Maibong
Encyclopedia
Maibong, also spelt as Maibang, is a town and a town area committee in Dima Hasao district
in the India
n state
of Assam
.
s (1164 feet).
, Maibong had a population of 7664. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Maibong has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 66%. In Maibong, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Dimasa people are the largest inhabitants of the town comprising almost 85% of the town.
from the 16th to 18th century. The ruins of the kingdom can still be found on the eastern bank of Mahur
and south of Maibang.
At Maibang, the Kacharis kings came under Brahmin influence. The son of Dersongphaa took a Hindu name, Nirbhay Narayan, and established his Brahmin guru as the Dharmadhi that became an important institution of the state. The king's genealogy was drawn from Bhima of the Pandavas, and his son Ghatotkacha born to Hidimba. The kingdom then came to be known as Heramba, and the rulers Herambeswar.
The king was assisted in his state duties by a council of ministers (Patra and Bhandari), led by a chief called Barbhandari. These and other state offices were manned by people of the Dimasa group, who were not necessarily Hinduized. There were about 40 clans (called Sengfong) of the Dimasa people, each of which sent a representative to the royal assembly called Mel, a powerful institution that could elect a king. The representatives sat in the Mel mandap (Council hall) according to the status of the Sengfong and provided a counterfoil to royal powers.
Over time the Sengfongs developed a hierarchical structure with five royal Sengfongs though most of the kings belonged to the Hacengha clan. Some of the clans provided specialized services to the state ministers, ambassadors, store keepers, court writers, and other bureaucrats and ultimately developed into professional groups, e.g. Songyabsa (king's cooks), Nyablasa (fishermen).
By the 17th century the Kachari rule extended into the plains of Cachar. The plains people did not participate in the courts of the Kachari king directly. They were organized according to khels, and the king provided justice and collected revenue via an official called the Uzir. Though the plains people did not participate in the Kachari royal court, the Dharmadhi guru and other Brahmins in the court cast a considerable influence, especially with the beginning of the 18th century.
Dima Hasao district
Dima Hasao district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in north-eastern India. As of 2011 it is the least populous district of Assam .-History:...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
.
Geography
Maibong is located at 25.3°N 93.17°E. It has an average elevation of 355 metreMetre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s (1164 feet).
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Maibong had a population of 7664. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Maibong has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 66%. In Maibong, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Dimasa people are the largest inhabitants of the town comprising almost 85% of the town.
History
Maibang was the capital of the erstwhile Kachari kingdomKachari Kingdom
The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...
from the 16th to 18th century. The ruins of the kingdom can still be found on the eastern bank of Mahur
Mahur, Assam
Please see Mahur for disambiguation.Mahur is a town and a town area committee in Dima Hasao district in the Indian state of Assam.-Geography:Mahur is located at . It has an average elevation of 727 metres .-Demographics:...
and south of Maibang.
At Maibang, the Kacharis kings came under Brahmin influence. The son of Dersongphaa took a Hindu name, Nirbhay Narayan, and established his Brahmin guru as the Dharmadhi that became an important institution of the state. The king's genealogy was drawn from Bhima of the Pandavas, and his son Ghatotkacha born to Hidimba. The kingdom then came to be known as Heramba, and the rulers Herambeswar.
The king was assisted in his state duties by a council of ministers (Patra and Bhandari), led by a chief called Barbhandari. These and other state offices were manned by people of the Dimasa group, who were not necessarily Hinduized. There were about 40 clans (called Sengfong) of the Dimasa people, each of which sent a representative to the royal assembly called Mel, a powerful institution that could elect a king. The representatives sat in the Mel mandap (Council hall) according to the status of the Sengfong and provided a counterfoil to royal powers.
Over time the Sengfongs developed a hierarchical structure with five royal Sengfongs though most of the kings belonged to the Hacengha clan. Some of the clans provided specialized services to the state ministers, ambassadors, store keepers, court writers, and other bureaucrats and ultimately developed into professional groups, e.g. Songyabsa (king's cooks), Nyablasa (fishermen).
By the 17th century the Kachari rule extended into the plains of Cachar. The plains people did not participate in the courts of the Kachari king directly. They were organized according to khels, and the king provided justice and collected revenue via an official called the Uzir. Though the plains people did not participate in the Kachari royal court, the Dharmadhi guru and other Brahmins in the court cast a considerable influence, especially with the beginning of the 18th century.