Development (b): Caucasoid or Alpine Contribution

The Caucasoid people assumed to be entered the state prior to 1500 BC while the Tibeto-Burman linguistic groups entered 1000 years before the Christian era as held by S.K. Chatterjee. Thus, it appears that the Caucasoid or more specifically the Alpines group’s entry predates to that of the Indo-Mongoloids and Vedic Aryans. Thus, it appears that the people of this stock might have then first encountered with the Australoids and gradually admixed with them. Taking clues from different classical literatures, writers and the gold coin of “kaltis”, P.C. Choudhury said, “it may be assumed that these coins recall the ruling family of the Kalitas, probably of Bhagadatta” (Choudhury:1987:99). If this is taken for granted, then the Alpine Kalitas happened to be an influential population at certain point of time.

Again, it is said that there were many professional divisions of the Alpine Kalitas such as Kamar (Blacksmith), Kumar (Potter), chamar (Cobbler), Sonari (Jeweller), Nat (Dancer), Napit (Barber), Haloi (sweetmeat maker) Kalita and so on (Gogoi:2006). Such divisions of the Kalitas are obviously occupational divisions that naturally compel one think that the Kalitas possessed a highly developed cultural heritage and was a complete whole of civilization. Such a group with their noteworthy military, social, and cultural affluence might have played influential role in shaping and developing the culture of the region. The above division-indicted professions of the Kalita peoples such as blacksmith, potter, or even the cobbler indicate their ground based activity and requirement of developing earth-fast architecture.

Again, the presence of sweetmeat maker group also indicates the prevalence of the cow rearing practice among the Kalitas, necessitating the development of the architecture of the byre. And there is no doubt that the architecture of the byre is primarily a ground architecture, though there is the prevalence of the stilt variety of this architecture also. It may be assumed that the stilt variety of architecture for byre and even for the barn, which is very common today, might have developed not earlier than the second half of the 19^th century, especially among the higher castes. This assumption takes place from a news item captioned Pani Barhar Bibaran (Description of Inundation) published in the July issue of The Orunodoi of the year 1846. The news reports about “a huge loss of cattle folk and barns of the people” in the flood that occurred in that month. Therefore, it advised “the people living in Assam to construct stilt architecture for living and storing goods, like those of Maan (Burma) or other country”. It again said that “if they hesitate or fear to do so for their caste and social position, then they can keep their kitchen on ground. If someone can not at all live on such platform architecture, even in that case also, one room with the barn should be constructed on the platform of 3 to 4 cubit height” (Cutter:1946).