The Belongings carried by Chao Lung Suo Kaa Faa — Chao Nagen Hazarika

 

 The Belongings carried by Chao Lung Suo Kaa Faa — Chao Nagen Hazarika

    Chao Lung Suo-Ka-Fa came to mung kla (Bai Sa Li according to same tai Buddhists) or summer, not to conquer this land but with a view to migrating form mung mit (Mung Mow Lung under the present day P.RC) and so  settle here per manently. According by he was accompanied by not less than nine thousand followers of both sexes and different age and various labours. This is necessary along with the migrants for their living in the new place or migration and so also the companions of Chao Lung Suo Ka Faa carried along with them th mimimum belongings necessary of their living in this new place.
Books of history such as the Ahom buranji edited by Rai Saheb Gopal Chandra Boruah,tells us that ai khum lung and ngi khum lai the ancestors from Mung fie to Mung Ri Mung Ram, bought with then the following animals - alligators, bears, tigers, sarpents,monkeys, seven crowa,nine hogs and ten lizards. What more were carried along with them were - Somdeo (Chao Fra Rung Seng Mung)  a magic sword (Henge Dang) ywo drums, four heavenly cooks,guns (Pasupat), laws and rules, royal umbrella, throne, gold mat, silver mat,big drum,ryal stick, instrument of punishment, pu fie -suo, the god of forest to rule over the forest by living on a Tung Rung Rai (thee),one big elephant etc. etc.
   Such was the case with Chow Lung Suo Ka Fa who carried all that he required for him and his companions in the new land. Now the question naturally arises as to what were those belongings. Form inferences and historico-empirical generalizations made from different traits and writinga ,we may say that the following among many others were brought to and introduced in Assam by Chao Lung Sou Ka Fa.
   (1) Water rich cultivation - Historical evidence reveal to us that there no sail kheti (water rice cultivation) in this north east part of present days geographical India prior to the advent of Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa. What there was only kheti (winter rice cultivation)  here made by splash and burn. It is Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa who brought with him sali paddy and introduced sali kheti culture in Assam. One of the varieties of sali paddy, carried by him is til now called ahom sali, the other varieties of paddy carried bya Chao Lung Su Ka Fa, as know, were khati neuli,borax and borbora paddy (to prepare luk lau = rice beer,khow mung = adhesive rice which is so popular in Yunnan and other areas of tai inhabitation) .Hol pona paddy, Sarag Fata paddy (Fa-La is an ahom term, Fa = Heaven,  La= to be born, to happen and 'Fa-La' if Assamecised becomes 'Saragar para ana' on to have been brought from heaven and here the Assamese word 'Sarag' is led to co-exist with the ahom term 'Fa-La' to imply the same meaning)  etc.
For talking up water rice cultivation, Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa brother with him a much improved varity of buffalo,  called in Assam the 'Asamia Moh''( Assamese buffalo) and aslo the buffalo.It is to be seen that the variety of buffalo found in lower Assam in of lower programs and ploughing is made with two Buffalo,  and the Tai people have the civilisation of ploughing with one buffalo only.  Moreover the culture of construction of embankments (Mo-Thap-U-Ri) for flood protection and of cutting carals for Saki Kheti were --
 (2) Ramie - Popularly known as 'Chinese Grass' Ramie has its origin in China. It was  carried to Assam bya Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa. It being the strongest and the most long lasting Fabre was used in Assam prion to the advant of the British in preparing Fa Bin Bai Ram (Tongali on Lavas) , ropes for cattle and elephant, fish nets, nets to catch tigers, in making bridges over small rivers, in preparing montars (coment)  popularly known as hon sufa for brick construction etc. Above all Chao Lung Suo Kaa Fa used ramine fibres in constructing rope bridges for crossing the hilly rivers as traditional folk- lores tell us.  Ramine in Assamese is called Riha pat.
