| Early Assamese | |
|---|---|
| Region | Assam |
| Era | 14th-16th centuries |
Indo-European
| |
Early form | |
| Dialects | |
| Eastern Nagari | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
Early Assamese or Proto-Eastern Kamarupa [1] is an ancestor of the modern Assamese language. It is found in the literature from the 14th century to the end of 16th century [2] [3] in Kamata kingdom and rest the Brahmaputra valley of Assam.
Early Assamese literature period can be split into: a) The Pre-Vaishnavite period and b) The Vaishnavite sub periods. [4] The Pre-Vaishnavite period covers the period before the advent of Sankardeva and the Vaishnavite period initiated by his literary activities. The earliest Assamese writer, viz. Hema Saraswati and Harivara Vipra who composed Prahlada Charitra and Babruvahana parva respectively wrote under the patronage of King Durlabhanarayana of Kamatapura who ruled towards the end of the 13th or the earlier part of the 14th century. The next two important poets of the same period are Rudra Kandali and Kaviratna Saraswati who composed Drona parva and Jayadratha vadha. But the towering poet of this period is Madhava Kandali who is respectfully referred to by Sankardeva (b. 1449) as his predecessor. Madhava Kandali flourished towards the end of the 14th century and translated the entire Ramayana under the patronage of Mahamanikya, the then Kachari (Varāha) king of Central Assam. [5]
Early Assamese was written in the Eastern Nagari script.
| Person [6] [7] | Singular nominative | Singular oblique | Plural nominative | Plural oblique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | mai, maĩ, āmi | mo-, moho- | āmi, āmarā | āmā-, āmhā-, āmāsā- |
| 2nd informal | tai, taĩ | to-, toho- | torā | torā- |
| 2nd familiar | tumi | tomā-, tomhā | tomarā | tomāsā- |
| 3rd inf., prox., m. | i, ito | ihā-, ā- | ārā | ārā-, esambā- |
| 3rd inf. dist. f. | ei | ei- | ārā | ārā-, esambā- |
| 3rd hon., prox. | ehe, eho | ehante, ehanto | esambā- | |
| 3rd inf., dist., m. | si, sito | tā-, tāhā- | tārā | tārā-, tāsambā- |
| 3rd inf. dist. f. | tāi | tāi- | ||
| 3rd hon. dist. | tehõ, tehẽ, tehã | tehante, tehento, tesambe | tāsambā- |
Assamese or Asamiya is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, where it is an official language. It serves as a lingua franca of the wider region and has over 15 million native speakers according to Ethnologue.
Srimanta Sankardev was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of the Bhakti movement in Assam. He is credited with building on past cultural relics and devising new forms of music (Borgeet), theatrical performance, dance (Sattriya), literary language (Brajavali). Besides, he has left a literary oeuvre of trans-created scriptures, poetry and theological works written in Sanskrit, Assamese and Brajavali. The Bhagavatic religious movement he started, Ekasarana Dharma and also called Neo-Vaishnavite movement, influenced two medieval kingdoms – Koch and the Ahom kingdom – and the assembly of devotees he initiated evolved over time into monastic centers called Sattras, which continue to be important socio-religious institutions in Assam and to a lesser extent in North Bengal.
Kamarupi Prakrit is the postulated Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA) Prakrit language used in ancient Kamarupa. This language has been derived from Gauda-Kamarupi Prakrit and the historical ancestor of the Kamatapuri lects and the modern Assamese language; and can be dated prior to 1250 CE, when the proto-Kamta language, the parent of the Kamatapuri lects, began to develop. Though not substantially proven, the existence of the language that predated the Kamatapuri lects and modern Assamese is widely believed to be descended from it.
Kaviraja Madhava Kandali was an Indian poet from the state of Assam. He is one of the renowned poets pertaining to the Pre-Shankara era. His Saptakanda Ramayana is considered the earliest translation of the Ramayana into an Indo-Aryan language, Assamese. This work was carried out by the poet as early as the 14th Century. Another significant work of his is the narrative poem Devajit, which is about superiority of Krishna over the other avatars of Vishnu. Kandali's patron was the Barāha King Mahamanikya whose kingdom was located in the Kapili valley. Kabiraja Madhava Kandali was said to be inhabitant of Lanka of Undivided Nagaon.
Saptakanda Ramayana is the 14th-15th century Assamese version of the Ramayana attributed to the famous Assamese poet Madhava Kandali. It is considered to be one of the earliest translations from the Sanskrit into a modern regional language, preceded only by Kambar's translation into Tamil and Ranganatha's translation into Telugu, and the first translation to an Indo-Aryan language. The work is also considered one of the earliest written examples of Assamese.
