The book that was chosen concerning Assamese caste literature was Srimanta Sankaradev’s first literary work "Hariścandra Upākhyāna (হৰিশ্চন্দ্ৰ উপাখ্যান)" which plants the pillars for the Neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam that emphasizes on the destruction of caste-based religious practices and instead focuses on bhakti, i.e. devotion and love towards god. Sankardev is the founder of the Neo-Vaishnavite movement which quickly spread across the Ahom society during the 15th century as sharp hierarchical divisions started emerging in Assamese society due to which Sankardev started advocating against Brahmanical monopoly over social institutions.

Hariścandra Upākhyāna narrates the story of Harishchandra, a legendary Indian king of the Solar dynasty, known for his righteousness, truthfulness and virtue. When he is compelled to sell his wife Taramati and his son Rohitash to a Brahmin to fulfil the sacrifice he promised to a guru for the birth of his son, he does so with complete obedience disregarding his Kshatriya caste status. Even after this, he sells himself to a Veerabahu, an outcast, who is in charge of the burning ground to repay his debts to God, which he does freely without any judgment. This literary work is an excellent representation of the Vaishnavite movement by beautifully portraying King Harishchandra’s solemn devotion to god as he gives up his caste status and all his worldly possessions to keep his promise. The story of Harischandra is a part of the folklore of many regions across the country, but Sankardev’s interpretation of this story through the Assamese lens was important to decipher the history of Ahom kingdoms about caste. Hence, I decided to take up this literary text to understand and explore the history of my homeland and understand the dimensions of caste within it.

This literary body is unique in its depiction of caste as it is a caste-resistant work which aims to disregard and separate the institution of caste from Hinduism while keeping the sanctity of Hinduism intact by promoting the worship of Lord Vishnu and taking up the path of righteousness. While Hinduism might have justified such social stratification to persist, instead of advocating for the annihilation of Hinduism as a whole, the movement proposes a revolutionized society wherein human beings transcend the ideas of caste, creed and religion to support and respect fellow human beings. The core values within human beings that are emphasized are devotion and honesty and the hierarchical division of society is looked down upon. Caste status, as represented in Hariścandra Upākhyāna (হৰিশ্চন্দ্ৰ উপাখ্যান), is equated to a worldly possession that does not hold precedence over character and virtue. It is shown that such a status that is ascribed by birth and not by achievement can be easily given up and disassociated for a greater path to faith.

In the Ahom kingdoms, due to the existence of agrarian feudalism a hierarchical society was established. The titles of landowners (ভূমিমালিক) and peasants (কৃষক) were given on caste lines as the land was allotted to the higher castes and the higher castes, in turn, exploited the lower castes through bonded labour. Kshatriyas were owners of land while Brahmins were priests and other castes cultivated and paid taxes. The Vaishnavite movement was a protest against caste and class discrimination in Ahom society. Sankardev’s ideals were widely disseminated through his literary works during this period by monasteries across the region which helped the lower castes fight the discrimination faced by. Due to this movement, the deep roots of the caste system could not be entrenched in Assamese society.  Society was liberal and accommodating of admission of individuals of different castes and castes became “less rigorous, less specialised, less elaborate and less inhibiting". The only two spheres where caste continued to persevere after the Vaishnavite movement was the influence of Brahmanas in the court of the successive Ahom rulers that restored the positions of authority of Brahmins and the continuing practice of endogamy practised by certain castes.

Author: Samhrita Sundaray