Rajbongshi people

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Koch people.

Rajbongshi
Rajbanshi culturul dress1.jpg
Rajbongshi women in traditional dress
Regions with significant populations
 India

 Bangladesh

   Nepal
West Bengal3,386,617 [1]
Languages
Kamtapuri, Assamese, Koch (Native)
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Koch, Rabhas, Garos, Boros

The Rajbongshi[2] or Koch-Rajbongshi (formerly known as Koch)[3] is an ethnic group inhabiting parts of Lower Assam, Meghalaya, northern West Bengal, Bihar and on the eastern parts of Nepal, Bhutan and northern Bangladesh.[4]

Etymology[]

Till the 18th century, after a section of Koch formed the Koch dynasty,[5] the chronicles like Darrang Raj Vamsavali still referred to them as Koches or Meches.[6] However, in the late 19th and early 20th century the community in North Bengal wanted to shake itself from its tribal origin and aspired to higher social status with the Kshatriya Andolan and under Panchanan Burman preferred to call itself Rajbanshi or Rajvamsi which means of the royal clan.[7][8] In the immediate post colonial period, the movement for higher social status via Sanskritisation reoriented itself to aspiration for special status as a scheduled caste; but neither these social movements for status and privilege had minimal impact in Assam.[9] The Koch and Rajbanshi communities are distinguished from each other in West Bengal.[10] In Assam proper, the term Koch applies to Hinduised tribes who no longer associate themselves with their older identity.[11] [12]

Origins[]

The original homeland of the Koches is assumed to be in Tibet from where they populated the present western Brahmaputra valley and North Bengal.[13] In Takabat-i-Nasiri, which contain records of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji expedition into Kamrupa in the early part of the 13th century, described the people who formed the population of western Kamrupa as Kunch (Koch), Mej/Meg (Mech), Tiharu (Taru) of Mongoloid appearance.[14][15] These population made a impression on the Turks, who had similar features as them, i.e having slanting eyes, snub nose, high cheek bones, yellow complexion of the Mongols and who spoke a language different than the rest of the subcontinent.[16] Since the early 19th century and late 20th century, the section of Koch who formed the Koch dynasty under Biswa Singha started to use the designation Rajbanshi to claim Kshatriya descent[17] or according to some left the designation Koch for Rajbanshi for the stigma attached to the former's barbaric tone.[7] However prior to the formation of the Koch dynasty, they were the same Koch tribe and related to Mech,[18] but abandoned their original non-Aryan language after being Hinduised.[19] The Rajbanshi Kshatriya movement was led by the elite leaders of the community such as Panchanan Barma. The community got the Kshatriya status in the 1911 census. Later, there was another movement by the community to get Scheduled Caste status, which was granted.[20]

Today the Koch-Rajbongshis are found throughout North Bengal, particularly in the Dooars, as well as parts of Lower Assam, northern Bangladesh, the Terai of eastern Nepal and Bihar, and Bhutan.[21]

History[]

One of the first mentions of the Koches comes from chronicles of the conquests of Bakhtiyar Khilji 13th century, where they were seen as an important ethnic group along with the Mech. However, their relation with the present-day Koch-Rajbongshis and Mech is unclear from the texts.[22] They were the dominant converts to Islam in North Bengal due to their relatively light exposure to Brahminic culture.[23]

In the 16th century, the founder of the Koch dynasty, Bisu, adopted Hinduism, and called himself Biswa Singha. This sparked a trend of emulation in other lower-caste communities of the region who started to Sanskritize.[23] According to historian Arup Jyoti Das, this new-found status resulted in the Koch upper class abandoning tribal traits: such as matrilineality and their Tibeto-Burman language, and calling themselves Rajbongshi.[24]

Risley claimed that even as late as the 1830s, the community still used the name Koch and it was in the intervening 50 years when they started calling themselves Rajbongshi. When, in 1891, the district magistrate of Rangpur issued an order saying Koch and Rajbongshi were the same, the Rajbongshis protested, claiming the Koch were "lower" than them. The upper-class Rajbongshis started organizing: Rajbongshi zamindari and middle-classes started publishing material defending their claim to Kshatriya status. In 1910, this same section of the community formed the Kshatriya Samiti in Rangpur. The aims of this association were to establish an identity for the Rajbongshis separate from the Koch.[25]

Occupation[]

The Rajbongshis were traditionally agriculturalists, but due to their numerical dominance in North Bengal there were significant occupational differences among them. Most were agricultural labourers (halua) or sharecroppers (adhiar). These often worked for landed cultivators, called dar-chukanidars. Above them were the chukandiars and jotedars, and at the top were the zamindars. Some Rajbongshis were zamindars or jotedars.[25]

Lifestyle and culture[]

