Page:Growth of Asamiya Language.pdf/16

THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE ASAMIYA LANGUAGE THE ASAM that Apabhrama has a different signification". (A History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 32). A careful study of Asamiya life and suelty, their physiognomy and racial traits, manners and customs, linguistics and phoneties, clothes and habits, rites and festivities, all and sundry, may betray both Vedie and pre-Vodic civilisation of the people, besides traces of the earlier Austrie and Mongolold culture, over and above what history and epigraphy preserve-fur us. But we must remember at the same time that like the Asamiya speech among tribal dialects, the Aryan population of the State is also like an island in a sea of non-Aryan people, even the Census returns of 1931 nut showing more than ten lacs of people of "reputed Aryan descent". Even admitting immigration of pre-Vedie Aryans early scholars were generally loath to believe early spread of Vedic culture in Asam. There is no denying the fact that the sacred fire crossed the Kosi and reached as far as the western bank of the Sadania (Karatoyh) as early as in the days of the Satapatha Brahmane. In his Geographical Dictio rary of Ancient and Medieval India (2nd Ed., CO. Series No.21, E. 13, 1927) Nundolal Dey writes, "Sadinira, 1. The river Karatoya which flows through the districts of Rangpur and Dinajpur, the Ancient Pundra. (Amarola, Patala Tithitattua, p. 796). Besides this, there are cultural and linguistic evidences which may prove early Aryanisation of Asam. TWO ANCIENT ASAM AS AN EAST-INDIA CULTURAL CENTRE News as it may appear to many, there can be no denying the fact that the whole of Eastern India tended to form a single unit historically and geographically, politically and socially, linguistically and culturally, with Kamarupa or Ancient Asam as the centre, until about one thousand years ago On the political side we find Bhaskar Varmk styled in Chinese annals as the Emperor of Easteri India. During his visit (636-645 A D.) Yuan Chwang found it divided into the following provincest 1. Magazihu 5,000 li 6. Kamarupa. 2. Trina or Hiranya more than 10,000 11 Parvata 3,000 7. Samatta 3. Champ 4,000 8. Tamralipti 4. Kayangala 2.000 9. Kama Suvam 5. Pundravardhana 10. Udra 7,000 11. Kongoda 1,000 (Quoted in Basu's Social History of Kamarpa, Vol. III, pp. 2-3.) 3,000 1,400 - 4,450 4,000