Rajbongshi people

The Rajbongshi[4] is an ethnic group inhabiting parts of Assam, Meghalaya, northern West Bengal, Bihar and on the eastern parts of Nepal, Bhutan and northern Bangladesh.[5]

Rajbongshi
Rajbanshi women in traditional dress Patani(phota)
Regions with significant populations
India (West Bengal, Assam)
Bangladesh
              India4,75,861[1]
              Assam191,438[2]
              West Bengal30,183[3]
Languages
Rajbongshi
Religion
Hinduism, Islam and Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Indo-Aryan peoples, Koch, Rabha, Garo, Boro

Etymology

According to historian Kanaklal Barua, the term Koch is of aboriginal origin and is used to refer to an ethnic group from Kamata kingdom. Koches are a trans-border community, like the Garos and the Khasis. They live in separate countries which were carved out of their ancestral lands.[6] On the other hand, the term Rajbanshi, according to A. C. Choudhury is supposedly derived from Aryan or Dravidian word Rajvamsi meaning "Kshatriya or people belong to royal race or descendants of the king". Swarna Lata Baruah indicates that the word 'Rajvamsi' refers to a distinct Dravidian community.

The Koch or Koch Rajbanshi tribe were ethnically and culturally related to the same Koch Dynasty who ruled their land, and vice versa, i.e., the Koch dynasty of Assam, northern Bengal, Rangpur part. Many however trace this etymological relation to the dynasties prior to that of the Koches.[7] In Assam the Koches are officially recognised by the Government of Assam as'Koch-Rajbanshi', in West Bengal they are known as 'Rajbanshi' and in Nepal they are known as 'Rajbanshi' and 'Koch'.

Origins

The Koch were mentioned separately from the Mech in Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, by Minhaj-i-Siraj, composed and compiled c1250.[8] In the Historical Book "The Cooch Behar State and its Land Revenue Settlements" Published by the Koch King of "Cooch Behar State" in the Year 1903, clearly states that Koch and the Rajvanshi are of Koch Origin and Rajvanshi or Koch is the same community of the State. A wide literature are available of the Koch Rajbanshi which were documented by the Koch King and their Princely State, however, their present homeland ranges from Pragjyotisha, Pundra and Kamarupa in various ancient texts like Vishnu Purana, Kalika Purana, Harivamsa, Yogini Tantra, Bhramari tantra, and even in the great epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. References are also found in the later texts from the medieval times like the and. It is from such sources that the local traditions and myths about Koch Rajbanshi history developed. The very first proper ethnographic details were documented by Colonial ethnographers of erstwhile British Empire, who aimed at 'scientifically' documenting various caste and tribal groups. Buchanan-Hamilton suggested that the Rajbanshi or Koch had a common ethnic origin and are from the same Old Koch Stock and when the Old Koch who were previously Agamas-Hindu converted to Vedic-Hinduism they were termed as either Rajbanshi or Koch Rajbongshi which was established since the time of the Koch King of Koch Dynasty. The Koch-Rajbanshi people are found in parts of Assam, Meghalaya, North Bengal, Bihar within India and is also present in Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.[9]

Lifestyle and culture

According to a 2019 research, the Koch Rajbongshi community has an oral tradition of agriculture, dance, music, medical practices, song, building of house, culture and language. Ideally the tribe transfer the know how from one generation to another.[10] The Koch Rajbongshi community had traditionally been a largely agricultural community, cultivating mainly rice, pulses, and maize. Rice is the staple food for the majority of the population. Even in the 21st century, a large portion of this community still adhere to a rural lifestyle, though urbanisation is on a constant rise. The food consumed and the diet pattern is similar to all the Koches of Assam, West Bengal, Nepal, Bangladesh, Meghalaya. Rice and Pulses are consumed on regular basis along with vegetables and bhajis (fries- mainly potatoes). Typical is the Dhékir sāg and naphā sāg, two types of leafy vegetable preparation, mostly boiled with very little added oil, out of newly-born shoots of fern leaves. In lower Assam, a vegetable preparation of bamboo shoots is also consumed. Consumption of stale rice or pantha bhāt is common within Koch Rajbongshi. Cooking is mainly done using mustard oil, though sunflower oil is sometimes used. As far as non-vegetarian foods are concerned, the Koch Rajbongshi population consumes a large amount of meat and eggs unlike other neighbourhood populations from Bengal region, who consume a large amount of fish. Goat meat and sheep (if available) is generally consumed, and consumption of fowl meat is discouraged, as a result of Sanskritization, though such barriers now cease to exist. There were rituals involving sacrificing pigs in Ghordew puja, and ducks in Laxmi puja. Eggs of Ducks and poultry are consumed. Ducks and Fish is also consumed but not in very large number. The rivers of northern Bengal does not sustain large varieties of fishes because of its non-perennial nature. However, in lower Assam areas, large rivers like the Brahmaputra sustain large varieties of fish which becomes an important part of the dietary habit of the Koch Rajbanshi living there.

