The Moamoria (also Matak) were the adherents of the egalitarian, proselytizing Mayamara
Satra of 18th-century
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, who initiated the
Moamoria rebellion
The Moamoria rebellion (1769–1805) was the 18th century uprising in Ahom kingdom of present-day Assam that began as power struggle between the Moamorias (''Mataks''), the adherents of the Moamara Sattra, and the Ahom kings. This uprising ...
against the
Ahom kingdom in the 18th century. The rebellion weakened the Ahom kingdom to such an extent that the kingdom became vulnerable to repeated
Burmese invasions of Assam
Burmese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia
* Burmese people
* Burmese language
* Burmese alphabet
* Burmese cuisine
* Burmese culture
Animals
* Burmese cat
* Burmese chicken
* Burmese (hor ...
and the subsequent
colonization
Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...
by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
. The Moamorias were also called ''Mataks''. Over time, the main groups that had supported the Ahom kingdom came to owe allegiance to the Moamara sattra:
Morans (the mainstay of the Ahom militia), the
Sonowal Kacharis
The Sonowal Kachari ( as, Xonowāl Kosāree) are one of the indigenous peoples of the state of Assam in Northeast India. They are of Tibeto-Burman origin, and are closely associated with the other ethnic groups of Assam which are commonly refe ...
(gold-washers),
Chutia
The Chutia people (Pron: or ''Sutia'') are an ethnic group that are native to Assam and historically associated with the Chutia kingdom. However, after the kingdom was absorbed into the Ahom kingdom in 1523–24, the Chutia population was ...
s (expert archers and matchlockmen), professional
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
such as Hiras (potters),
Tantis (weavers),
Kaibartas and
Ahom Ahom may refer to:
*Ahom people, an ethnic community in Assam
* Ahom language, a language associated with the Ahom people
*Ahom religion, an ethnic folk religion of Tai-Ahom people
*Ahom alphabet, a script used to write the Ahom language
* Ahom kin ...
nobles and officers. The largest group among the Mataks were the Morans, followed by the Chutias.
The Matak identity solidified during the rebellion and the Moamorias referred to themselves as Mataks over their original ethnic identities. The Moamorias were able to set up an autonomous region, the ''
Matak Rajya
Matak rajya or Matak kingdom was a 19th-century autonomous region within the Ahom kingdom in Assam. It was governed by the ''Barsenapati'' ("Great General").
History
This autonomous region was established by an agreement in 1805 between the Purnan ...
'', under the office of ''Borsenapati'' with his seat at Bengmara (modern-day
Tinsukia
Tinsukia (Pron: ˌtɪnˈsʊkiə) is an industrial town. It is situated north-east of Guwahati and away from the border with Arunachal Pradesh.
It is the administrative headquarters of Tinsukia District of Assam, India.
History
During th ...
) in a treaty with the Ahom kingdom in 1805. The Matak community continued to hold strong till the beginning of the 20th century and the ''Matak-Moran Sanmilan'' was formed in 1937; but the Morans formed their own organization, the ''Moran Sabha'', in 1965 with the hope that the Moran people might benefit from the
5th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Moamara Sattra
Beginning
The ''sattra'' was established by
Aniruddhadev
Aniruddhadev (1553–1626) was a 16th-century Ekasarana preceptor from Assam. Born to a Bhuyan named Gondagiri, Aniruddhadev was a disciple of Gopal Ata and the founder of the Mayamara satra of the Kalasamhati, the followers of which revolte ...
, whose mother was a cousin to
Sankardev
Srimanta Sankardev( শ্ৰীমন্ত শংকৰদেৱ )(; ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of im ...
, sometime after 1601. Aniruddhadev was the disciple of
Gopaldev
Gopaldev (1540–1611) was an Indian poet, dramatist and chief preacher of the Vaishnava sect in eastern Assam. He was belonged from Bhabanipur, Assam so people called him as Bhabanipuria Gopal Ata. He is also a disciple of Mahapurush Shrimanta S ...
