Part 7 - Extinct traditions of the Devalaya

Tradition is here understood to mean not some static immutable force from the past, but those pre-existing culture-specific materials and options that bear upon the performer more heavily than do his or her own personal taste and talents. (Toelkem: 1976: 32) It is inevitable in case of all institutions whether these may be religious or others. With the passage of time some traditions are to be substituted by newer ones. It is the demand of the time. At present times each and everything related with human being are prone to changes on account of the globalization impact. Though we have political demarcation our thoughts, feelings, sense of needs, stream of consciousness, lifestyles, do not have any boundaries. We are absolutely exposed to the global phenomenon. The process of globalization has imported lots of new things that cause to bring changes in our mental makeup. These are manifested in our actions. 

As the Devalaya is a public organization where Hinduism is exercised freely enticing various cults, even the Pan-Indian culture, the changes are apparently seen. Nevertheless the Devalaya is still potent to nurture and perpetuate the pristine glory of the traditions for which it has been occupying a unique stature amongst all the devotees. The devotees are intrinsically overwhelmed with the oral narratives and other sorts of story like floating things. The magnanimity of the Devalaya is being spread far and wide. Hence the Devalaya does not suffer from the dearth of devotees. The campus of the Devalaya becomes crowded everyday from dawn to dusk. The interns of the Devalaya extend all types of cooperation and possible hospitality to the visitors and devotees, without any kind of discriminating views in normal condition. Despite all attempts to preserve and maintain all the things however some traditions are on the edge of extinction. These may be described as below.

1 Land Revenue Collection by Daloi

Till the enforcement of Assam Land (Requisition & Acquisition) Act, 1964, the Daloi -the responsible designated personality to manage the Devalaya affairs, was also entrusted with the extra duty to collect revenues from the Devalaya Paiks. Subsequently the Paiks has to pay revenues to the Govt. directly. Due to which the Daloi of the Devalaya was exempted from the duty of collecting revenues. The tradition has been already outmoded.

2 Customary Responsibilities of Paiks

The Devalaya management had a great impact upon the formation of Paras in the Belsor areas since time immemorial. There are at least 40 different Paiks being entrusted with different responsibilities for the maintenance of the Devalaya. They were granted lands from the Devalaya authority for their own sustenance against their services. The different Paiks of the Devalaya used to live in different areas which were called Para. The name of the Para was given according to the services rendered to the Devalaya. At present times people from different professions and of other localities have also settled down in the Paras, tradionally demarcated to the Paiks due to various socio-economic reasons. But the traditions still flows and the existence of the Paras still in practice. But majority of the people from the Paiks has ceased to work for the Devalaya, violating the original tradition of the temple. The rudimentary fact behind this distortion of tradition is the land acquisition from the Paiks. We may site some examples.

a) Sara Paik: These were the people from Muslim community who helped the Daloi in collecting the revenues from the Paiks, as messengers and helped the Devalaya functioning in other modes also. This tradition is found to be extinct. Old people of the community still look after the sense of original responsibility and sense of belongingness to the Devalaya by attaching themselves in various modes. It is very much interesting to notice that still majority of the people of that Paik

community residing nearby the Para called Muslim Sara Para, become overwhelmed with the festivities of the Devalaya. They purchase new clothes and utensil during the Durga Puja instead of Eid. The Devalaya authority even today reserves a part of Bhog of every religious occasion for the Sara Paiks. The Muslim Piaks feel honored affiliating with the traditions which perpetually paves the way of communal harmony and also demonstrates the secularism prevailing in the Devalaya. These types of traditions have ample impact in making the Billeswar Devalaya as a sacred Complex.

3 Religious Trances

All the temples existing from ancient times in Kamrupa have been garnering some magical rites. Due to the Tantric practices the magical rites always received prominence among the people during that time. In ancient times the magical and supernatural things were very much popular amongst the people. They treated these types of rites in both ways; modes of faith healing as well as entertainment.(Sharma: 2013: 74) The tradition of Devadasi-Daluhangana as per Dr. Banikanta Kakati, was in prevalence in all Shakti Piths for propitiating the wishes of the Devi and to entertain the interns of the Devalaya. They were supposed to be the obsessed by the spirituality. As interacted with the old aged people of the locality the tradition of Devadasi was also prevalent in the Billeswar Devalaya. But there statement lacks evidentiary proofs. At the same time it is also a truth that most of the tings of the Devalaya could not be authenticated due to insufficient evidences which are not proven by the historiography or folkloristic. It does not mean that the facts collected from the mouth of the people are totally false.

4 Extinct Performances

The combination of two words Jatra and Party is an interesting compound word from linguistic connotation. Because Jatra is an Assamese word and Party is an English word for a folk theatrical troupe. Till the seventies it was a popular mode of performing arts accompanying various types of festivals and occasions. The folk people had a customary activity during the festivals to assemble for the entertainment in front of the Jatra Party show. In fact the Jatra Party was the initial form of present day mobile theatre group. Billeswar Devalaya was the leading organisation to arrange Jatra Party, where the epic and puranic stories including the social themes were dramatized by the folk artists. Jatra Party consisted of various forms of arts, which were the integral part of the whole show. The tradition of Jatra Party still is in existence among the folk people though its lustre has been made dim by the aggression of mobile theatres, which are commercially motivated.

Till the year of 1987, the tradition of Parhang was in prevalence led by a Bayan in accompaniment with khol and Taal evoking a unique rhythm. There was no separate Gayan like other Devalayas, Satras and Kirtan Ghars. In Billeswar Devalaya only the Bayan had to perform both singing and playing khol, Taal and Mridanga.

Notes and References

Allen, BC, (1905) Assam District Gazetteers -Kamrup Vol. 4, p-238

Festivals of India, (2012 reprint) New Delhi: National Book Trust, p-44-45

Gait, E, (2013), A History of Assam, Guwahati: Bina Library, p-59

Greenway, J, (1964) Literature Among the Primitives, Hatboro, p-xii (Jadab Sen Deka, Dashabhuja-2010: Balidan:Narabali: Ito Sito, Belsor, pp-43-47)

Kakati, B (2004), The Mother Goddess Kamakhya, Guwahati: Publication Board Assam, p-10

Kakati, B, (2012), Purani kamrupor Dharmar Dhara, Guwahati, Bani Praksh, p-87

Richard M Dorson, Folklore and Folklife: An Inrtoduction, The University of Chicago Press, 1972,pp-3-4)

Sharma, NC, (2013), Bharatar Uttar-Purbanchalar Paribeshya Kala, Guwahati, Banalata, p-74

Toelken, B, (1979), The Dynamics of Folklore, USA: Houghton Mifflin Company, p-32