Assam's Culture for the Assam Police Constable Exam
Culture is the friendliest part of the General Knowledge paper, because almost every question here is about things a candidate already knows from daily life, and the marks are lost only when the names are mixed up. The SLPRB Assam Police Constable (AB & UB) paper asks about festivals, the Vaishnava movement, dances, musical instruments, silk, crafts, tribes and famous personalities of Assamese literature. Because these facts are concrete and limited in number, a small amount of careful revision turns them into easy marks. This chapter gathers the items that repeat most often and arranges them so that the answers do not get confused with one another. The facts follow publicly available official sources and the standard reference material prescribed for the Assam recruitment examinations.
What Culture Means in the Police Paper
For the examination, culture has three broad parts: the festivals that mark the Assamese year, the religious and artistic tradition begun by Srimanta Sankardev, and the material culture of handloom, handicraft and tribal custom. The questions usually ask for the founder or the occasion of a festival, the instrument used in a particular dance, the saint associated with a form of worship, or the state's special silk. A candidate who learns each item with one clear identifying tag, such as the month of the festival or the community that celebrates it, will rarely go wrong.
The Three Bihus
Bihu is the chief festival of Assam and is celebrated three times in a year, each time with a different mood. Bohag Bihu, also called Rongali Bihu, falls in the middle of April and marks the Assamese new year and the beginning of the agricultural season; it is the season of Bihu songs and the Bihu dance, of the Husori groups, and of gifts exchanged between relatives. Kati Bihu, or Kongali Bihu, falls in the middle of October, when the granaries are low and the fields are still growing, and it is observed quietly with lamps lit near the tulsi plant and in the paddy fields. Magh Bihu, or Bhogali Bihu, falls in the middle of January and is the harvest festival, celebrated with feasting on the night called Uruka and with the burning of the Meji and the Bhelaghar on the following morning. The three names should each be tied in memory to its month and to its purpose.
Namghar, Sattra and the Vaishnava Movement
The religious and cultural life of Assam was reshaped in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries by Srimanta Sankardev, who founded the faith called Ekasarana Dharma, a form of Vaishnavism in which devotion to a single God replaces elaborate ritual. Two institutions carry this tradition to the present day: the Namghar, the village prayer hall where people gather to sing and to listen to the sacred text, and the Sattra, the monastic centre where monks called Bhokats live and preserve the music, the dance and the manuscripts. Sankardev's principal associate was Madhabdev, and among the later leaders Damodardev and Haridev are remembered. The great Sattras of Majuli, such as Auniati, Kamalabari, Dakhinpat and Garamur, are the best-known examples of the institution.
Ankiya Naat, Bhaona and Sattriya Dance
Sankardev created a form of one-act play called the Ankiya Naat, and their performance is known as Bhaona. The performance is conducted by a narrator called the Sutradhara, and it uses special costumes, masks and a distinctive music. Out of this tradition grew the Sattriya dance, which was recognised as one of the classical dance forms of India in 2000. Together the Ankiya Naat, the Bhaona and the Sattriya dance form a single cluster of facts, and the examiners often test them together.
Music and Folk Songs
Assam's music is rich and varied. The Borgeet are devotional songs composed by Sankardev and Madhabdev, sung in the Namghar without the usual folk instruments. The Dihanaam is a form of devotional singing practised in the eastern part of the state. The Bihugeet belongs to the Bihu season, while the Kamrupiya and Goalpariya folk songs belong to the western regions. Modern Assamese music owes much to Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, whose songs are called Jyoti Sangeet, and to Bishnu Prasad Rabha, whose songs are called Rabha Sangeet. A candidate should be able to attach each of these names to its composer or its region.
Musical Instruments of Assam
The instruments of Assam are asked often, and each has a clear identity. The Dhol is the drum, the Pepa is a horn made from the horn of a buffalo, the Taal are the cymbals, and the Gagana and the Gogona are small bamboo instruments, the second of which is a jaw harp played largely by women. The Xutuli is a small clay whistle, and the Bhortal is a large cymbal used in the Sattriya tradition, while the Khol is the drum that accompanies the Bhaona. In the Bihu dance the Dhol, the Pepa, the Taal and the Gagana are the instruments most often mentioned.
Handloom and the Three Silks
Assam is famous throughout India for its silk, and the state produces three distinct varieties. Muga is the golden silk found only in Assam, and it is the pride of the state's weaving tradition. Eri is a softer silk obtained without killing the silkworm, and it is therefore sometimes described as the peaceful silk. Pat is the white silk that resembles the silk of other regions. The weaving town of Sualkuchi, often called the Manchester of Assam, is the best-known centre, and Assamese silk carries the protection of a geographical indication, which means that only silk woven in Assam may use the name.
