The earliest historical evidence of settlement of Brahmins in Assam comes from epigraphic sources of the Varman dynasty (350–650).[6] In the late medieval period beginning with the early 16th century, a number of Brahmins from Mithila, Benaras, Kanauj, Bengal and Puri (Srikshetra), were settled in western Assam by the Koch kings for performing Brahminical rites.[7][8][9] During the reign of Nara Narayan (1554-1587) of the Koch dynasty, two Brahmins named Siddhantavagisa and Vidyavagisa were brought from Gauda and Siddhantavagisa was responsible for the spread of Hinduism in the Koch kingdom[10] Even during the reign of Koch king Prannarayana (1633-1655), Brahmins were brought from Mithilia to serve in the Koch kingdom[11] and this process was later continued by the Ahom state especially under the Tungkhungia Ahom kings with Siva Singha donating 19 out of the 48 landgrants by the Ahom kings to Brahmins.[12] The migration of Brahmins into Assam took place from Central Himalayas as well.[13] Most of these migration took place due to the foreign invasions in North India and on the invitation by the local rulers.[14] Traditionally these Brahmins held the highest positions in society.[15]
Traditionally, the ceremony of Lagundeoni – one of the samskaras or rites of passage marking acceptance of a student by a guru, is a quite prevalent ritual within the community.[16]
Brahmins of the Assam valley follow a different death ritual as opposed to the other indigenous communities in Assam. A religious rite, known as Caturthā is performed on the 4th day of a person's demise unlike Tiloni, performed on the 3rd day of person's demise by non–Brahmin indigenous communities.[17]
Although in general Brahmins observe all the customary rituals, they appear usually less rigid[18] in some of their traditional lifestyle choices, such as they may eat meat, fish, unlike their counterparts in other parts of India like the North and the South.[19][20]
The Brahmins constitute one of the Forward classes of Assam based on the classifications of Government of India, although the recent trend on economic condition has not been very well within the community. Assam's former Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi announced setting up of development councils for several communities in the state, including Brahmins.[21]
^"Population by Religious Communities". Census India – 2001. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 1 July 2019. Census Data Finder/C Series/Population by Religious Communities
^"On the other hand, this story may reflect the historical process of the expansion of agrarian settlements of the brahmanas which has been recognized from the Bhauma-Varman dynasty." ( & Shin 2010:10)
^Shin (2010), p. 22: "It is suggested that under the Koch kings, patronage of brahmans began earlier and more vigorously than in the Ahom kingdom. Encouraged both by the Koch kings and the regional bhuiyan landlords, a number of brahmanas from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal migrated into western Assam in the sixteen century"
^(Adhikary 2018): Apart from this Maharaja Biswa Singha (Koch dynasty) invited a large number of Brahmins from Kanouj, Benaras and other learning places and provided them rent free lands to perform religious practice. He also appointed Ballabhacharya, the chief priest of Kamakhya Temple to Koch Kingdom."
^(Sheikh 2012, p. 251): "He (Biswa Singha) brought some learned Brahmanas from Mithila, Benaras, Kanauj, and Srikshetra (Puri) to his kingdom in order to perform the Brahminical rituals"
^Saikia, Yasmin (9 November 2004). Fragmented Memories: Struggling to be Tai-Ahom in India. Duke University Press. p. 289. ISBN978-0-8223-8616-2. Assamese Brahmins are not vegetarians, but they are very judgmental about other peoples' food and eating habits. Brahmins else- where in India consider the Assamese Brahmins polluted and impure
Witzel, Michael (1993), "Towards a History of the Brahmins", Journal of the American Oriental Society, 113 (2), American Oriental Society: 264–268, doi:10.2307/603031, JSTOR603031
Shin, Jae-Eun (2010). "Yoni, Yoginīs and Mahāvidyās: Feminine Divinities from Early Medieval Kāmarūpa to Medieval Koch Behar, Studies in History". Studies in History. 26 (1): 1–29. doi:10.1177/025764301002600101. S2CID155252564.
Adhikary, Madhab. (2018), "Development of Saiva Cult in Koch Kingdom Under Maharaja Biswa Singha (1496-1540).", Uttar Prasanga, 12 (3–4): 25–31
Das, Sneha (2014). "Engraved Histories: A Study of Legend of Naraka and Political Legitimacy in the Kamarupa Region". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 75. Indian History Congress: 153–159. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44158374.
Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sanskritisation". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
Shin, Jae-Eun (2021). "Sword and Words: A Conflict Between Kings and Brahmins in the Bengal Frontier, Kāmatāpur 15th-16th Centuries". Journal of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. 3. Government of West Bengal: 21–36.
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