By Mousum Gogoi
Deo-Pahar is an important visiting point with a lot of historical value situated in the Golaghat district of Assam. Deo-Pahar refers to the hill of divine beings- the hill of flying Vidyadharas, celestial musicians, epics, and gods. Some contexts also referred to it as Jarashndha Parvat. According to the context of ‘Ahomar Din’ by Hiteshwar Barbaruah, the name Deo-Pahar was given by the Ahoms due to a fantastic incident. Once, Ahom King Su-hung-mung decided to build a rampart on the borders of the Naga Hills. When paiks were building the rampart, they found a vasthuman-like being under the soil. The paiks informed the king about it. They described it as a vast being nearly equal to an elephant. The king ordered to stop the work. From that incident, that place became known as Deo-Pahar.
Deo-Pahar makes sense because Assamese society strongly believes in supernatural beings (or deos Sanskrit deva/Devta). Even in present times, they would naturally believe that something divine exists there.
However, what makes the site so divine? Our lack of information about it? The Deo-Pahar sculptures strongly point to a significant era of history we do not know much about. It is timewe wiped it out with such cruelty. We do not know what happened to those with such excellent architectural knowledge abjectly. Was it a pandemic, a great natural disaster, or a geo-political phenomenon- we do not have any historical evidence. So, we can point out why it became a place of divine beings. When something is beyond people’s knowledge, it becomes a place of divinity.
By 1826, British rule was established in Assam. They started tea gardens on the lands and hills of Assam. Thick forests were cleared for tea gardens, and new roads and railway lines were constructed. Eventually, under the thick forests of Numaligarh, they found Deo-Pahar architecture. The person said to be found in Deo-Pahar was British topographer, surveyor, and geologist H.H. Godwin Austen, who even had a glacier named after him.
The surrounding tea estates of Numaligarh remind us of those aggressive Britishers of the far west who once ruled even on the forbidden part of the east. However, like every kingdom, the Great British Raj ended in the East. New legacies were implied. The Britishers occupied this land by vanishing Burmese invasion; the Burmese occupied this land from the Ahoms, and the Ahom occupied this land from the Kocharis, Shutiyas and Varahies. It is an eternal process. The aspect of history reading is not declaring wars based on our past actions but rediscovering the past. Rediscovering is always an essential aspect of historical studies, both politically and from geological, cultural, and anthropological points of view. Discover about us, what actions we have done in the past and which should not be repeated, what shapes us as figures of the present time, what disasters we have faced and much more.
Back to Deo-Pahar, historical evidence says that Deo-Pahar architecture was a creation of a rich, cultured civilization on the bank of river Dhonshiri. A civilization nourished by the rivers Doi-yang and Dhonshiri. Ancient folklore tells us about the attraction of Doi-yang towards young and beautiful Dhonshiri. Doi-yang was impressed by Dhonshiri’s beauty, and he wanted to marry her. However, she refused his proposal and flowed in a spiral path, avoiding Doi-yang. However, Doi-yang did not lose hope and always tried to flow beside her. So, those rivers have many curves in their path. Geologists called this process meandering. Most rivers on the south bank of Brahmaputra are meandering rivers. The curve becomes an oxbow lake when meandering rivers create too many curvy paths. The reason for Dhonshiri’s meandering is active Dhonshiri’s fault. It is a line where ancient stones were suppressed at least 4-5 km underground. These stones once were a part of Burha Pahar. This active line is spread to the Himalayas. As we said, imagination meets divine stories when human knowledge cannot explain something.
Whatever the stories or geological reasons, there is no doubt that these two rivers created a healthy environment to establish a civilization in this valley. Nature formed this land so perfectly from a strategic point of view that it was an important and influential strategic point for many kingdoms. The rivers were natural defenders of the valley. Many water forts and artificial harbours were found in this area, which indicates that it was once an important place not only from a strategic point of view but also from an economic point of view. Another important thing about this valley was that they had access to an important element- iron. Slag heaps and iron smelting sites in this region indicate they had a very good knowledge of iron works.