Arts, Crafts and Mask Making
The crafts of Assam are another favourite area. Bell metal and brass work, centred in the town of Sarthebari, produces the utensils used in worship and in the home. Bamboo and cane work is found everywhere, and the mask-making tradition of Majuli, especially at the Samaguri Sattra, is famous for the masks used in Bhaona performances. Wood carving, pottery and the making of traditional jewellery are also part of the state's craft heritage. For the examination it is enough to link each craft firmly to its place, such as masks to Majuli and bell metal to Sarthebari.
The Tribes and Their Festivals
Assam is home to many communities, and each has a festival of its own that the paper may ask about. The Bodos celebrate Baisagu, also called Bwisagu, at the time of the spring Bihu. The Mishing community celebrates Ali-Ai-Ligang, the Karbis celebrate Rongker, the Dimasas celebrate Bishu, the Garos celebrate Wangala, and the Ahoms observe Me-Dam-Me-Phi in honour of their ancestors. The Deori, the Rabha, the Tiwa and the Sonowal Kachari have their own traditions as well. The safest method is to make a two-column table with the community on one side and its festival on the other.
Assamese Literature and the Buranjis
The written culture of Assam is preserved in the Buranjis, the chronicles maintained by the Ahom court, which are among the earliest historical records of the region. The oldest surviving specimens of the language are found in the Charyapada, and among the early poets the names of Hema Saraswati and Madhav Kandali, the translator of the Kotha Ramayana, are important. Sankardev's Kirtan Ghosha is the central devotional text. In the modern period, the first Assamese magazine, Orunodoi, was brought out in 1846 by the American Baptist Mission, and the writers Anandaram Dhekial Phukan, Lakshminath Bezbaroa, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and Bishnu Prasad Rabha shaped the modern literary and cultural awakening.
Temples, Palaces and the Maidams
The monuments of Assam are frequently asked. The Kamakhya temple on Nilachal hill near Guwahati is the state's most important shrine, and the Ambubachi Mela held there draws pilgrims from far away. The Rang Ghar at Sivasagar, described as the Colosseum of the East, is the oldest surviving amphitheatre in the region, and the Talatal Ghar and the Kareng Ghar are the other great structures of the Ahom capital. The Maidams of Charaideo, the burial mounds of the Ahom kings, were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, which makes this a current and likely question.
Fairs and Important Observances
Besides the three Bihus, several fairs and observances deserve notice. The Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya, the Jonbeel Mela of the Tiwa community, which is famous for its traditional barter, and the Raas Mahotsav of Majuli are the leading examples. Candidate should also remember the important days connected with culture, such as the birth anniversaries of Sankardev and Madhabdev and the observance of Lachit Divas, which keep reappearing in the current affairs portion of the paper.
Common Traps in Culture Questions
- Mixing up Bohag, Kati and Magh Bihu, especially their months and their other names.
- Confusing the Namghar, which is a prayer hall, with the Sattra, which is a monastic institution.
- Attributing a song or an instrument to the wrong composer or tradition.
- Confusing Muga, Eri and Pat silk, and treating all three as the same cloth.
- Matching a tribal festival to the wrong community, such as giving Ali-Ai-Ligang to the Bodos.
A Revision Plan for This Chapter
- Make a calendar of the three Bihus with their months and their other names.
- Group the Sankardev tradition under four heads: Namghar, Sattra, Ankiya Naat and Sattriya.
- List the instruments and attach each to the dance or the occasion where it is used.
- Make a table of communities and their festivals, and another of crafts and their towns.
- Learn the monuments and the literary names last, and revise the whole list twice a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three Bihus and when are they celebrated?
Bohag Bihu, also called Rongali Bihu, is celebrated in the middle of April and marks the new year. Kati Bihu, or Kongali Bihu, falls in the middle of October. Magh Bihu, or Bhogali Bihu, falls in the middle of January and is the harvest festival, celebrated with the Uruka feast and the burning of the Meji.
Who was Srimanta Sankardev and what did he create?
Sankardev, who lived in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, founded the Ekasarana Dharma, a form of Vaishnavism. He introduced the Namghar and the Sattra, wrote devotional songs called Borgeet, and created the Ankiya Naat, from which the Sattriya classical dance developed.
Which silk is found only in Assam?
Muga, the golden silk, is found only in Assam and is the state's speciality. Eri is the soft silk obtained without killing the silkworm, and Pat is the white silk. Sualkuchi is the best-known weaving centre, and Assamese silk has the protection of a geographical indication.
Which instruments are used in the Bihu dance?
The Dhol, the Pepa, the Taal and the Gagana are the instruments most often associated with the Bihu dance. The Pepa is a horn made from buffalo horn and the Gagana is a small bamboo instrument. In the Sattriya tradition the Khol and the Bhortal are the usual accompaniments.
Which Assamese monuments and sites are most important for the exam?
The Kamakhya temple, the Rang Ghar, the Talatal Ghar and the Kareng Ghar at Sivasagar, and the Maidams of Charaideo, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023. The Ambubachi Mela and the Raas Mahotsav are the observances most often asked.