| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Languages | |
| Kamrupi dialect of Assamese | |
| Religion | |
 Hinduism, Islam, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Indo-Aryan peoples |
The Kamrupi people are a linguistic group that speak the Kamrupi dialects of Assamese and are found in the colonial Kamrup district region of Assam, India.[ citation needed ]
Bihu, Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Diwali, Holi, Janmastami, Shivratri to name a few, are major festivals of the region. Muslims celebrate Eid. Though dance and music of the springtime Bihu from Eastern Assam was not as common in the past they are becoming popular now; in its stead "Bhatheli" in northern Kamrup, "Sori" or "Suanri" in southern Kamrup were traditional modes of celebrations. [1] In certain areas the breakers of the "bhatheli-ghar" come from another village, resulting in a sort of mock fight between them and the local youth. In the southern part of Kamrup, where the festival is known as Sori, planting of tall bamboos is not seen, but bamboo posts, with the tuft at the top. People bow before the bamboos in northern Kamrup and they also touch them with reverence, but it does not look like any sort of bamboo worship. [2] The common popular term to designate the three festivals corresponding to Bihu of Eastern Assam, in Western Assam, except in West Goalpara, is "Domahi", e.g., "Baihagar Domahi", "Maghar Domahi" and "Katir Domahi". [3] [4]
Hinduism is the major religion of the region. Hinduism is further divided into Vaishnavism and Shaktism. Hindu way of life can be observed in dressing, food and lifestyle, an important aspect of cultural identity for people of the region.
Hindu kingdoms as political identities made a long lasting impact on region defining the way of the life. In early part of second millennium, Islam arrived in region with Turkish and Afghan invaders.
The folk songs of Kamrup region is known as Kamrupi Lokgeet. Kamrupi dance is a form of dance technique has been evolved from Bhaona which is a sophisticated type of dancing. [5]
The Kamrupi food homogenous to certain extent with nearby eastern states of West Bengal and Bihar. Mustard seeds and coconut is generously used in cooking, while ginger, garlic, pepper and onions are extensively used. Traditional utensils are made of bell metal though stainless steel is quite common in modern times. [6]
Assam is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of 78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi). The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22-kilometre-wide (14 mi) strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India. Assamese and Boro are the official languages of Assam, while Bengali is an official language in the three districts of Barak Valley.
Assamese, also Asamiya ( অসমীয়া), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, where it is an official language, and it serves as a lingua franca of the wider region. The easternmost Indo-Iranian language, it has over 15 million speakers according to Ethnologue.
Bihu is a set of three important cultural festivals unique to the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October or November, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The festivals present an admixture of Tibeto-Burman, Austroasiatic and Indo-Aryan traditions entwined so intricately that it is impossible to separate them—festivals which are uniquely Assamese to which all communities of Assam had contributed elements. The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three, celebrating spring festival. The Bhogali Bihu or the Magh Bihu is a harvest festival, with community feasts. The Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is the sombre, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies and is an animistic festival.
The Bihu dance is an indigenous folk dance from the Indian state of Assam related to the Bihu festival and an important part of Assamese culture. Performed in a group, the Bihu dancers are usually young men and women, and the dancing style is characterized by brisk steps, and rapid hand movements. The traditional costume of dancers is colorful and centered round the red color theme, signifying joy and vigour. It is a festival of joy and happiness.
The music of Assam consists various genres of folk and modern music, drawing its artistic basis from the history of Assam, from Assamese culture and its ancient traditions. In recent times, starting from the late eighties, popular artistes have modernized the music catering to local popular demand.
Kamarupi Prakrit is the postulated Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA) Prakrit language used in ancient Kamarupa. This language is 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.
Nalbari (নলবাৰী) is a town and a village in Nalbari district in the Indian state of Assam. Nalbari Ultimate Village is also known as Ultimate Village in Assam. Nalbari is also the headquarters of Nalbari District
The culture of Assam is traditionally a hybrid one, developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups under various political-economic systems in different periods of its history.
Kamrupi Lokgeet is popular form of folk music that expresses thoughts and emotion of the Kamrupi people. The songs are derived from Ancient Kamrup. The language of Kamrupi lokgeet are different dialects and ancestral forms of Assamese, including Early Assamese, Kamrupi dialects and Standard Assamese.
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.
Kamrup is the modern region situated between two rivers, the Manas and the Barnadi in Western Assam, with the same territorial extent as the Colonial and post-Colonial "Undivided Kamrup district". It was the capital region of two of the three dynasties of Kamarupa and Guwahati, the current political center of Assam, is situated here. It is characterized by its cultural artifacts.
Kamrupi culture refers to the cultural norms of people of colonial Kamrup district.
Kamarupi script was the script used in ancient Kamarupa from as early as 5th century to 13th century, from which the modern Assamese script eventually evolved. In the development of the Assamese script, this phase was followed by the medieval and then by the modern Assamese scripts.
Domahi, or Domasi and Damhi, is a popular harvesting festival, celebrated in the Kamrup and eastern Goalpara regions of Western Assam. It marks the commencement and end of the harvesting season, and start and end of the Kamrupi and Goalpariya new years.
Sridhara Kandali was medieval vaishnavite poet from Kamrup region of Assam. He was known for his poetry work named "Kumara Harana".
Assam – 16th largest, 15th most populous and 26th most literate state of the 28 states of the democratic Republic of India. Assam is at 14th position in life expectancy and 8th in female-to-male sex ratio. Assam is the 21st most media exposed states in India. The Economy of Assam is largely agriculture based with 69% of the population engaged in it. Growth rate of Assam's income has not kept pace with that of India's during the Post-British Era; differences increased rapidly since the 1970s. While the Indian economy grew at 6 percent per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam's grew only by 3.3 percent.
Kalardiya, also "Dohgaon Kalardiya" is a village in Kamrup rural district of Western Assam. It is located at south bank of river Brahmaputra.
Hinduism in the state of Assam, in Northeast India is the home to some of the most complex and poorly understood traditions in Hinduism. People follow traditions belonging to Shaivism, Saktism, Tantricism and an indigenous form of Vaishnavism called Ekasarana dharma; and taken together the practitioners constitute around 61% of the state population as per the 2011 Census. Hindus form a majority in 17 out of the 29 districts of Assam. By region, there is a significant diversity among the ethnic groups that profess the Hindu faith, traditions and customs. As per as 2011 Census, In Brahmaputra valley of Assam, Hindus constitute 62% of the population, most being ethnic Assamese. In the autonomous Bodoland region of Assam, Hindus constitute 71.3% of the region's population, most being of the Bodo tribe. In the Barak valley region of southern Assam, Hindus constitute 50% of the region's population, most being ethnic Sylhetis, a subgroup of Bengalis. The Hill Tribes of Assam, particularly the Karbi people of Karbi Anglong and Dimasa people of Dima Hasao are mainly Hindus.
