Kachari is a generic term to denote the earliest inhabitants of a Brahmaputra valley and also its allied ethnic groups like the Tripuries(Tiprasa) and the Garos. To substantiate this claim, the cities and the river with a syllable 'Di(meaning water),' are known to have been the Dimasa tradition to name region after water bodies, for instances: Dibang( abundant water), Diphu(alkaline water), Dimapur(Great river), Dibrugargh(Dibru meaning blister), Dihing, Dikhow, Diyung etc. On similar lines, the water is known as 'Chi' and 'Ti' to Garos and Tripuries respectively. Hence we find Chirang, Tirap , Tiperah(Tripura) and so on in a northeastern region.
Today, they inhabits almost entire Northeastern region of India. The Bodo/Boro, Meche, Sarania, Rabhas, Tiwas(lalungs) largely inhabit lower and central Assam; Sonowal, Thengals, Morans in Upper Assam;Dimasas in the hills of Assam and Nagaland; Hajong and Garos in Meghalaya ; Tripuries/Tiprasa in Tripura and Mizoram. These groups also inhabits the region of Nepal, Bengal and Bangladesh.
Due to dearth of a sources, the origin of the term 'Kachari' is ambiguous. scholars have produced plethora of hypothesis to propound the meaning of the term 'Kachari' and none were satisfying and on other hand the term 'Kachari' has no proper meaning to the vast ethnic groups placed under the umbrella of Kachari.
Their speech classified under Tibeto-Burman, meant certainly migration from the Tibetan region. However the dates and the routes of migration remains sketchy too. There might have been series of migration from both eastern and western boundaries of the northeast India from Tibetan region. The presence of Mech Kacharies in lower Assam, North Bengal, Nepal and the Dhimal tribe in Nepal, who are allied ethnic group of Kacharies, hints of such routes from the Tibetan Himalayan region to Assam.
Today, they inhabits almost entire Northeastern region of India. The Bodo/Boro, Meche, Sarania, Rabhas, Tiwas(lalungs) largely inhabit lower and central Assam; Sonowal, Thengals, Morans in Upper Assam;Dimasas in the hills of Assam and Nagaland; Hajong and Garos in Meghalaya ; Tripuries/Tiprasa in Tripura and Mizoram. These groups also inhabits the region of Nepal, Bengal and Bangladesh.
Due to dearth of a sources, the origin of the term 'Kachari' is ambiguous. scholars have produced plethora of hypothesis to propound the meaning of the term 'Kachari' and none were satisfying and on other hand the term 'Kachari' has no proper meaning to the vast ethnic groups placed under the umbrella of Kachari.
Their speech classified under Tibeto-Burman, meant certainly migration from the Tibetan region. However the dates and the routes of migration remains sketchy too. There might have been series of migration from both eastern and western boundaries of the northeast India from Tibetan region. The presence of Mech Kacharies in lower Assam, North Bengal, Nepal and the Dhimal tribe in Nepal, who are allied ethnic group of Kacharies, hints of such routes from the Tibetan Himalayan region to Assam.
The Kacharies and its allied groups like Garos and Tripuries speak in similar tongues in the past, and they have been classified into Tibeto-Burman Branch of Tibeto-Chinese linguistic group by linguist. However, today few of them like the Thengals, Sonowals, Hajongs and Saranias have lost their language in favour of speaking in Assamese or Bengali.
Brian Hodgson, the ethnologist, classified all these Kacharies group and allied ethnic groups such as Garos and Tripuries as 'BODO'. Henceforth, the terminology for this vast group were 'Bodo group', 'Bodo race', 'Bodo Kachari race' and simply 'Bodo' came into vogue. This has led to a great deal of confusion and mess. To term the vast Kachari groups and its similar ethnic groups as 'Bodo' has rendered the Bodo/Boro Kacharies, one of the Kachari community, as a Parent of this group; and other Kacharies along with its allied group as its progeny. In recent years, leveraging off this term, an attempt has been made to collapse the ethnic identity of Boros with the rest of the Kacharies groups and hence blurring the distinct ethnic and cultural identities of individual Kachari groups and its allied groups.
Brian Hodgson, the ethnologist, classified all these Kacharies group and allied ethnic groups such as Garos and Tripuries as 'BODO'. Henceforth, the terminology for this vast group were 'Bodo group', 'Bodo race', 'Bodo Kachari race' and simply 'Bodo' came into vogue. This has led to a great deal of confusion and mess. To term the vast Kachari groups and its similar ethnic groups as 'Bodo' has rendered the Bodo/Boro Kacharies, one of the Kachari community, as a Parent of this group; and other Kacharies along with its allied group as its progeny. In recent years, leveraging off this term, an attempt has been made to collapse the ethnic identity of Boros with the rest of the Kacharies groups and hence blurring the distinct ethnic and cultural identities of individual Kachari groups and its allied groups.
In the pages of history, the Dimasa kingdom was known as Kachari kingdom but however one has to remember Kachari is not a single ethnic group but a generic term as said above. The Kachari Kingdom in Dimapur-Maibang(Dima Hasao/North Cachar) - Khaspur(Cachar) were invariably the Dimasas, because firstly the inscriptional records and coins inscription from Dimapur to Kashpur(Cachar) traced the Kachari king's genealogy from Hasnusa/Hachengsa clan- a Dimasa clan.
Secondly, after the death of last Kachari King, Govinda Chandra, conveying assembly of forty sengphong(clan), the kacharies were said to have elected a new king. The institution of forty clan(sengphongs) were recorded in British records and these forty sengphong(clan) is endemic only to the Dimasa Kacharies.
Thirdly, the Kachari capital, Dimapur, etymologically got its name from the Dimasa language. Dimapur as per Dimasa language is 'city(pur) of Dima(Big river)'. 'Pur' is a sanskritized meaning to denote city. The Dimasa itself mean 'Children(Basa) of Dima(Big river)'. In Ahom Buranjee, the river flowing in Dimapur was known as 'Tima', probably mispronunciation of river Dima and they were categorically known as 'Timisa' to Ahoms.
Fourthly, Kacharies were not only concentrated in the Kachari kingdom but in entire region of Assam. The Dimasa Kingdom was known as 'Kachari kingdom' but there were other groups of Kacharies elsewhere beyond this 'Kachari kingdom'. In medieval period (12-13th century) the Bodos/Boros, Meches were inhabiting in the Koch kingdom, Kamatapur. In fact, the mother of progenitor of the Koch kingdom, Kamatapur, was of Mech origin. In upper Assam, during Ahom's rule, one of the khel (administrative unit) was named after Sonowal, the sonowal khel, wherein people were trading with gold (Goswami, 2012:pp31).The syllable 'Sono' meant gold.The Sonowal Kacharies were certainly the Kacharies in Sonowal khel trading or working with the metal gold.
Having said about Kacharies of Assam, its allied group like Tripuries(Tiprasa) had glorious kingdom ' Tipperah' in the past, around the present state of Tripura and some parts of Bangladesh.
References:
References:
Barpujari, SK.(1991).History of Dimasas(from Earliest Time to 1896AD).Haflong: Autonomous Council NC Hills District.
Gait, EA.(2011).History of Assam. Guwahati:Surjeet publications.
Goswami, Priyam.(2012).The History of Assam from Yandaboo to parition,1826-1947.Kolkatta: Orient Blackswan.
Goswami, Priyam.(2012).The History of Assam from Yandaboo to parition,1826-1947.Kolkatta: Orient Blackswan.
