Jonbeel Mela (pron:ˈʤɒnˌbi:l ˈmeɪlə) (Tiwa: Chunbîl Melâ) is a three-day annual indigenous Tiwa Community fair held the weekend of
Magh Bihu
Magh Bihu (মাঘ বিহু) (also called Bhogali Bihu (ভোগালী বিহু) (of eating Bhog i.e. enjoyment) or Maghar Domahi (মাঘৰ দোমাহী) is a harvest festival celebrated in Assam, North-East India, whi ...
at a historic place known as Dayang Belguri at Joonbeel. It is 3 km from
Jagiroad
Jagiroad is a place located in Mayong Sub-Division, in Morigaon district of Assam state, India. It includes a paper mill (NPM) and World's biggest dry fish market. It was earlier known as Nakhola, but in British Rule of India, due to frequent ...
in
Morigaon
Morigaon (pron: mʌrɪˈgãʊ) is a town of town area committee and the district headquarters of Morigaon district in the Indian state of Assam and including the headquarters of the Tiwa Autonomous Council (TAC), Tiwashong, Assam which was con ...
district of Assam
and 65 km from
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
. The
National Highway connecting the mela is
NH 37
National Highway 17 (NH 17) is a National Highway in India running from Sevoke in West Bengal to Guwahati in Assam.
Route
It starts from its junction with NH-10 at
* Sevoke, Darjeeling district and connects
* Mongpong, Kalimpong distri ...
.
The Joonbeel (''Joon'' and ''
Beel
A beel (Bengali and Assamese: বিল) is a billabong or a lake-like wetland with static water (as opposed to moving water in rivers and canals - typically called in Bengali, in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian s ...
'' are
Assamese terms for the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
and a
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
respectively) is so called because a large natural water body is shaped like a
crescent moon.
History
The mela is said to have begun not later than 15th century AD.
It was first organized ago by the
Tiwa (Lalung)
Tiwa is an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the states of Assam and Meghalaya in northeastern India. They are also found in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. They are recognized as a Scheduled tribe within the State of Assam ...
to discuss the prevailing political situations.
Barter system
![Tiwa woman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Tiwa_woman.jpg)
During the occasion a huge bazaar is held. A few days before the mela starts, indigenous tribal communities of Assam Hills and neighborhood like
Hills Tiwa,
Karbi, Khasi, and Jayantia of the northeast come down from the hills with products and interchange their merchandise with the native indigenous Assamese people in a
barter system
In trade, barter (derived from ''baretor'') is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. Economists distin ...
.
It is said to be a hi-tech age barter system and perhaps the only fair in India where barter system is still alive.
Significance
Before the mela takes place, an ''
Agni Puja'' (
fire worship
Worship or deification of fire (also pyrodulia, pyrolatry or pyrolatria) is known from various religions. Fire has been an important part of human culture since the Lower Paleolithic. Religious or animist notions connected to fire are assumed ...
) is performed for the well-being of the mankind
The mela starts with community fishing in the Chunbîl (Joonbeel) wetland.
![Jonbeel Fair 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Jonbeel_Fair_5.jpg)
The theme of the mela is harmony and brotherhood among the indigenous Assamese communities and tribes scattered in the
Northeast India
, native_name_lang = mni
, settlement_type =
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, motto =
, image_map = Northeast india.png
, ...
. The Gobha King (''Kobâ rajâ'' alias ''Gobha raja'') along with his courtiers visits the mela and collects taxes from his subjects.
People perform their traditional dance and music, making the atmosphere one of joy and fun.
Royal allowance
On 17 January 2009 the
Government of Assam
The Government of Assam is the subnational government of Assam, a state of India. It consists of the Governor appointed by the President of India as the head of the state, currently Jagdish Mukhi. The head of government is the Chief Minister, ...
announced an "Annual Royal Allowance" for the 19 customary kings from communities under the Gobha Kingdom that includes parts of three districts of present Assam:
Morigaon
Morigaon (pron: mʌrɪˈgãʊ) is a town of town area committee and the district headquarters of Morigaon district in the Indian state of Assam and including the headquarters of the Tiwa Autonomous Council (TAC), Tiwashong, Assam which was con ...
,
Nagaon
Nagaon (previously Nowgong; Assamese নগাঁও), is a town and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is situated east of Guwahati.
History
This division was organised on the both banks of Kalang river ...
and
Kamrup. The Education Minister of Assam,
Gautam Bora, distributing the bank cheques among the kings, said that the monetary assistance will be something between Rs. 3000 to Rs. 10,000 depending on the population count under them.
[ ]
Reactions
Expressing their great delight at the initiative taken by the government the kings welcomed the move.
*Kobâ rajâ (Gobha raja) Deep Sing said, "It is a welcome move by the government of Assam. We have been demanding this for a long time as the economic condition of all these customary kings is going down. If we do not receive any assistance from the government, it would be difficult to maintain even the tradition of hosting the annual Joonbeel Mela, which has become an important tourist destination."
*Ahom King Susenfa Pratap Singha had said, "The Mela was initiated by our predecessors to maintain cordial relations among all the indigenous Assamese communities. The government assistance would help to fulfil the predecessors' dreams."
In fiction
There is an elaborate references of the mela in
Rita Chowdhury
Rita Chowdhury (born 17 August 1960) is an Indian poet, novelist and Sahitya Akademi Award recipient in the world of Assamese literature. She has been an associate professor in Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam in Political Science Department sin ...
's Sahitya Akademy Award-winning novel ''
Deo Langkhui''.
References
External links
{{Commonscat, Jonbeel mela
Tiwa Tribe*
Tiwa (Lalung)
Tiwa is an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the states of Assam and Meghalaya in northeastern India. They are also found in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. They are recognized as a Scheduled tribe within the State of Assam ...
Tiwa Youth Association (TYA)The Wild Lalungs*
Deo Langkhui
*
Tiwa language (India)
Tiwa (Lalung) is a Tibeto-Burman (Sino-Tibetan) language spoken by the Tiwa people in Assam and Meghalaya in North East India. Tiwa language is similar to Boro, Dimasa, Kokborok and Garo language of India.
Tiwa dialects
Tiwa is spoken in no ...
Culture of Assam