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Billeswar Devalaya has abundant folklore materials without much oral narratives. The legacy of folklore studies is not new one. Indian folklore studies began soon after the country attained independence. However, the seeds of those academic aspirations of scientific investigation, of analytic approach, which became prominent and earned the name for this period, can be seen scattered in the nationalistic period itself. The strong urge with accuracy and authenticity seems to guide the folklore collector and the researcher alike in this period. One does not find the missionary-bureaucratic sprit or the strong nationalistic feelings as dominant motivating forces behind the folkloristic work of this period. On the other hand this period is rather more analytical and truth finding in nature. Unlike the past two phases, this phase has the support of the academic intelligentsia of the universities for scholarly pursuits. It is in this era of development that folklore gained respectability as an academic discipline both in the outside the university campus. The agitation and struggle against particularly the British rule and the crisis of identification seem to have been replaced not by the inner struggles of a new nation, and its search for truth and reality. This is not a far-fetched elaboration. This type of explanation adds logical sequence in justifying the Billeswar Devalaya under the decided title of the study. As a matter of fact, Belsor-the place where at the Devalaya exists had a great role in mobilizing the local people towards the national movement.

Significantly India after attaining independence starts to preserve her cultural diversity in many ways. It has added a prestige to folklore in the country. Natural collection and study of such folklore materials have gained tremendous momentum. This is rather a new trend and has helped the growth of folklore studies in various regions. Another remarkable development in folklore studies during the current period has been that its central position in the cultural milieu of the country has been recognized by other equally important disciplines. This has underlined the importance of interdisciplinary research in folklore domain and related areas with the result that many universities besides teaching regional folklore as a subject in their regional literature department, have now independent programs in folklore leading to post-graduate and Ph.D. degrees. (Datta: 1988: 1275)

Many regional bodies either governmental or voluntary have started to help in collecting and analyzing work on regional folklore. The amount of this kind of work has multiplied greatly during the past decade and it is hard to list all such works here. In spite of this fact that the academic period of folklore studies has so far been productive, study of folklore in India, in comparison with the developed nations in the west, seems far behind both in systematic collection and analysis. The scientific approach to oral traditions, which this period apparently is committed to, has not made its full impact yet on the general academics folklore scholars are pursuing. Indian folklore due to reasons of its ancient past, diversity, structural complexity and functional importance, seems to possess great potential both for a fuller understanding of Indian culture and civilization, and for theoretical and methodological reform in study of folklore proper. This potential remains to be exploited. However, the manner in which the folklore studies has caught up during the past few years indicates to its bright future.

The works of the missionaries and the civil servants, besides the primary purposes for which these were intended had a very strong side effect: these made Indian intellectuals aware of their own cultural heritage and fanned the decades old spark of freedom among them. Struggle to achieve freedom from the British had begun in 1857, but until the first decade of the present century it had not taken the form of a mass movement. Therefore, the more Indian scholars became aware of their cultural roots (be it through the writings of the very people whom they wanted to seek freedom from), the more they became impatient to be free both politically and culturally. India was suddenly awaking from centuries of slumber. She had to sweep away the incrustations of English culture to find her own roots and identity and folklore was to a great extent instrumental in stimulating the spirit of nationalism, both before and after the Independence was achieved. (Datta: 1988: 1275) There is however a word of caution here. By naming this period Nationalistic period, it does not mean that folklore works which represented this period carried or studied folklore materials of nationalistic fervor or pleaded only for the collection and study of such materials. Some examples which represent such feelings are there; but that is not enough to justify this name. Folklore works of this period, on the contrary, are in no manner entirely different from the ones out of which this period was born. But, then, many crucial differences are discernible. In the first place, native scholars, inspired by the nationalistic movement, for the first time valued their oral traditions and began collecting and studying them. Folklore no longer remained the exclusive domain of the long robed Christian missionary or the white collared foreign bureaucrat. Indian scholars felt that nationalism in India could not be made recognizable only by the deep collective emotions hidden in the hearts of deprived masses; on the other hand it had to be made manifest in the national languages, national epics, food, dress, ancient thought and wisdom, value system, folklore and literature. Folklore was full of such emotion and was waiting for an opportunity. The above discussion is not compatible with the Devalaya. The Devalaya always maintained a unique and independent position in almost all affairs except the land disputes. Disputes regarding lands were resolved by the British administration.