However, who were the controllers of these water forts and harbours? Well, the answer is pretty layered. In some contexts, Dhonshiri refers to Austric origin words like Don, Dong, Dunga, etc., which means water channels. However, how and when is the Austric word Don connected with Shiri, which may have originated from the word Shri? Stone inscriptions and clay seals in this region tell us about historical figures like Ratnavarman and Vasundharavarmana, who ruled this region between the 4th and 5thcenturies AD. The title ‘Varman’ shows their connections with the Varman dynasty of Kamarupa. That mighty Varman dynasty referred to themselves as successors of Naraka, the son of Varaha Vishnu. However, the abovementioned figures were nowhere to be found in any of the ancestries of the Varman royal houses. Possibilities are that they may belong to a collateral branch of the Varmans. Alternatively, maybe titles like Varman, Pala, etc., are used to identify someone as Kshatriya, as these titles were also found in some other dynasties.
One thing common across the dynasties is showing a connection with a powerful lineage. Was it a political need? We can justify why Meitei-leipak converted to Manipur. Rukmini became a princess of Shutiyas, and Naraka became the king of Kamarupa. To control a territory, showing connections with divine beings or, we can say, powerful beings was a must. We should remember that even in some contexts, Deo-Pahar was called Jarasandha Parvat. Was it the same process by which the river got its name, Dhonshiri? Is it also colonialism? Divine colonialism. Whatever it be.
One noticeable point is that the Deo-Pahar architectural remains are much more skilful than other sculptures found in the Doi-yang Dhonshiri region. They have a high degree of perfection and are a sign of a highly developed architectural community. So, there is no doubt that they were constructed during the same kingdom as the other architectures of Doi-yang Dhonshiri Valley. There is even an assumption that maybe Deo-Pahar architecture was a creation of later Salastambhas.
Nowadays, the Deo-Pahar archaeological site is only a collection of broken sculptures and remaining stone pieces.It reminds us of a gorgeous temple structure with high perfection. According to some historians, it may have been constructed in Nagara style. The stones used on the temple are sandstones, which might be carried here from Naga hills through the river Dhonshiri. The stones were connected with each other with the help of melted iron.It was a Shiva temple. The main lingam of the temple was said to have been transferred to the nearby Baba Than in the Numaligarh Tea estate by a Brahmin named Narayan Kandali. However, Baba Than temple is not very old, roughly between 100 and 150 years old. The Deo-Pahar not only indicates the highly precise architectural work of that time but also lightsthe social life of that time. They tell us about music, dance, fashion, weapons, etc. The site’s main attraction is a giant foundation with gracious flying Vidyadharas.1 holding lotus buds with both hands. Above the Vidyadharas, there is a layer of elephants facing outward. A major part of a ceiling can be noticed falling on the ground. It contains a beautiful lotus sculpture with three layers of concentric petals. It is termed as ‘Viswapadma’. The huge foundation is said to be the seed vessel of Viswapadma. Some other sculptures found here are from episodes of Mahabharata and Ramayana, Yama, Agni, mythical lions, Kirti Mukha, kalamakara, mythical birds, intimating couples, etc.
The Kirti Mukhas of Deo-Pahar has many distinctive features. They are not similar to Kirti Mukha sculptures of other Southeast Asian regions. Even key differences can be seen between those and other Kriti Mukha sculptures founded in Assam. It may be because Deo-Pahar’s art style was completely different and had many unique features. The unique features can also be seen in Kalamakara and the lion sculptures. Two lion sculptures caught our eyes on Deo-Pahar. It should be remembered that the lion was never a native animal of this region. Moreover, like most Southeast Asian parts, those line sculptures have many dragon-like features. One of them looks prettythe same with a long neck and has fewer artistic features, and the other is more 3d, looks livelier, and has more artistic features.
