NORTH-EAST INDIA IN THE ANCIENT INDIAN LITERARY IMAGINATION: FROM THE VEDIC AGE TO THE CLASSICAL PERIOD
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Abstract: In the trajectory of Sanskritization, or the propagation of Hinduism across the Indian subcontinent, the North-Eastern territories were incorporated into this transformative progression. The indigenous rulers and their populace were assimilated into the framework of Hinduism through the sponsorship of monarchs and the institutionalized 'Agrahara' mechanism. The tribal deities were subsequently depicted as integral manifestations of Shiva, Vishnu, and Shakti veneration within the Puranic Hindu epoch. To integrate the inhabitants into the principal current of Indian civilization, Puranas were formulated and linked to the two monumental epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. Allusions to North-East India are likewise encountered in other ancient Indian canonical compositions and within Buddhist scriptures in connection with political, societal, and economic affiliations. Although abundant primary sources pertaining to ancient North-East India remain comparatively scarce relative to other territories of India, these Indian literary testimonies illuminate the prevailing circumstances of that era. These evidences remain inadequate for a comprehensive historical reconstruction; nevertheless, they furnish substantial information, associations, and the geopolitical positioning of North-East India during that specific epoch. Keywords: North-East India, Sanskritization, Canonical Literature, Epics
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5. Conclusion Literary heritage occupies an indispensable position in reconstructing the political, economic, and cultural chronicle of any civilization and possesses the capacity to correlate with material archaeological evidence. Through the systematic analysis of ancient Indian literary compositions, scholars can endeavour to reconstruct the historical narrative of primordial North-East India. Beyond classical literature, Buddhist scriptural works contribute supplementary documentation. Although Buddhist literature does not engage extensively with the North-Eastern region, it preserves the term ‘Lohicca’, identified with the river Lauhitya. The Tantric-Buddhist literary tradition explicitly references ‘Kamarupa-Kamakhya’ and associated ‘pitha’' of Assam. The ‘Kamarupa-Yatra’, a Sanskrit composition formulated in Assam, elaborates upon the ritual modalities of Kamakhya veneration and chronicles the etymological origins of the designations Pragjyotisha and Kamarupa. Consequently, both theological and secular compositions collectively delineate an illuminating portrayal of North-East India during that historical epoch. The process of polity formation and the sedentarization of indigenous tribal communities had already commenced in ancient times, concurrent with broader developments within the Indian mainstream. References 1. Baruah, S. L. (2013). A comprehensive history of Assam. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2. Singh, L. Nishikanta. (2023). North East chronicle: References of North East Bharat in ancient literature. Jitendra Kumar, Matribhumi, New Delhi. 3. Barpujari, H. K. (2022). The comprehensive history of Assam. Assam Prakashan, Guwahati. 4. Neog, Maheswar. (1984). Religions of the North-east: Studies in the formal religions of North-eastern India. Munshiram Manoharlal. 5. Sarma, Nabin Chandra. (2001). Sampurna Asamiya Mahabharata. Journal Emporium.