[Assam] Assam or Asom Mailing List
bg
bgogoi at gmail.com
Sun Aug 13 21:30:04 PDT 2006
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: W. Saleh <w.saleh at indiawijzer.nl>
Date: Aug 12, 2006 9:45 PM
Subject: FW: [asom] Re: Assam or Asom Mailing List
To: assam-owner at assamnet.org
Dear Modarator,
Mr Mahanta, one of the members of your group sent a e-mail to me with a copy
to assam at assamnet.org.
I sent a reply to him with a copy to your group. But it is rejected. Would
it be possible to forward my reply to the members of your group?
Warm regards,
Wahid Saleh
E-mail: w.saleh at indiawijzer.nl
Web: www.indiawijzer.nl
The Dutch portal with India related information.
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: assam-bounces at assamnet.org [mailto:assam-bounces at assamnet.org] Namens
assam-owner at assamnet.org
Verzonden: zaterdag 12 augustus 2006 18:03
Aan: w.saleh at hetnet.nl
Onderwerp: RE: [asom] Re: Assam or Asom Mailing List
You are not allowed to post to this mailing list, and your message has
been automatically rejected. If you think that your messages are
being rejected in error, contact the mailing list owner at
assam-owner at assamnet.org.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "W. Saleh" <w.saleh at hetnet.nl>
To: "'mc mahant'" <mikemahant at hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 18:03:03 +0200
Subject: RE: [asom] Re: Assam or Asom Mailing List
Dear Mr Mahanta,
Thanks for informing that the name of Assam is "OXOM". I know the work on
this subject by Mr Rajen Baruah. Can you please guide me to other
publications where I can get the information that the name of Assam is
"OXOM"?
As I am interested in this subject I tried to gather some information. I
would like to share what I have found:
1. The name Assam is mentioned in the book *Baharistan-i-Ghaibi* written
by Alauddin Isfahan alias Mirza Nathan. It is an important primary source
for the reconstruction of the history of Bengal in the reign of Jahangir
(1605-1627). A manuscript of the book is in the *Bibliothèque Nationale of
Paris* which Mr. M. I. Borah, the then Professor of Persian in the Dhaka
University translated it into English. The government of Assam published it
in 1936. The Mughal conquest of Kamarupa, the campaigns to Kachhar and *
Assam* were known only briefly through the local chronicles, but in the
Baharistan a detailed detailed account is given.
2. Assam is also mentioned in the works of *Fathiya-i-Ibriyya* also known
as *Tarikh-i-Assam*. It was written by Ibn Muhammad Wali Ahmad, better known
as Shihabuddin Talish, which was his poetical name. He was in the service of
Mir Jumla (1660 -1663 AD) who spent a major part of his tenure in Bengal in
fighting against the rebels in Kuch Bihar, Kamarupa and against the king of
*Assam*. Shihabuddin, the Muslim historian who accompanied Mir Jumla in his
11th invasion to Assam in 1662, left an extensive account of Assam of that
period. There are two parts of the book, the first part called
*Fathiyya*was known from long before and one copy was preserved in the
Asiatic Society
Library, Calcutta and two were preserved in the Oriental Public Library at
Bankipur, Bihar. This part deals with Mir Jumla's conquest of Assam, and for
that it was also known as *Tarikh-i-Assam.*
3. Jean Baptiste Tavernier (1605–89) was a French traveller in Asia. His
*Six* *Voyages en Turquie, en Perse et aux Indes* (1676–77) contains a
wealth of information and has been frequently reprinted. It has been
translated into English by Valentine Ball as Travels in India. Tavernier's
"Travels in India", published in 1676 uses the spelling "*Assen*" for *Assam
* in the French original. The official chronicler of Mir Jumla too calls the
place "*Asam*".
*4. *As far back as 1698, Assam is mentioned in the early Dutch
publications. It is an account of the story of the East Indiaman "Ter
Schelling," which was wrecked off the coast of Bengal. The author, Frans
Jansz. van der Heiden, a member of the crew, kept a journal of his
experiences. *Assam* and "*Assammers* is mentioned here.**
5. In another publication 'Travelling with Clara' the name *Assam* is
also mentioned.