Another important distinction that keeps these two periods wide apart, lies in the treatment given to the collected materials of this period. Folklore began to be studied from the Indian point of view. Collectors and analysts began identifying themselves with the native lore and the cultural context it very accurately represented. This identification -a departure from the Sanskrit text based approach of Indian scholarship was hastened by the timely realization, by national leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, of this important fact that nationalist movement cannot succeed unless its primarily middle class character was changed to that of a mass nature. This shift in politics was more profitably realized in the literature on oral traditions. Moreover, it also helped in making it very clear to the assimilated middle class intelligentsia of the cities, hitherto the main crusader of nationalist movement that in a predominantly rural-based country like India, Folklore played role as a tool for the transmission of ideas and news and was in fact the only powerful media of the masses. Nationalist movement in our country amply helped folklore studies grow and in return it revitalized the movement by bringing it closer to the rural masses are facts which no serious historian of India and her oral traditions can afford to ignore. Among others, the major works on folklore which resulted in response to such feeling of this period are: Dinesh Chandra Sen's Sati (1917) and The Folk Literature of Bengal (1920); Zeverchand Meghani's Halardan (1928); Dadaji"ni Vato (1933), Lok Sahitya and Kankavati" (1947); Suryakaran Parikh and Narottam Swamy鈥檚 Dhola Maru ra Duha (1940); Ramnaresh Tripathi鈥檚 Hamara Gram Sahitya (1940) and Devendra Satyarthi鈥檚 Bela Phule Adhi" Rat (1948), Dharti" Gati" Hai (1948), Dhi"re Baho Ganga (1948) and dozens of similar works. Indian perspective is relevantly referred here, as the locality of Belsor had a remarkable role in struggle movement.

Devalaya is truly a great platform of folkloristic activities. Folklore is the material handed down traditionally either by mouth or by customary practice. A more elaborate and inclusive definition says that folklore 鈥榗omprehends all knowledge that is transmitted by word of mouth and all crafts and technique that are learnt by imitation and example as well as the products of such crafts.鈥� By such it encompasses a whole range of material which includes 鈥榝olk arts, folk crafts, folk looks, folk costume, folk belief, folk medicine, folk recipes, folk music, folk dance, folk games, folk gestures and folk speech as well as those verbal forms of expression which have been called folk literature but which are better described as verbal art.鈥� (Bascom: 1973: 374-381) This definition does not clash with the folklore materials associated with the Devalaya. In justifying all the elements, caste also requires an attention. Caste refers to inequality both in theory and practice. Inequality based on the caste system is a special type of inequality. Ideas and values are considered as basis for knowing actual and observable behaviour of the people. Therefore the idea of the pure and the impure is basic to the understanding of caste. This idea is the basis of hierarchy in Hindu society. (Sharma: 2001: 17-18)

The formational aspect of caste is elucidated by accepting it as a common principle of stratification. Caste as a cultural system is understood in terms of prominence of the ideas of pollution-purity and notions of hierarchy and segregation. Caste is also viewed by Bailey as a 鈥榗lassed system鈥� of stratification. Another scholar considers caste system as both 鈥榗losed鈥� and 鈥榦pen鈥�. The analytic variations appear to a hindrance against the common definition of caste. However these variations also explain the fact that caste is like all other systems of stratification in some ways while it is quite unique in some other respects. Although caste is not really a very flexible system, yet a caste permits mobility in certain areas to its members. A given caste is guided by the norms of the caste system regarding inter-caste dependence; but a given caste has also its autonomy in regard to observance of its practices, rituals and rites in relation to other castes. Rudolph is of the opinion that caste responds to changes in its political and economic environment by transforming itself from below and within. Hierarchy, privilege and moral parochialism no longer exhaust its secular significance. Caste has become a means to level the old order鈥檚 inequalities by helping to destroy its moral basis and social structure. Caste attaches its members to the political ideas, processes and institutions.

In North East India too, there were kingdoms of the Ahoms, the Chutiya, the Koches, the Kacharis, the Jaintias, the Garos, the Khasis, the Nagas, the Manipuris, the Barahis existed with dominance in medieval era. Besides many unknown hilly kingdoms were not exceptions from the kingdoms of Central and western India. They were frequently involved in battles among themselves. So there was no India at the beginning of the Nineteenth century. It was mere congeries of states. (Singh: 1995: 12-13)

By the above discussion, an outline of freedom struggle of our country may be derived. It does not support the process of forming a 鈥楽acred Geography鈥� But its background necessarily helps in comprehending the subject chosen for study. The central idea persists here that Billeswar Devalaya belongs to sacred geography which is formed on the basis of its cultural, folkloristic activities and compassing various areas beyond the administrative map. It has essentially fortified me towards the deeper understanding of the core parts of the study.

Notes and References

Baruah, R H, (2010), Nalbari Zilar Aitihashik Parichay-From Ancient Times to 1826,P-01

Bascom, W. (1973). Folklore, Verbal Art, and Culture. The Journal of American

Folklore, 86(342), 374-381. doi:10.2307/539361

Barman, S, (2014), Billeswar Temple and the Sebaits, Kamrup Anusandhan Samity, p-117

Datta, A, (1988), Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti, Vol.2, p-1275

Gait, E, (1926), reprint 2013 A History of Assam

Gajendra, A, (2001) A History of the Temples of Kamrupa and Their Management,p-14

Gangopadhyay, DK, (1990), Revenue Administration in Assam(Ed), Revenue Department, Govt. of Assam, pp-182-183

Sharma KL, (2001). Social Stratification in India: Issues and Themes, New Delhi Sage Publications, pp. 17-18.

Singh, C, (1995) Indian Nationalism and National Movement, New Delhi: OMSONS Publications, pp-12-13

Taher, M, et al. (2016), Assam -A Geographical Profile, Guwahati, p-2-5