 (3) Jute - (Corchenus Capsularis/Corcherus Olitorius) - Jute is found growing wild in Yunnan faling under the then Mung Mow Lung. It is said that Chao Lung Suo La Fa bought this botane form there with him and from Assam it went to Bengal. The land producing the highest quality of jute. Ramie is comparatively superior or ramie. Moreover the specious of Mitha Mora (edible non - better jute plant).Tenga Mora (ahom meat and) were brought to Assam by Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa as vegetables,
   (4) Som on Chom tree and Mugabe Silk- The Assamese word 'Chom' or 'Som' is derived form the ahom word 'Chom' meaning 'to get attached to (something); In other cases of sericulturing, the food leaves are plucked and supplied to the silk worms an vessels but in case of Mugabe the silk worm is had attached to the tree containing the fead leaves and therefore the tree is called in ahom language 'Tun Chum ' (Tun = Tree) . Chum tree (Antheraea Assam) and 'Muga ' cultivation were brought bya Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa to Assam from his 'old country ' and therefore it was called ' Mung Kow ' (Mung = country,  Low = old)  and the Assamese word 'Muga' is a derivating of 'Mung Kow'.Putnam Kant's Boragohain While travelling in Yunnan of P.R.C found in tun hung village a tree called 'Chum Fet' which is but chum tree of Assam, and it was till few years back used for production of silk. This produces an evidence for the coming of the chum tree and the coming of the chum tree and the Muga culture to assam form Mung Mow Lung. Besides the silk culture and the erendi silk culture were brought to assam by Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa. It was after seven hundred years that in 1905 A.D. Mr. Lafroy scientifically cultured erendi and mulberry silk and India after coliecting from Assam and introduced in kashmir, Mysore, Kanchipur and other place of India. ''The ahom introduced into Assam silk like = Muga and pat ...."
 (5) Orange - (Mak Dow in Ahom)  The original abode of orange is China, Shan states, kohima, China etc. India is known to have imported orange form the first time in 1852 A.D .Only from Malta for ultivatime in northern India but before that is 1828 A.D, Oranges were expected from Assam to Europe. It is futhuer known that some of orange is sylhet And at the foothills khasi - Jayantia hills in 1830 - 35 A.D .in an area covering about 100 square miles and as per C. Brownal's report (1869 A.D ) orange is abundance were produced there and in 1902 - 03, a quantity of 74,000 manunds of orangea (worth of Rs 28,000/=) was exported out of undivided assam.
     The above shows that orange was cultivated in Assam muck period to 1826 A.D .when it was aunexed to British India. In Assam orange is known as  Sumthira Tenga, Kamala, Narangi (Bihari Hindi) Santra ( Urdu/ Hindi) etc. ''Sumthira ' appearing to be an Assamese word is actually a derivatives of ahimsa words Sum+Thiu+Ra (Sum=sour on soy fruit, Thiu = good testing,  good looking,  Ra = Much, meaning - very good looking good testing sour fruit)  and the people of upper Assam generally use the word "Sumthira Tenga " for orange more than there of lower Assam. In ahom orange is also called Mak Dow as found in ahom Laxicons (DHAS) which was compilshd in 1795 A.D .In view of the above and also in view of the original abode of orange bring China. It may be empirically generalised that Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa brought this species of botane Wit him from Mung Mow Lung.
 (6) Ahom Bagari (Ahom Plum) - The name itself implies that this type of plum (presently) was of ahom belonging. It was bought to Assam by  Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa. Tho plum is very delicious and ahoms have a respect of this tree, may be due to the fact that Lao Tse,  A Tai fore father and Scholar was born under and ahom Bagari tree. The fire wood made of this tree is very suitable for preparing duck roast and the refore till today. Packing duck (Beijing Duck) is roasted in this fire wood and sold in the main gate of the forbidden city of Beijing. Beside they ahom plum,  the Nora plum (Nora Bagari)  was bought along win Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa from the Shaw states.