According to a 2019 research, the Koch Rajbongshi community has an oral tradition of agriculture, dance, music, medical practices, song, the building of house, culture, and language. Ideally the tribe transfer the know-how from one generation to another.[26]

The Koch Rajbongshi community had traditionally been a largely agricultural community, cultivating mainly rice, pulses, and maize. Rice is the staple food for the majority of the population. Even in the 21st century, a large portion of this community still adheres to a rural lifestyle, though urbanization is on a constant rise. The food consumed and the diet pattern is similar to all the Koches of Assam, West Bengal, Nepal, Bangladesh, Meghalaya. Rice and Pulses are consumed on a regular basis along with vegetables and bhajis (fries- mainly potatoes). Typical is the Dhékir sāg and naphā sāg, two types of leafy vegetable preparation, mostly boiled with very little added oil, out of newly born shoots of fern leaves. In lower Assam, a vegetable preparation of bamboo shoots is also consumed. Consumption of stale rice or pantha bhāt is common within Koch Rajbongshi. Cooking is mainly done using mustard oil, though sunflower oil is sometimes used. As far as non-vegetarian foods are concerned, the Koch Rajbongshi population consumes a large amount of meat and eggs unlike other neighborhood populations from the Bengal region, who consume a large amount of fish. Goat meat and sheep (if available) is generally consumed, and consumption of fowl meat is discouraged as a result of Sanskritization, though these taboos have eroded over time. There were rituals involving sacrificing pigs in Ghordew puja, and ducks in Laxmi puja. Eggs of ducks and poultry are consumed. Ducks and Fish are also consumed but not in very large numbers. The rivers of northern Bengal does not sustain large varieties of fishes because of its non-perennial nature. However, in lower Assam areas, large rivers like the Brahmaputra sustain large varieties of fish which becomes an important part of the dietary habit of the Koch Rajbanshi living there.

Home design of a typical Koch Rajbanshi home is essential for the rectangular pattern, with an open space (egina/aingna) in the middle. This is done mostly for protection against both wild animals and strong winds. A Thakurghor of Manasha or Kali Thakur at the entrance is must in every Koch-Rajbongshi house. The north side holds the betel nut and fruit gardens, the west contains Bamboo gardens while the east and the south is generally left open to allow sunshine and air to penetrate into the household. Though such a pattern is more prominent among the landed gentry.

Traditional attires of Koch-Rajbongshis are mainly Patani, Agran, Angsha, Chadar, Lifan, Phota, and various other traditional costumes being weaved at their traditional handloom in their home. The traditional clothing for men is Angsha and Jama , while for women is Bukuni-Patani, Phota, Agran, Angsa, Lifan; Chadar a piece of cloth tied around the chest that extends up to the knee. Lifan or Phota are worn like a wrapper. The Koch Rajbongshi Tribe has still preserved their age-old ethnic attires and is being used on a regular basis as their common costumes, The Koch Rajbongshis prefer to wear their traditional attires in-spite of the fact that the modern costumes are widely available.[27][28]

Music forms are integral part of Koch-Rajbongshi culture. The main musical forms of Koch-Rajbongshi culture are Bhawaiyya, Chatka, Chorchunni, Palatia, Lahankari, Tukkhya, Bishohora Pala among many others. Various instruments are used for such performances, string instruments like Dotora, Sarindra and Bena, double-membrane instruments like Tasi, Dhak, Khol, Desi Dhol and Mridanga, gongs and bells like Kansi, Khartal and wind instruments like Sanai, Mukha bansi and Kupa bansi.[29]