(Gopal ''Ata'' of Bhawanipur) who had initiated the ''
Kala sanghati'' sect of the
Ekasarana dharma
Ekasarana Dharma (literally: ''Shelter-in-One religion'') is a neo-Vaishnavite monolithic religion propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century in the Indian state of Assam. It reduced focus on vedic ritualism and focuses on d ...
. He established the ''sattra'' near the Moamari lake in
Majuli
Mājuli or Majuli () is a river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam and in 2016 it became the first island to be made a district in India. It had an area of at the beginning of the 20th century, but having lost significantly to erosion it c ...
. He quickly gathered a large following, and the followers developed such rigid principles that they would not bow to anyone or anything except their guru, the ''sattradhikar'' (abbot) of the ''sattra'' (monastery). Aniruddhadev was followed by his son, Krishnanandadev, as the abbot during whose time the Ahom king
Prataap Singha
Susenghphaa or Pratap Singha (), was the 17th and one of the most prominent kings of the Ahom kingdom. As he was advanced in years when he became king, he is also called the ''burha Raja'' (Old king). His reign saw an expansion of the Ahom ...
subjugated the
Baro-Bhuyan
The Baro-Bhuyans (or ''Baro-Bhuyan Raj''; also ''Baro-Bhuians'' and Baro-Bhuiyans) refers to the confederacies of soldier-landowners in Assam and Bengal in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The confederacies consisted of loose ...
s in the north bank of Brahmaputra and moved them to the south bank. Krishnanandadev, being a Bhuyan, too moved and established his seat at Khutiapota, near present-day
Jorhat
Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India.
Etymology
Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...
. Here he was able to convert even more, including many Ahom nobles.
Matak
The Moamoarias were also called ''mataks''. One theory suggests that this name was given by the Ahom king,
Prataap Singha
Susenghphaa or Pratap Singha (), was the 17th and one of the most prominent kings of the Ahom kingdom. As he was advanced in years when he became king, he is also called the ''burha Raja'' (Old king). His reign saw an expansion of the Ahom ...
, on account of their strict adherence to the monotheism of
Ekasarana dharma
Ekasarana Dharma (literally: ''Shelter-in-One religion'') is a neo-Vaishnavite monolithic religion propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century in the Indian state of Assam. It reduced focus on vedic ritualism and focuses on d ...
(in
Assamese: ''mat'': opinion, ''ek'': single). In an incident narrated in some
Buranji
Buranjis (Ahom language: ''ancient writings'') are a class of historical chronicles and manuscripts associated with the Ahom kingdom written initially in Ahom Language and later in Assamese language as well. The Buranjis are an example of histor ...
s, Prataap Singha tested the fanaticism of his own high nobles and officers, who were disciples of the Moamara Sattra, by making them ride their horses against naked swords held at the level of their necks. A noble, the Guimela Sola
Borgohain Borgohain (Ahom language: ''Chao Thao Lung'') was the second of the two original counselors in the Ahom kingdom. He was selected by the Ahom king from members of the Ahom nobility (''Satgharia Ahom''), who vowed not to fight for the position of Ah ...
and an officer, the Neog-Phukan, lost their lives since they refused to bow down and ride under the sword, at which point the test was stopped. Another possible explanation is that the Maran people acquired that name because of their valour (in
Ahom language
The Ahom language or Tai-Ahom language is a dead language, that was spoken by the Ahom people, that is undergoing a revival. Ahom is an important language in Tai studies. It was relatively free of both Mon-Khmer and Indo-Aryan influences and has ...
: ''ma'': courage, ''tak'' tested) which then transferred to the Moamorias in general; the cognate
Tai-language speaking
Singpho and
Khamti people
The Tai Khamti, ( Khamti: တဲး ၵံးတီႈ, ( th, ชาวไทคำตี่, my, ခန္တီးရှမ်းလူမျိုး, Hkamti Shan) or simply Khamti as they are also known, are a Tai ethnic group native t ...
described the people of the Barsenapati too as ''matak'' (strong) against the weaker ''mulungs'' (the weak royalists).
Notes
References
*
*
{{refend
1770s in India
1790s in India
Ahom kingdom
1780s in India
1800s in India