The Thengal Kachari people are an indigenous ethnic group of
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 ...
, India. They are manily concentrated in the
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 ...
,
Golaghat
Golaghat ( ''Gʊlaɡʱat'' ) one of the largest subdivisions of the Indian state of Assam, later elevated to the position of a full–fledged district headquarter on 5 October 1987, is a city and a municipality and the seat of administrative ...
,
North Lakhimpur
North Lakhimpur ( ) is a city and a municipal board in Lakhimpur district in the Indian state of Assam, about northeast of Guwahati. It is the district headquarters of Lakhimpur district.
North Lakhimpur is also the name of the subdivision of ...
,
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
Karbi Anglong
Karbi may refer to:
Places
* Karbi, Armenia
* Karbi Anglong Plateau, an extension of the Indian Plate in Assam, India
* Karbi Anglong district, a district of Assam, north-eastern India
Other uses
* Karbi people, an ethnic group of North-eas ...
districts.
Etymology
There are different theories regarding the origin of the term Thengal. As per the census of India, 1891, the Thengal kacharis derive their name from an ancestor who is said to have ascended to heaven leg foremost.
But according to Jogeswar Borah, earlier the Thengals used to wear ''a pantaloon called "Thenga"'' from which the name has been derived.
They are also called as 'Rupowal' from their traditional occupation as silver washers. However, some people in recent time don't prefer this term.
History
Historical accounts on Thengals are very scarce. According to Hiteswar Borbaruah, some
Sonowals used to procure silver in the
Dhansiri river and were called Thengals or
Rupowal. But earlier they were known by the name "Rupiya thakur".
Culture
Thengal kachari is a functional group that were silver washers by profession during the Ahom rule''.'' They practice ''endogamy'' and reported to be inhabiting the eastern portion of the Brahmaputra valley. They are ''advanced Hindus'' than 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 ...
, but indulge in forbidden food and drink. They do not worship or sacrifice to idols. Various animistic practices are still prevalent. And they ''engage a brahmin in marriage'', but with the advent of Ekasarna Vaishnavism this practice has declined.
Clans
Thengals have twenty one exogamous clans each of which was formed according to various occupations. They are 1. Hajowal, 2. Manikial, 3. Muktal or Mukutial, 4. Durrungial, 5. Dalangiyal, 6. Sakuriyal, 7. Haigiyal or Sargial, 8. Xukrial, 9. Hogral, 10. Biyagharal, 11. Kumral or Kumarial, 12. Dekral or Dhekiyal, 13. Nangal, 14 Lathiyal, 15. Neguriyal, 16. Dinkgiyal, 17. Dhuliyal, 18. Formal, 19. Ejmal, 20. Mekheliyal. Marriage within the same clan is strictly prohibited.
Language
The language of Thengals is
Assamese. However, there are some phonetic variations in their speech due to their
Tibeto-burman
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people spea ...
background. According to Nanda Bora, the language of Thengal and Sonowal Kacharis is actually Assamese. In the past, their language was under the
Boro-Garo languages but the circulation of the language is no more present. At present their mother tongue is Assamese.
Marriage
Marriage in the Thengal kachari community involves Vedic rites and rituals. There are basically three types of marriage 1. Bor biya, 2. Abioi Biya or Juron Diya Biya, and 3. Poluai ana Biya.
Festivals and customs
Festivals
* Suwa utuwa utsav
* Panitula Sabah
* Durga Puja
* Bihu
Customs associated with folk belief
* Ai Sabah
* Apeswari Sabah
* Mritakok diya
* Shiva worship
Customs associated with worship of spirits
* Jakh-Jakhini puja
* Ga Dangoria puja
* Bhitar Sokam
* Sani gharar sawul
* Jal Debota puja
* Lakhimi sal
* Tupula Bandha
* Pir diya
Religion
The Thengals are mostly the followers of
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
and they were initiated by ''Basudev Gosain'' of
Auniati satra. Hence they are the followers of
Brahma Samhati and obeys the Vedic rites and rituals and are known as ''Bamonia'' as they engage Brahmin priests in their religious ceremonies or ''Mahekia'' as they conduct funeral feast after a month. Besides, there are two more sections of Thengals, one of which is called ''Nam-kirtania'' or ''Hari-dhanis'' and follows
Eksarana Naam Dharma and are under
Srimanta Sankardeva Sangha and the other section have taken the ''Ek Saran Bhagabati Dharma'' and initiated into the mode of worshiping of ''Mahapurushiya Dharma'' also called ''Egharoh Diniya as'' they conduct funeral feast after 11 days.
The Thengals are completely Hinduised. However, the Bamunia section are seen to have retained some of their
animistic
Animism (from Latin: ' meaning ' breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, ...
rituals.
See also
*
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 ...
*
Sonowal khel
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kachari
Social groups of Assam
Tribes of Assam
Ethnic groups in Northeast India
Ethnic groups in South Asia