Famous people[]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ "West Bengal - Data Highlights: The Scheduled Castes -Census of India 2001" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  2. ^ "In West Bengal and Bihar, they are known as "Rajbongshi and "Rajbanshi"," in Assam as "Koch," "Rajbongshi," and "Koch-Rajbongshi," and in Meghalaya mainly as "Koch." Though the community is known by diverse names in different states, their origin is the same, that is, "Koch." (Roy 2018)
  3. ^ (Nath 1989:5)
  4. ^ "The Portal of North Bengal Development Department". wbnorthbengaldev.gov.in. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  5. ^ "while the asserted identity of the Koch/Rabha complex seemingly shifted a great deal during the colonial period—which is therefore very confusing for observers-some converts formed an assertive ethnic group, the Koch Rajbongshi (“of royal lineage”), that claimed to be linked to the Koch dynasty.(Ramirez 2014:17)
  6. ^ "Even in the Darrang Raj Vamsavali, which is the geneological work of the Koch royal family, and which was written in the last quarter of the 18th century, donot refer to this term [Rajbanshi]. Instead all these sources called them as Koches and/or Meches."(Nath 1989:5)
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "who often agreed with Buchanan, tells how the term “Koch” had had for some time a Barbaric flavour which induced many people to prefer the designation “Rajbangsi” (or Rajvamsi), a term which means “of the royal clan”.(Jacquesson 2008:27)
  8. ^ "In fact, the Koches in order to assert their royal lineage used to call themselves Rajbanshis. The term, Rajbanshi was also used as an effective nomenclature to subvert the processes of hierarchical subordination of the community largely by the caste Hindus during the colonial era." (Roy 2014)
  9. ^ "Burma was successful in getting the SC status for the Rajbanshis in Bengal. However, the movement did not gain much support in Assam, as the Koch Rajbanshis were not subjected to acute casteist/racial discrimination in the state as they were in Bengal." (Roy 2014)
  10. ^ https://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/SC%20Lists.pdf
  11. ^ "“Koch” only applies to groups reputed to have converted to Assamese Hinduism and which no longer recognize themselves as Tiwa, Karbi or Bodo"(Ramirez 2014:17)
  12. ^ "In Assam proper, however, the term Koch implies the name of a caste (rather than a Hinduised tribe) "into which all converts to Hinduism from different tribes, Kachari, Garo, Hajong, Lalung, Mikir, etc. are admitted on conversion"(Nath 1989:7)
  13. ^ (Nath 1989:4)
  14. ^ (Chatterji 1951:114)
  15. ^ "an account of the two expeditions of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji to the kingdom of Kamarupa (ancient assam) in the first part of the 13th century, noted that during that time this region..Kamarupa was inhabited by Kunch(Koch), Mej/Meg (Mech), Tiharu (Taru) tribes of Turks countenance. S.K Chatterji in this connection rightly observes that their Mongoloid features and speech made a distinct impression upon the Turks, who were also members of the same race""(Nath 1989:3)
  16. ^ "we read in Persian history that these races [Koch, Mech, Taru] had Turki countenances (i.e slanting eyes, snub nose, high cheek-bones and yellow complexion of the Mongols), and they spoke a 'different idiom' from the language of India proper"(Chatterji 1951:101)
  17. ^ (Chatterji 1951:112)
  18. ^ (Gogoi 2002:18)
  19. ^ " He correctly assumed his “Pani Koch” language to have been the language of the Koch before most of them “deserted their ancient customs”, and he rightly remarked that this language is not like Garo but very much like Rabha"(Jacquesson:18)
  20. ^ Das, Jitendra Nath (2004). "The Backwardness of the Rajbansis and the Rajbansi Kshatriya Movement (1891-1936)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 65: 559–563. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44144770.
  21. ^ "Today, the Koch Rajbanshi people are located in North Bengal, Assam (with a major concentration in west Assam), Garo hills of Meghalaya, Purnia, Kishanganj, and Katihar districts of Bihar, Jhapa and Biratnagar districts of Nepal, Rangpur, East Dinajpur districts and some parts of northwest Mymensingh, northern Rajshahi and Bogra districts of Bangladesh and lower parts of Bhutan (Nalini Ranjan Ray 2009)." (Roy 2014)
  22. ^ (Jacquesson 2008:16–17) "Konch, sometimes written Koch, (the same hesitation occurs in Buchanan-Hamilton’s manuscripts), is what we today write as Koch. Mej or Meg is the name we write as Mech. We can safely conclude that these names described important groups of people in the 13th century, in the area between the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. The relation with Buchanan’s “Koch” and “Mech”, is obvious, but the kind of entity (ethnical, political, etc.) implied is not at all obvious."
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b Roy, Gautam Chandra (5 June 2015). "Negotiating with the Changing Landscape: The Case of the Rajbanshi Community". Economic and Political Weekly: 7–8.
  24. ^ "Interview | 'There Are Few Documents on the Diverse History of Koch Rajbanshis'". The Wire. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Barman, Rup Kumar. "A new Look on the transition of Caste identity into Cultural identity of the Rajbanshis of Northern Bengal and Lower Assam" (PDF). The Mirror: 56–70.
  26. ^ Singha, Surjit; Singha, Ranjit (2019). Sustainable Entrepreneurship in North East India (1 ed.). Bulgaria: Tsenov Academic Publishing House. pp. 161–187. ISBN 9789542317524. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  27. ^ Chaudhuri, Harendra Narayan (1903). The Cooch Behar State and its Land Revenue Settlements. Princely Cooch Behar State: The Cooch Behar State Press. p. 135.
  28. ^ "People and Culture | Bongaigaon District | Government Of Assam, India". bongaigaon.gov.in. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  29. ^ Sanyal, Charu Chandra (1965). The Rajbansis of North Bengal. Calcutta: The Asiatic Society.

References[]

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