…….In the kingdom of the Great Mogol, which covered almost whole of India, a
baby rhino was captured by net in the year 1738 in *Assam** (the* area above
the Golf of Bengal….). The baby rhino presented to the then director of
Dutch East India Company sailed to Batavia on 12-10-1739 and arrived in
Rotterdam on 22-07-1741. The Rhino named Clara was a big hit. It was shown
all over Europe. Even today different paintings and statues of Carla can be
found in different museums of the world.
6. Reference of Assam is also made in the publication *Mughal Warfare*:
Mirjumla – He contributed tremendously to Aurangzeb's early success in the
Deccan and was of crucial assistance during the latter's succession struggle
against his brothers. *From 1660 to his death in 1663*, he was sent to the
highly lucrative province of Bengal, where he staged large-scale military
expeditions into the eastern parts of that province as well as into *Assam*
…..
7. Research work on Thao Hung Epic by Maha Sila Viravongs (Thai National
Library in Bangkok): Comparative Study of the Political Ideology Expressed
in Thao Hung Epic mentions the following:
"The comparative study found that the T'ai in Ahom or Asam state of India,
the T'ai Kheun in Shan state of Myanmar, the T'ai Lao in Laos and Thailand
worshiped the same God or Lord of Thunder by scarifying elephant, cow and
water buffalo. There are also other common deities and local spirits"
In my search for the origin of the name Assam I came across the book "The
Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang" by Ms. Sally Wriggins. Ms. Sally Hovey
Wriggins was the first Westerner and first woman to walk extensively in the
footsteps of Xuanzang/ Hiouen Thsang, the Chinese Traveller who visited
India (602-664). Here is what she wrote to me:
Quote:
*I should say first of all that while the pilgrim's description of Assam is
generally taken to be accurate that I am not a very deep scholar for I do
not know Chinese.*
* *
*When I checked his references in his translators (Watters and Beal) to
Assam as you did. He refers to it as Ka mo lu po or Kamarupa.
I note in the Encyclopaedia of Asian History (4 volumes) prepared by the
Asia Society with Ainslee Embree, a distinguished historian of India as
general editor that "the early history of Assam is obscure, although there
are numerous references in the Mahabharata, the Puranas, and the great
kingdom known as Kamarupa, that encompassed the Brahmaputra Valley, Bhutan
and Eastern Bengal."*
Unquote:
The British arrived in Assam after the Mughal. The Treaty of Yandaboo was
signed in 1826 and Assam came under British Administration.
From the above it can be safely concluded that the name Assam existed before
the British and they did not coin this name. Is there any good reason why
the name of Assam should be changed to Asom?
Both the English dailies of Assam use "Asom" instead of Assam. Do they think
that with the influx of Bangladeshi's very soon we shall be "Asomiyas"- the
"Miays of Asom"?
Wahid Saleh
The Netherlands
Wahid Saleh
The Netherlands
------------------------------
*Van:* mc mahant [mailto:mikemahant at hotmail.com]
*Verzonden:* zaterdag 12 augustus 2006 3:29
*Aan:* w.saleh at hetnet.nl
*CC:* assam at assamnet.org
*Onderwerp:* RE: [asom] Re: Assam or Asom Mailing List
Glad You asked Saleh Sahab,
Adaab,
The answer -I venture to chirp in- is obvious: "Call me by my natural name"
And that we always knew our land as *OXOM* -not Assam- which somebody called
and would not like to be changed.
A*som *is neither here nor there.
* *Regards
mm
------------------------------
From: *"Wahid Saleh" <w.saleh at hetnet.nl>*
To: *assamonline at yahoogroups.com*
Subject: *[asom] Re: Assam or Asom Mailing List*
Date: *Thu, 10 Aug 2006 08:06:44 -0000*
>The diary of Dutch soldiers who fought with Mirjumala's army and
>documents from the Mughal period show that the name "Assam" was in
>use before the British came to India. Then why change the name from
>Assam to Asom. What is the reason?
>
>Wahid Saleh
>The Netherlands
>
>
>
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--
Babul Gogoi / বাবুল গগৈ, নতুন দিল্লী
http://www.TARSHI.net
http://www.SexualityInstitute.org
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