emographics
Main article: People of Assam
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Total population of Assam was 26.66 million with 4.91 million households in 2001.[27] Higher population concentration was recorded in the districts of Kamrup, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Barpeta, Dhubri, Darang and Cachar. Assam's population was estimated at 28.67 million in 2006 and at 30.57 million by 2011, 34.18 million by 2021 and 35.60 million by 2026.[28]
In 2001, the census recorded literacy in Assam at 63.3% with male literacy at 71.3% and female at 54.6%. Urbanisation rate was recorded at 12.9%.[29]
Growth of population in Assam has experienced a very high trajectory since the mid-decades of the 20th century. Population grew steadily from 3.29 million in 1901 to 6.70 million in 1941, while it has increased unprecedentedly to 14.63 million in 1971 and 22.41 million in 1991 to reach the present level.[27] The growth in the western and southern districts was of extreme high in nature mostly attributable to rapid influx of population from the then East Pakistan or Bangladesh.[22]
Assam has many ethnic groups and the People of India project has studied 115 of these. Out of which 79 (69%) identify themselves regionally, 22 (19%) locally, and 3 trans-nationally. The earliest settlers were Austroasiatic, followed by Tibeto-Burman, Indo-Aryan speakers, and Kradai speakers.[30] Forty-five languages are spoken by different communities, including three major language families:Austroasiatic (5), Sino-Tibetan (24) and Indo-European (12). Three of the spoken languages do not fall in these families. There is a high degree of bilingualism.
[edit]Religions
According to the 2001 census, there are 17,296,455 Hindus, 8,240,611 Muslims, 986,589 Christians, 22,519 Sikhs, 51,029 Buddhists, 23,957 Jains and 22,999 belonging to other religious communities.[31] The latter includes Animism (Khamti, Phake, Aiton etc. communities).
[edit]Hinduism
The Hindus of Assam perform several dances to practice their devotion to their Gods. One category of them is the Sattriya Dances.
Popular forms of God in Assam are Durga, Shiva, Krishna and Narayana, although several tribes practice devotion to local deities as well.
Brahmo Samaj: Assam is the home of Kalicharan Mech, a Bodo Hindu who stopped the British Christian missionaries, spread ahimsa and vegetarianism. He was deeply influenced by the Brahmo Samaj.[32] He later became known as "Gurudev Kalicharan Brahmachari"[33]or "Guru Brahma". His principles were established as the Brahma Dharma. Perhaps his teachings can be summarized by his given phrase, "Chandrama Surya Narayans Jyoti", meaning, "the light (jyoti) from the sun is capable from dispelling darkness and taking people to Brahma (Narayans)."[34]
From the teachings of Guru Brahma, the "Bodo-Brahmas" (the Bodos of this sect) have boycotted alcohol, heavy dowry as well as meat-eating.
This sect is written by scholars to be Vedic and Upanishadic.[35] As per Vedic rituals, the priests perform Horn Yajna, which was begun by Guru Brahma to organize the Bodos.[36]
While the Bodo Christians today are laying stress on adopting a Roman script for the Bodo community, the Bodo-Brahmas prefer the traditional Bengali-Ahomi script.
Out of the 3,308,570 Assamese tribals reported in the 2001 Census, 90.7% were Hindus and 8.8% were Christians. There were also 6,267 Muslims, 5,153 Budhists and 3,574 Animists.[37]
[edit]Islam
Muslims constitute the second largest religious group in Assam with 8,240,611 persons, 31% of the Assam population. Amongst Indian provinces, Assam has the third largest proportion of Muslims – only the Unior Territory of Lakshaweep Islands and Jammu and Kashmir have a higher proportion.
The history of the indigenous Muslims of Assam is a long one, though many details are obscure, especially for the Assamese Muslims. A Brahmin priest from Kamrup (near the geographical middle of Assam) was reported to have embraced Islam around the 13th century.
Later in the 16th century, an Islamic saint Ajan Fakir Shah Miran and also known as Ghiyasuddin Auliya came from Baghdad to Assam to preach Islam in the area. The Masjid constructed by him is known as, The Pao Mecca mosque, Pao Mecca literally means one-fourth of Mecca. It is believed that the foundation of the mosque was laid upon a handful of earth brought from Mecca. The Pao-Mecca mosque was partially destroyed by a strong earthquake that occurred in 1897 and the dargah on the 750 ft. high Gaurachol hills is of Ghiyasuddin Auliya Ajan Fakir was buried on the hills of Gaurachol and hence the tomb on the hill is related to him, are considered sacrosanct not only by the Muslims but by people of other faiths as well.[38]
- Panchpeer Dargaha, Dhurbi District, Assam: It is Mazar Sharif of five Sufi Saints who accompanied Raja Ram Singh during his time of invassion to Assam. This Dargaha is the best example of religious harmony where all section of people irrespective of their religion pay visit with great respect.
- Integration of the Assamese Muslims, India.
It is likely that the Assamese Muslims, who are found primarily in the northeastern parts of the state, are descended particularly from those who embraced Islam during this earlier period. The Assamese Muslims are well integrated with the rest of Assamese society. Proud of their language and culture, Assamese Muslims have often been in positions of influence within the society of Assam and even India.
[edit]Christianity
The Bible was translated into Assamese in the year of 1819. In 1827, an attempt was made to start a Baptist church in Guwahati, but it made no permanent converts in the area. Later the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society was able to make some headway in Guwahati. Although these earliest Christian missionary endeavors which were focused in the north-east of India, were in Modern Assam, the great success of Protestant missionaries in North-East India which they achieved in late 19th and the 20th Centuries, was primarily in areas such as Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya which are not part of Assam anymore.
As of 1991 only Tripura of the seven eastern states of India had a lower percentage of Christians than Assam. There were more Christians in Assam than in Mizoram even though Mizoram was the second most Christian state in India at the time.[39]
Besides the Protestants there are also Catholics. There is a Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Shillong.
According to the 2001 Census, there are a total of 986,589 Christians in Assam.[40] Out of this, 291,000 (29.5%) are tribals.[37]
[edit]Sikhism
The first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev had visited Kamrup (Assam) in the 1505 as recorded in the his first visit in Purantan Janam Sakhi (the historical papers related to the visits and daily recorded activities of the Guru). Guru Nanak had met Srimanta Shankardeva(the founder of the Mahapuruxiya Dharma) as the Guru travelled from Dhaka to Assam. But no sangat or historical shrine dedicated to him survives as to date.
Ninth Guru of Sikhs Guru Tegh Bahadur visited Assam in 1668. This place is also famous for the Sikh Gurdwara Thara Sahib or Gurdwara Damdama Sahib which was constructed in memory atop the hillock place of meditation of the Guru in Dhubri, Kamrup. The historical site and places of interest of the Gurdwara are many times referred to asGurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib situated in Dhubri (Assam) by the banks of the Brahmaputra .[41] The grateful Ahom King invited Guruji to the Kamakhya shrine, where he was honoured with great respect.
In the year 1820, few hundred Sikh soldiers went to Assam at the initiative of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to help Ahom rulers in a war. Their descendants are mostly concentrated in Lanka in Nagaon district of Assam.[42] Sikhs have been living in Assam for approximately two hundred years.[43]
[edit]Buddhism
The religion is practised by 51,029 persons in Assam. Among them are the Chakma and Boruas. The Chakmas of Assam are loacted mostly in Chachar and Karbi Anglong with very lesser presence in Nagaon district. Guwahati has lots of Buddhist temples, the most prominent being the Bamunimaidan Buddhist temple.
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