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The present study proposes to study the vernacular architecture of Assam, especially of the Brahmaputra valley. The Brahmaputra valley is a vast tract of land, which betrays immense historical as well as cultural importance. The valley, with its diverse racial and socio-cultural composition well represents the region of Assam.

This is well reflected in the remarks of J. M鈥漜osh who writes, 鈥�

Assam may properly called the valley of Brahmaputra, navigable branches intersect it in every possible direction, and there is perhaps not a spot of habitated ground so situated, as to be more than a convenient distance from some navigable stream鈥� (M'cosh:1837:4).

The Brahmaputra valley is presumed to be an ancient seat of civilization inferred from the archaeological and literary references.

The fertile valley of Brahmaputra valley, which epitomizes the Assam or the Assamese culture, not only lured the people of different racial stock since prehistoric period to settle here but the valley also served as a connection or commercial route connecting not only the region but possibly, the entire South-East Asia with the different parts of the world. Such an assumption arises from the classical sources such as the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea of 1^st C. AD or the Geography of Ptolemy of about AD 150 that probably mentions about Assam and trade link which is corroborated by the other sources such as Chang Kien or accounts of Yuan Chwang (Choudhury:1987). The geographic location and natural resources of the valley allured waves of migration and accommodated a number of ethnic groups on its soil.

Hence, Waddell commented,

鈥淔ew of the wilder parts of the world, still left, preserve such a vast variety of savage tribes of such great ethnological interest as the mountainous valley of the mighty Brahmaputra in its course from Lower Tibet to the Bay of Bengal鈥� (Waddell:1975:1).

The region is assumed to become the habitat of men from a very ancient period and the geological researchers opine that men inhabit the region since the tertiary period. Basham said:

To this day the land of Assam contains many races, of widely varying types and at different stages of culture, and the blood of its people is no doubt a mixture of many diverse elements. Its beautiful valleys have long been a meeting place of Indian, Tibeto-Burman, and Austric peoples. (Basham:1958)

This is evident from the existence of number of racial groups in the population profile of present day Assam or the region as a whole. The classical sources such as Periplus or Ptolemy鈥檚 geography, the analysis of references in the Epics or Puranas as well the historic documents such as the Yuan Chwang鈥檚 accounts or other historic documents hints to the existence of different routes of migration that connected the region with the northern, Chinese, western or Indian regions.

The ancientness of the civilization of the Brahmaputra valley may be inferred well from different documentary references. The migration and settlement of numerous ethnic groups in the region gradually moulded the rich and unique cultural heritage of the state. The cultural lineage of the region is the result of the diverse cultural contribution of the ethnic groups. The cultural heritage of the region or of the constituent groups is traditionally continuing. Since the tradition is a continuous process of handing down, the various traditions including the tradition of the house and architecture will perhaps bear certain antediluvian features. This may ultimately lead to the origin and gradual development of the subject. As an ancient seat of civilization and meeting place of various ethnic cultures, the Brahmaputra valley is chosen as the area of the study of vernacular architecture.

However, it is to be acknowledged here that the Brahmaputra valley is a vast region stretching alongside the course of the river from Sadiya to Dhubri. Simultaneously, as stated earlier, the valley of the legendary river is the abode of a host of tribes and castes. The presence of numerous ethnic groups and heterogeneous cultures is very much perceptible in the housing culture of the valley. There may have certain areas of superficial homogeneity and similarity in the traditional architectures of the communities living in the region but a careful scrutiny reveals the subtle distinctiveness and uniqueness in the architecture and associated cultures. Therefore, a study of the vernacular architecture demands the discussion of the architectures of all the indigenous tribes and castes living in the valley. This is in fact necessary for proper profundity of the study. However, the survey of all the tribes or the entire stretch of Brahmaputra valley is not an easy task for various reasons. Notwithstanding, the castes and tribes living in the Brahmaputra valley needs to be incorporated in the study and which is intended for. So, the study endeavours to incorporate maximum representative sampling of the major constituent communities of the Brahmaputra valley into the purview. This will help to investigate the similarities as well as the uniqueness in the VAs of different communities. It will also provide a room of comparative study and assess influences on each other.

Since the area of the field is vast in size and not feasible to visit nuke and corner of the area, the selective areas are chosen for the purpose. Thus, the representative samplings of the constituent cultural groups or architectural tradition are prepared to grasp the essence of different vernacular architecture traditions. However, despite focused sampling, the maximum areas across the valley is selected and visited to cover every prominent cultural group and their architecture. This has enabled with an opportunity to look the subject from a comparative perspective and grasp the distinction of different vernacular architecture tradition of the region in a perceptible way. Thus, the study strives to incorporate the architecture of the major constituent communities of the valley.