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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Hinduism}}
{{Culture of Assam}}
'''Kamrupi Brahmins''', also known as Kamarupi Brahmana and Kamrupi Bamon; are those brahmins who claimed their descent from the [[Kanyakubja Brahmins|Kanauji Brahmins]] and [[Maithil Brahmin|Maithili]] [[Brahmin]]s who settled in [[Kamrup region|Kamarupa]] (present day [[Assam]]).<ref name=Social_History_of_Assam_1989>Mani L. Bose, ''Social History of Assam: Being a Study of the Origins of Ethnic Identity'', 1989, p. 40 when the Aryans entered Assam from the west is uncertain. It seems probably that the Aryan penetration into Assam began from the time of the Brahmanas and the Epics and by the 3rd century A.D. Aryan culture became the predominant.</ref><ref name=The_Journal_of_the_Institute_of_Bangladesh_Studies>''The Journal of the Institute of Bangladesh Studies''(1994),Institute of Bangladesh Studies, University of Rajshahi "Kamrupi brahmins are those brahmins who claimed their descent from the Kanauji immigrant brahmins of very early period. They settled in Kamrupa and later on spread out"</ref> They brought with them different [[Hinduism|Hindu]] epics and became the torch-bearers of [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryan]] culture in the region.<ref name=Social_History_of_Assam_1989 /><ref name=Barman,R.K>{{Cite journal|author=Barman,R.K |title=State Formation, Legitimization and Cultural Change A Study of Koch Kingdom|journal=The NEHU Journal|volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=17–35 |date=June 2014}}</ref>

==Background==
Kamrupi brahmins are those brahmins who claimed their descent from the Kanauji immigrant brahmins and Maithil Brahmins of Mithila of a very early period. They settled in [[Kamrup region|Kamrup]] and later on spread out.<ref name=The_Journal_of_the_Institute_of_Bangladesh_Studies />

==Rites and rituals==
Many rituals followed by Kamrupi Brahmins are unique to their community. During a ritual named [[Amati (ritual)|Amati]], mother earth is believed passing through menstrual period and thus to be in an unclean state. Hence on those days farmers would not till the soil or plant any seeds. Orthodox widows and Brahmins abstain from any food except fruits. Devi, a special synthesized form of both [[Durga]] of the Hindu pantheon and a tribal female deity, is still being worshiped in Cooch Behar. Worship of Devi is generally performed by a Kamrupi Brahmin of North Bengal.<ref name=Barman,R.K/>

==History==
Kamrupi Brahmins were prosperous during the [[Varman dynasty]]'s reign of [[Kamarupa]]. The Kamrupi king [[Bhaskaravarman]] regularly gave land grants to the Kamrupi Brahmins. With these land grants they were also given copper plates grants.<ref>Rup Kumar Barman (2007),'' Contested regionalism: a new look on the history, cultural change, and regionalism of North Bengal and Lower Assam'', Abhijeet Publications, p.200 The Copper Plate Grants of Bargaon and Sualkuchi Grant of Ratnapal prove the land grants to the Brahmins at the banks of the Lohita and the Kalang,respectively.</ref>
A portion of the copper-plate grant of Bhaskaravarman states: Rigvedic, Samavedic and Yajurvedic Brahmins lived in Kamarupa before the time of Bhaskaravarman.<ref name=The_Social_History_of_Kamarupa>Vasu, N.N, ''The Social History of Kamarupa, Vol.1'' (1922), p.p 5-6</ref>
Of these three classes of Brahmins the followers of the Bahvrichya branch of the Rigveda were divided into the gotras of:
- Kasyapa,
- Kausika,
- Gautama,
- Parasarya,
- Bharadvaja,
- Varaha,
- Vatsya,
- Varhaspatya and
- Saunaka ;
Of those following the Chhandoga branch of the Samaveda belonged to the gotras of :
- Paskalya
The followers of the Taittiriya branch of the Yajurveda belonged to the gotra of:
- Kasyapa
And those of the Charaka branch to the gotra of:
- Katyayana ;
The followers of the Vajasaneya branch belonged to the gotras of:
- Angirasa,
- Alambayana,
- Gargya,
- Gautama,
- Bharadvaja,
- Yaska,
- Sakatayana, and
- Salankayana besides the six gotras mentioned before.<ref name=The_Social_History_of_Kamarupa />
In all these three groups of Brahmanas living in Kamarupa had 26 gotras at the time of their greatest power and standing. In later ages any traces of the Samavedic and Rigvedic Brahmanas disappeared . Most probably they had changed their residence or their lines came to an end.<ref name=The_Social_History_of_Kamarupa />
The following lines occur in Raja Harendra Narayan's Raja vansabali -<ref name=The_Social_History_of_Kamarupa />

{{cquote|The Brahmanas living on the northern bank of the Lauhitya were all followers of the Yajurveda. They were all saddcharis and ritvijas (Vedic sacrificers).}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Brahmin communities of Assam]]
[[Category:Kamrupi culture]]
[[Category:Indo-Aryan peoples]]
[[Category:Kamarupa (former kingdom)]]

Kamrupi Brahmins - Revision history

UpdateBot at 12:23, 7 June 2022