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Indian Journal of Research in Anthropology

Volume  2, Issue 1, January - June 2016, Pages 53-59
 

Original Article

Religious Universe of the Deoris of Assam

Arifur Zaman, Mandira Bhagawati

*Assistant Professor **Research Scholar, Department of Anthropology, Dibrugarh University,Dibrugarh-786004, Assam, (India)

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Abstract

 The Deoris are one of the scheduled tribes of Assam inhabiting mostly in the Plain areas of Upper Assam. The entire Deori tribe is divided into four broad divisions or khel on the basis of their places of origin. They are – Dibangiyas, Tengapania, Borgoyan and Patorgoyan. Of all the four divisions of the Deoris, the Dibangiyas have preserved their socio religious organisations almost along with their indigenous dialect known as duan. The Dibangiyas mainly propitiate Kundi-Mama also known as Burha-Burhi or Gira-Girachi as their chief parochial deities. They have a common place of worship known as Midiku,, also called it as Deoshal or Deoghar,Kundiku , which means the abode of the supreme deity, Kundi-Mama. The Dibangiya Deoris observe various rites and rituals in connection with the principal events of life as well as for the welfare of the community as a whole and to propitiate their different pristine God and Goddesses. But at contemporary times due to the influences of other religious beliefs, specially the influence of great traditional Hinduism of neighbouring caste Hindus, some impinging factors have been percolated in their indigenous belief system. In this present endeavour an attempt has been made to know about the traditional belief system of the aforesaid ethnic group in a rural context.

Keywords: Deori; Kundi-Mama; Deoshal; Deo Utha; Dujan Labiduba; Suje; Caste Hindus.

Corresponding Author : Arifur Zaman