Traditional clothes and fabric of the Assamese include Suriya, Pirawn, Gamusa , Jaapi , Mekhela Sadawr , Riha, Tongali .
Paintings
Painting is an ancient tradition of Assam. The ancient practices can be known from the accounts of the Chinese traveller Xuanzang (7th century CE). The account mentions that Bhaskaravarma, the king of Kamarupa has gifted several items to Harshavardhana, the king of Magadha including paintings and painted objects, some of which were on
Assamese silk. Many of the manuscripts available from the Middle Ages bear excellent examples of traditional paintings. The most famous of such medieval works are available in the Hastividyarnava (A Treatise on Elephants), the Chitra Bhagawata and in the Gita Govinda . The medieval painters used locally manufactured painting materials such as the colours of hangool and haital . The medieval
Assamese literature also refers to chitrakars and patuas. Traditional Assamese paintings have been influenced by the motifs and designs in the medieval works such as the Chitra Bhagawata.
There are several renowned contemporary painters in Assam. The Guwahati Art College in
Guwahati is the only government institution for tertiary education. Several art-societies and non-government initiatives exist across the state and the Guwahati Artists Guild is a front-runner organisation based in Guwahati along with the Guwahati art college. There is a Department of Fine Arts in Assam University Silchar , a central government organization, and its thrust area concentrates on the art and craft of north east India with special reference to Assam.
State anthem
Main article: O Mur Apunar Desh
The song O Mur Apunar Desh (অ’ মোৰ আপোনাৰ দেশ), composed by Rasaraj Lakshminath Bezbaroa, is popularly accepted as the state anthem of the state of Assam.