Maybe the temple was completed by generations of artists rather than only one group of artists. Clearly, the temple took a long time to build, and it was not possible for one group of artists. Different groups of artists gave it different features. Possibilities are not zero.
Besides these giant sculptures, we would like to shed light on some minor details. One of the noticeable things in the Deo-Pahar sculptures is their fashion. The figures’ clothes, headgear, and jewellery are pretty impressive. We can see upward boat-shaped moustaches on male figures. Was it a fashion of that time? The same type of moustache can be found on the sculptures of the Kamakhya temple. Is this an indication of cultural exchange? Deo-Pahar’s and Kamakhya’s architectural styles do not have artistic resemblances, but such points indicate that they must have had cultural exchanges. Maybe due to the lineage connection with Kamarupa!
The curved stone panels of Deo-Pahar have a wide source of information of their time. We can consider them comics or Puthi-Chitra from that time. The stone panels mainly contain episodes of Mahabharata and Ramayana and many local features. Some of them show local traditions, dance forms and musical instruments of that time. Moreover, it is unsurprising that someexist in later cultures and traditions. Great art always inspires later artisans. It is the process through which the soul of a land survives from generation to generation throughout history.
We do not have clear information about when and how this mesmerising temple structure fell. Most evidence points to a great earthquake. Assam was never a stable land politically or geographically. Records of many great earthquakes can be found in Ahom Buranjis. One or two of them might collapseentirely. But when? Does the later Kocharis and Ahoms know about that temple? Earlier, we discussed the context of Ahom Buranji in this place. What was that giant creature? Was it a giant Kirti Mukha sculpture that can be seen there today? Well, the writer does not claim the truth of this assumption. It is only an assumption.
The Buranjis had much information about this region but not about the temple. Maybe the temple was deformed much earlier, so people’s ignorance hid it completely. Worshipping in a deformed temple was out of the rule.
The Doi-yang Dhonshiri valley was an important region even for the later periods. As we said earlier, it was a strategically very important region. The Kocharis built many brick ramparts here. For Ahoms, it was a very important region for protection against Bengals. After the invasion of Mir-Jumla, they created a vast defense mechanism. Because if the Bangals attacked the kingdom, it would be the only second safe place to resist them after Guwahati. Ahoms had many iron furnaces in this region, from which bullets and other weapons were supplied for wars. Ironwork was practiced in this region till the end of the Ahom dynasty. During the British Raj in Assam, the Marwari merchants started business here on the banks of the rivers, which caused the entire region to become known as Golaghat. Unknowingly, this merchant woke up the soul of ancient busy harbours again. History repeats its imprints. Moreover, that is why history is quite interesting.
The writer’s intention is not to write an educational article for history students but to present historical facts to the common people more interestingly. So, the technical terms are avoided as much as possible. History and geography are things every person should know. History is not only a lifeless collection of past incidents at all. It lives somewhere between us without our concern. We humans are ourselves, a creation of our history. It is an endless flow over time and across generations. Knowing history is knowing ourselves politically, culturally, geographically and even psychologically. Finally, we would like to say that history is not only about kings and kingdoms but also about art, culture, society, nature, and much more. It is especially about common people who will lead society in the future. Kingdoms may vanish, and kingship may collapse, but common people preserve the ideas and knowledge and pass it down to their descendants. So, the soul of a land never dies; whatever the kingdom ruled over it, Varmans or Kocharis or Ahoms, whatever.
Special thanks to:
1) Abantika Parashar, Director, Jorhat District Museum.
2) Bashab Nandan Mahanta, Director, Geographical Survey of India.
3) Bikash Dihingiya, Asst. Teacher, 73 no. Dulia Gaon L.P. School.
External Sources:
1) https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/66569
2) https://archive.org
3) Ahomar Din, Hiteswar Borboruah, 2nd Edition
Photo Courtesy
1) Mousum Gogoi, Author.
2) Bhuban Muhan Dutta, Golaghat.