A typical Koch Rajbanshi home is essential of the rectangular pattern, with an open space (egina) in the middle. This is done mostly for protection against both wild animals and strong winds. The north side holds the betel nut and fruit gardens, the west contains Bamboo gardens while the east and the south is generally left open to allow sunshine and air to penetrate into the household. Though such a pattern is more prominent among the landed gentry. Koch Rajbongshi traditional attires are mainly Patani, Agran, Angsha, Chadar, Lifan, Phota and various other traditional costumes being weaved at their traditional hand loom in their home. The traditional clothing for men is Angsha and Jama or inners, while for women is bukuni-patani; Agran; Angsha; Chadar a piece of cloth tied around the chest that extends up to the knee. Lifan or Phota are worn like a wrapper. Regarding the traditional attire of the Koch Rajbongshi Tribe, it is clearly mentioned in the Historic Book which was published by the Koch King in 1903, "The Cooch Behar State and its Land Revenue Settlements". The Koch Rajbongshi Tribe has still preserved their age-old ethnic attires and is being used on a regular basis as their common costumes, The Koch Rajbongshi (Koch) Tribe prefer to wear their traditional attires in-spite of the fact that the modern costumes are widely available.[11]

Music forms an integral part of Koch-Rajbongshi culture. The main musical forms of Koch-Rajongshi culture are Kamatapuri Folk Song, Bhawaiyya, Chorchunni,Palatia,Lahankari, Tukkhya among many others. Various instruments are used for such performances, string instruments like-dotora, sarindra and bena;double membrane instruments like- tasi, dhak, khol and mridanga; gongs and bells like-kansi, kartal; and wind instruments like- sanai and kupa bansi.[12]

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See also

Notes
  1. "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India" (PDF).
  2. "C-16 Population By Mother Tongue - Assam". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. "In West Bengal and Bihar, they are known as "Rajbongshi," in Assam as "Koch," "Rajbongshi," and "Koch-Rajbongshi," and in Meghalaya mainly as "Koch." Though the community is known by diverse names in different states, their origin is the same, that is, "Koch." (Roy 2018)
  5. "The Portal of North Bengal Development Department". wbnorthbengaldev.gov.in. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  6. "Interview | 'There Are Few Documents on the Diverse History of Koch Rajbanshis'". The Wire. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  7. Nath, D. (1989). History of the Koch Kingdom: 1515-1615. Delhi: Mittal Publications.
  8. "Konch, sometimes written Koch, (the same hesitation occurs in Buchanan-Hamilton’s manuscripts), is what we today write as Koch. Mej or Meg is the name we write as Mech. We can safely conclude that these names described important groups of people in the 13th century, in the area between the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. The relation with Buchanan’s “Koch” and “Mech”, is obvious, but the kind of entity (ethnical, political etc. ?) implied is not at all obvious." (Jacquesson 2008:16–17)
  9. "Today, the Koch Rajbanshi people are located in North Bengal, Assam (with a major concentration in west Assam), Garo hills of Meghalaya, Purnia, Kishanganj and Katihar districts of Bihar, Jhapa and Biratnagar districts of Nepal, Rangpur, East Dinajpur districts and some parts of north west Mymensingh, northern Rajshahi and Bogra districts of Bangladesh and lower parts of Bhutan (Nalini Ranjan Ray 2009)." (Roy 2014)
  10. Singha, Surjit; Singha, Ranjit (2019). Sustainable Entrepreneurship in North East India (1 ed.). Bulgaria: Tsenov Academic Publishing House. pp. 161–187. ISBN 9789542317524. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  11. Chaudhuri, Harendra Narayan (1903). The Cooch Behar State and its Land Revenue Settlements. Princely Cooch Behar State: The Cooch Behar State Press. p. 135.
  12. Sanyal, Charu Chandra (1965). The Rajbansis of North Bengal. Calcutta: The Asiatic Society.

References
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