Chapter-Iv Status of Woman in Mediaval Assamese Society
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CHAPTER-IV STATUS OF WOMAN IN MEDIAVAL ASSAMESE SOCIETY 4.1: Introduction The nature and the mind of human beings both combine to form an organization.This organization is known as society. Society is a group of individuals who havesome social relationship among them. These groups have some common bondof interest, which attach its members together. In the words of Maciver and page,"Society is a system of usages and procedures of authority and mutual aid, ofmany groupings and division, of controls of human behavior and of liberties. Thisever changing complex system we call society". Human life is not static, but it is always changeable. With the changes in humanlife, changes occur in society too. As T.S. Devadoos observes “Society is achanging medium of creation and expression of his deep seated desires, valuesand aspirations. It outlines shapes and refines man’s social nature, conscienceand morals, as he also frequently and insistently projects his own images, valuesand experiences from the depth of his consciousness where he is unique by himself. In other words, man is thus deeply embedded and moulded in the matrixof society and the society in turn enables him to revel his true nature". It is already mention that society is a dynamic process. In this changing system, every man and woman has to play his or her distinguished role. In the two different forms of societies, viz., patriarchal and matriarchal society, the status of human beings varies according to their sex. ln the former, it is the male member who dominate the society. ln the letter, it is 56 the female member. Moreover, it isclearly obsenied that the status of men and woman and their system of values changes in the process of evolution from time to time. However it is very interesting to note that, in any form of society, whether it ismale dominated patriarchal or female dominated matriarchal society, the women were able to capture a unique position and this has been reflected in the different available sources. 4.2: Condition of Early Assamese Society Both Early and medieval Assamese Society were predominantly rural society innature. They also constituted and characterized by powerful sentiments ofkinship, locality, caste and community. In the traditional rural Assamese society,despite a subservient status, the Assamese women of various castes sufferedless from social disabilities than her- counterparts in some other regions oflndia.63 Some of the strict social customs, like child marriage, Sati did not affectthe Assamese women like the women of other parts of India. This was because of the influence of the Mlongoloid Culture on the Assamese Society. As amongtheVNlongoloid tribes, women had far greater freedom in marriage, divorce andother matters than we find in orthodox Hindu society’64. It is a known factor thatsocio cultural elements of Assam were different from other parts of Indiansociety. That is why some writers interpret that’ Assam is a Country, which atmost periods of its history has remained outside the India Civilization’65. ln fact,Assam was the home lands of heterogeneous racial elements were forced tosandwich together to form a strong homogenous Assamese Society. _______________________________ 63 Barooah Jeoti, Single Women in Assamese Hindu Society, P-4. 64 Chattedee Suniti Kr (Dr. ), The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol-II, P-90. 65 Rapson EJ, Cambridge History of India, Vi/-I, pp11-12. 57 Since the Assamese society had a fusing culture composed of Negrito—Austric, Alpine, Aryan, Mongolian and other elements, therefore, the socio-cultural life in this region was influenced by both, Aryan and non-Aryan elements. 5. A Brief description of early Assamese society Assamese society, by tradition was a rural society. It was also characterized by powerful sentiments of kinship, locality, cast and community. In the traditional rural assamese society, despite a subservient status, the Hindu women of various castes suffered less from social disabilities then her counterparts in some other region of India. Some of the strict social customs, like child marriage, sati- dah etc. did not affect the Assamese women like the women of other parts of India. This was because of the influence of the Mongoloid culture on the Assamese society. As Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji comments: "Among the mongoloid tribes, women had far greater freedom in marriage, divorce, and other matters than we find in orthodox Hindu society". The study of the pre—historic and other remains prove that, though Assam was the part of Indian civilization, but its socio-culture life was different from that of Indian society. That is why, some writers interpret that "Assam is country, which at most periods of its history has remained outside the Indian civilization". In fact Assam was the homeland of heterogeneous racial elements traveling to this land at different periods of its history. These heterogeneous racial elements were forced to sandwich together to form a strong homogeneous Assamese society. Since the Assamese society had a fusing culture composed of Negrito, Austro—Asiatic, Alpine, Aryan, Mongolian and other elements, therefore, the socio-culture life in this region was influenced by both, Aryan and non-Aryan elements. Through Aryans successfully penetrated in this region and made their settlements but they failed to Aryanised this land completely. 