 (7) Other Botane - Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa brought with him also the following - (a) Takou (A kind of plum tree called 'Tongkou ' or Tun - Nyto Tong ' in ahom)  tree to use the matured leaves for roofing. (b) Tea plants ('Tun -Cha' in ahom)  to use as medicine and preparing intoxicating beverage. (c) Nefafu ('Neu Fak Fu 'in ahom)  to use as medicinal vegetables to take Wit park and bef in orther to keep boold pressure right. (d) Sinkara flower plant (Blok - Sing -Far in ahom language, meaning the sacred flowers of Haven which is compulsory used in all the religious fictiona of the ahoms). (e) Raidang (Rai = Shine,  dang = big stik)  cane, (f) Thorny bamboo to plant on the ramparts and fort's.  (g) HUN DA banana called HUNDA KAL or Baratmani banana in Assamese.  (h) MONICHAL tree (Soap nut tree)  called TUN MAK SAK in ahimsa. (I) The culture of eating of matural betelnut  after soaking for month together,  Jaba (JA+FA=Ahom tree) , Kopou phul (ahom orchid).
 (8) RIHA MEKHELA - "The Riha Mekhela ensemble, specialiy the Ribs was introduced with other Tai races of Thailand and Indo - China " This waste carried by the women companions if Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa along with other stihed garments of Chap-kon  pot -lung, khip-Tin, etc. And untitched garments like,the Stiched garment cultural us Chaos Lung Suo Ka Fa's contributions.
 (9) FIRE ARMS - "Its is belived that it is the same people who in ancient time first discovered gun powder and guns which passed from assam to pegu,  and from pego to china. This is the reason why this discovery is generally ascribed to the Chinese.
  (10) OCTAGONAL PLAN IN ARCHITECTURE .....it's octagonal plan is definitely an ahom innovation, not to be found in any of the earlier structure, indigenous on exolice ...." The octagonal plan of architecture is a contribution of Chao Lung Suo LA Fa along with dragon culture in architecture.
 (11) DANCE AND MUSIC - Warrior are always culture of dance and music and so were also like ahom. Car rying of KONG (drum) from fie to mung ri  mung ram by the tais is a history. What were brought with Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa were - the bihu DHOL, bihu dance, bihu songs, TOKARI (Tuk Kai) , BHOR TAL, PEPA made of Buffalo horn TOKA (Tong -ka) , TEMEKA (Teu-Me-Ka) , Dhun Tuk (DUn -Tak)  and what rot which were later on adopted by other communities of Assam. lai lung kham other dances within ahom fold.  Meji (Me+ji) culture is choa lung suo ka fa's contribution.
  CONCLUSION  :  what else were carried by Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa along with him on his way to MUNGLLA can not be hastily Summarized without doing a thought research. In shot the present a though reachers. In short the present day "Assamese culture " is but the contribution this great explore who carried these culture traits alone with while being to Mung Dun Sun Kham. However we may refer to the following which were carried along with Chao Lung Suo Ka Fa ----(1) Writing on Sanchi Pat (cahn+chi=ahimsa term) and preparation of it (2)prose writing (3)writing history (4)Bamboo culture (5)Japi (head cover made of bamboo sticks and Tokou leaves and other materials)  (6) Road network culture (7)Nag pota, placing while digging tanks (8)Ramparts (9)Veterinary medicine booka (Lit Sang Sang Sa Ri on Hastividyarnava Ghora Nidan on Lit Sang Sang Sa Ri Ma) , (10) Planned homestead,  planned village paik system of administration (11) Production of mortar (cement)  by mixing molasses, matimah (Phaseolustraditions) line Bonali fish, duck egg, mustard oil,  resin,milk, Bora rice powder, limestone and Rami fiber etc.  (12) Upswept cave in architecture,  (13) Moidam (Moy + Dam = Ahom term) ,(14) Some science,  (15) Coinage and owing culture, (16) Ban Bati, Ban Kanhi, Mai Hanger ,(17) Brick culture (18) Bronze culture, (19) Jade and Jang Fai culture, (20) Dragon,  (21) Collection of gold particles from river sands etc. And above all SECULARISM and a DEMOCRATO MONARCHY.