Indira Goswami, known by her pen name Mamoni Raisom Goswami and popularly as Mamoni Baideo, was an Indian writer, poet, professor, scholar and editor.
Assamese literature is the entire corpus of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, documents and other writings in the Assamese language. It also includes the literary works in the older forms of the language during its evolution to the contemporary form and its cultural heritage and tradition. The literary heritage of the Assamese language can be traced back to the c. 9–10th century in the Charyapada, where the earliest elements of the language can be discerned.
Though the precise Etymology of Assam, a state in India is unclear—there is general agreement that it is related to the Ahom people. Whatever the source of the English name, Assam is itself an anglicization.
Borgeets are a collection of lyrical songs that are set to specific ragas but not necessarily to any tala. These songs, composed by Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva in the 15th-16th centuries, are used to begin prayer services in monasteries, e.g. Satra and Namghar associated with the Ekasarana Dharma; and they also belong to the repertoire of Music of Meghalaya outside the religious context. They are a lyrical strain that express the religious sentiments of the poets reacting to different situations, and differ from other lyrics associated with the Ekasarana Dharma. Similar songs composed by others are not generally considered borgeets.
Banikanta Kakati was a prominent linguist, literary figure, critic and scholar in Assamese language with his immense contribution to the language in terms of literature, linguistics, cultural anthropology and comparative religion.
Hema Saraswati was amongst the earliest known Assamese writers, most known for his poem, Prahlada Charita, the earliest known poetic work in Assamese language. He was court poet under the patronage of Kamtapur's King Durlabh Narayan of Kamata Kingdom, who also provided patronage to his contemporary, Harivara Vipra. He wrote Prahlada Charita based on a story found in Vayu Purana and Har-Gauri-Sambaad, a version of Kumarasambhava by Kalidasa.
Harivara Vipra is amongst the earliest known Assamese writers. He was patronaged by Kamatapur's king Durlava Narayan. His compositions, Babrubahanar Yudha, Lava-Kushar Yudha, Tamradwajar Yudha of (Asvamedha Parva) are taken from Jyimiyanashamedh. His writing style, simple interpretation and use of ornamental words are counted after his concurrent Madhava Kandali's. His other concurrent Pre-Vaishnavite writers are Rudra Kandali, Kobiranta Saraswati, Madhav Kandali, Hema Saraswati etc., who gave a strong initial base to Assamese Literature.
Surjapuri is an Indo-Aryan language of the Bengali-Assamese branch, spoken in Eastern India including North Bengal, West Bengal, and some eastern parts of Purnia division of Bihar, as well as Jhapa District in Nepal, Goalpara Division of Assam in India and Rangpur Division in Bangladesh. Among speakers in some regions, it is known as 'Deshi Bhasa'. It possesses similarities with Kamatapuri, Assamese, Bengali, and Maithili.
Kamrupi dialects are a group of regional dialects of Assamese, spoken in the Kamrup region. It formerly enjoyed prestige status. It is one of two western dialect groups of the Assamese language, the other being Goalpariya. Kamrupi is heterogeneous with three subdialects— Barpetia dialect, Nalbariya dialect and Palasbaria dialect.
Bhattadeva (1558–1638), is acknowledged as the father of Assamese prose. Though Bhaktiratnakar-katha, the Assamese translation of Sankardev's Sanskrit composition Bhaktiratnakar by Gopala Charana Dwija preceded the works of Bhattadeva, Bhattadeva's prose had an influence in the development of a high and dignified style. Bhattadeva's and Gopala Charana Dvija's 16th century works are considered to be the earliest examples of prose in Indian languages. Bhattadeva's erudition in Sanskrit grammar and literature, and his command over the Bhagavata earned him the title of Bhagavata Bhattacharya.
Rudra Kandali was a litterateur from Kamrup. He was a well known poet of the 12th century and contemporary of the likes of Haribara Vipra and Hema Saraswati.
Kamrupi culture refers to the cultural norms of people of colonial Kamrup district.
Mahamanikya was a Borahi-Kachari king of Barāha who ruled parts of Assam in the 14th-15th century. At the time, his kingdom centered on present-day Nagaon, Morigoan and Hojai districts. At his behest and patronage Madhava Kandali translated the Sanskrit epic Ramayana to Assamese verse called Saptakanda Ramayana. Some historians suggest that he was also involved—along with Indranarayana of Kamata kingdom and Baro-Bhuyans—in resisting Sikandar Shah's invasion into the Brahmaputra valley around 1362.