Economy and Society in Medieval Assam Exercise Questions and Answers Part-II

 Economy and Society in Medieval Assam Exercise Questions and Answers Part-II

I. Answer the following questions in brief:

    1. Describe the system of land ownership under the Ahom rule.

Ans: Under the Ahom rule, the king had absolute right over the land but people had the right of individual occupancy of the paternal land - bari and basti, subject to the absolute right of the king.

    

    2. Name the different categories into which land was classified by the Ahom kings.

Ans: The different categories into which land was classified by the Ahom kings were:

• Rupit (land under permanent cultivation suitable for wet rice production)
• Pharingati (land lying uncultivated but gradually brought under permanent cultivation)
• Ahutali, Baotali, Sariyahatali, Maghuwatali (land cleared for cultivation of seasonal or temporary crops)
• Bori (cultivable open high lands)
• Uncultivable lands included dalanimati (low lying marshy lands) and jangalajami (jungle lands)

    3. Write a short note on the festival Bihu.

Ans: The harvest festival of Bihu along with its folk songs and dance is considered by many to be the representative of Assamese culture. The festival marks the change in seasons and represents the pattern of life of the agricultural classes.

    The Bihu festival had been celebrated for several centuries even before the arrival of the Ahoms in Assam. The Bihu festival is performed in three different months of the year- Bohaag (April), Kaati (October), and Maagh (January).

    Bohaag Bihu, popularly known as Rongali Bihu, is the most colorful and eventful of all the three Bihu festivals. It signifies the beginning of the Assamese new year and the cropping season when the farmers sow the seeds. The Bihu dance is performed in combination with the Bihu folk songs along with the dhol (drum), taal (cymbal), pepa (a pipe instrument made of buffalo horn), toka (a bamboo clipper), baanhi (flute), etc., as musical accompaniments.

    The Maagh or Bhogali Bihu is celebrated during the harvest time and the Kaati or Kongali Bihu is the autumn festival.

4. What were the steps taken by the Ahom rulers to improve textile production?

Ans: The steps taken by the Ahom rulers to improve textile production were:

    i. Land grants were made to the Katani or Jugi castes and they were exempted from paik service.

    ii. Two Officials, Raidangia Phukan and Raidangia Baruah, were appointed in the royal textile factory.

    iii. They supervised the weaving of textiles and also kept a vigil on the suppliers of essential raw materials required by the weavers.

    iv. Silk, Muga and Mejankari textiles were produced.

    v. The endi silk was produced from the endi cocoons.

5. What were the methods of cultivation adopted by the farmers?

Ans: The methods of cultivation adopted by the farmers were:

• Farmers in the hilly areas took recourse to terrace cultivation.
• The tribal people residing in the plains did not permanently inhabit an area, therefore they practised the slash and burn method or the jhum system of cultivation. 
• Seeds were shown after the beginning of the rainy season.
• The tribals left particular area for another one till the soil regained its fertility.
• Canals, rivers, or beels were utilised to meet the irrigation needs of the cultivated area.

6. Why did the salt trade become so profitable in the Ahom kingdom?

Ans: Salt trade became so profitable in the Ahom Kingdom because salt production in the region was inadequate to meet the local demand. 

7. Trace the monetisation of the economy in different regions of medieval Assam?

Ans: The monetisation of the economy in different regions of medieval Assam were:

• Barter system helped villagers to procure the commodities they needed.
• The Katha Guru Charitra mentions the taka (rupee) and cowrie (shells) as means of economic exchange.
• It seems that the system of credit or moneylending was exploitative.     
• The currency introduced by Narayanan in the 16th century AD converted the region into a monetary economy and facilitated the growth of trade and commerce in Darrang and Kamrup, situated in the neighbourhood of the Ahom kingdom.

8. Describe the impact of the Bhakti genre on the literature of medieval Assam and mention two exponents of the genre.

Ans: The impact of Bhakti genre on the literature of medieval Assam and mention two exponents of the genre were Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhabdev. Srimanta Sankardeva was the pioneer of the Bhakti genre in Assamese literature and wrote around 36 borgeets (devotional songs) in the Brajabali dialect and produced other forms of writing as well. Madhabdeva wrote more than 150 borgeets in Brajabli, many ankiya nats and the Nam-Ghosa in the Assamese language.

9. What was the nature of Buranji literature? Why was it so significant for the literature of Assam in the medieval period?

Ans: The Buranjis mean 'a store that teaches the ignorant' and were written accounts of the main political events, the king and his family, conquests and territorial expansion, etc. Buranjis in the Tai-Ahom language and later in Assamese took roots in the Brahmaputra Valley. There were two Buranjis which were Ahom Buranji and the Padshah Buranji.

    Buranji literature not only served as a chroncle of medieval Assam but also contributed immensely to the development of Assamese language and literature. The importance of Buranji literature has been recognised in this Medieval period.

10. What were the different kinds of ornaments worn by the women in medieval Assam?

Ans: The different kinds of ornaments worn by the women in medieval Assam were bangles, bracelets, such as muthi kharu, gota kharu, gam kharu, and bala were popular.

Different kinds of neckpieces or necklaces were galpata, jonbiri, dugdugi, lokaparo, gejera, dhariabiri, silikhabiri, madoli, and satsari. Nose ornaments (nakhpul) and ear-studs, such as thuria, jonghai thuria, kanphul, longkeru, lokapara, etc. were worn in medieval Assam. The finger rings were of different kinds known as bakhorua ring, chiripota, shenepata, jethinejiya, etc.