58 They had to forego some of their rigid customs to adjust themselves with the vast majority of non- Aryan population. The Aryans become liberal in their food, drink, dress, custom and manner. We can also say that the interaction and the consequent fusion of the blood of the different racial stocks contribution to the evolution of assamese society, wherein the Aiyans and non-Aryans beliefs, practices and the way of living interfused to form a composite assamese culture. The composite assamese culture did not necessarily contain all the disgracing customs and obscurantist practices like sati, child marriage etc., prevalent at other part of India under the major influence. So women of this region were also not affected by those evil and rigid social customs and practices of the Aryans. lt proves that the position of Assamese women was comparatively better then their sisters in other part of india. In the social, religious or political arena of the Assamese culture, women occupied and dignified position and were considered in reverence as the ,pivots of the entire social organism. 4.4 : Caste system in Assamese Society In order to properly estimate the position of_women in ancient and medieval Assamese society, a brief reference to the satisfactory system as expressed through Varna and the caste system is necessary. Traditional Indian society was primarily based on Vernasrama dharma. The Vernasrama principal of categorized of society in to four groups, viz. Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and sudras and four stages of life viz. Brahmacharyya, Garhasthya, Vanaprastha and Sannayasa existed in the vedic society. The RV stated that Brahman was born from the month of the lord; Kshatriya from the arm,-Vaisya from his stomach and Sudra sprang from his feet. In the early stage, the Varna system was not a hereditaryinstitution, but based on occupation. According to BG, "The work of Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and sudras are divided according to thequalities (gunas) born of their own inner nature". 59 Gradually the Varna system started to be critical. After the Rg-Vedic period, the Varna was not based on occupation, but on birth. PV. Kane points out that in the period of the Brahman literature, all the castes of the Brahmans, Kshatriyas and Vaisyaswere endorsed an upper position and crystallized according to birth, while the Sudras had been sanctioned a lower position. The four Varnas were mentioned in order of hierarchy where in the first three were called dwija, i.e., twice born while the Sudras occupied the lowest position in the society, and they are expected to serve the other three Varnas. But in case of Assam, no concrete evidence either inscriptlonal or literary is available about the existence of all the four Varnas. The social division of the Assamese Hindus, though fundamentally allied to that of lndia, presents a picture of liberalized caste hierarchy. This liberalism was due to emergency of Neo- Vaisnavism according to which all the castes are equal in front of God. Due to the liberal outlook in the caste system and occupation, the Varnasrama dharma were also not properly observed here, as was followed in other parts of India. But, being an integral part of India, Assamese social life was also based on Varnasrama dharma, which is proved by ancient epigraphic and literary sources. The KP stated that Naraka, who is describe in the epigraphs as the head of the - Kamarupa kings, killed Ghataka, king of the Kiratas, and sages as well as members of the four castes The copperplate of Balabarman 3rd mentions Bhagadaatta as the authoritative of all the four Varnas. (Varnasramanam gurukavirah ). ln the Nidhanpur copperplate, it is stated that the lord (Brahma) created Bhaskara to organize properly the duties of the four castes and stages of life, which were in a confused state at that tim (Avakirna varna sramadharma- pravibhagayan Nirmits). ln the tezpur grant, it is said that Vanamala gratified the appetite of the people of all the Varnas and the Asramas (praprita-samasta varnasramad). The Gauhati grant of lndrapala mentions that during the region of lndrapala,the laws of the four stages were observed in their proper order (samyagvibhakta- caturasramavarnadharma). 60 classes and though above mentioned epigraphs and literature give us an impression that the ancient Assamese society was based upon divine social order and the early Kamarupa kings were created for upholding that order, but strictly specking existence of the Varnasrama in proper order in ancient Assam was absent. The only Varna category, which is referred to in the inscriptions, is the Brahmins caste the donees of the epigraphs.