Asom Divas or Assam Day, also known as Sukapha Divas, is a state holiday observed annually in the Indian state of Assam on 2 December to commemorate Sukaphaa, traditionally regarded as the first king and founder of the Ahom dynasty. The observance commemorates the conventional date of Sukaphaa's arrival in the Brahmaputra Valley in 1228, traditionally associated with the foundation of the Ahom kingdom.
According to the traditional chronology, Sukaphaa crossed the Patkai hills and entered the northeast region of Kamrupa in 1228. Asom Divas is observed on 2nd December to commemorate his advent and the conventional beginning of Ahom rule in Assam. This chronology has, however, been questioned by recent scholarship, which argues, from Tai and Chinese sources, that the Ahom polity may instead have been established in the mid-14th century.
The Government of Assam officially recognises the day and observes it as a regional public holiday. Government offices and revenue/magisterial courts remain closed, and public institutions, educational establishments and government offices mark the occasion through commemorative programmes and cultural events.
Origin and recognition
The observance originated in 1972, when Saikhowa-based social worker Bhimkanta Buragohain proposed commemorating 2 December as Sukapha Divas. The first observance was held at Rajgarh Primary School in Patidoi Nagaon, Sadiya. The state government has observed 2 December as Asom Divas, also known as Siu-Ka-Pha Divas, since 1996.
Historical background
According to the conventional Ahom chronology, Sukaphaa crossed the Patkai Mountains and entered the Brahmaputra Valley in 1228, a date traditionally associated with the beginning of Ahom rule. Recent scholarship based on Tai and Chinese sources has questioned this chronology and suggested that the Ahom polity may instead have been established in the mid-14th century. Ahom tradition also attributes the establishment of official historical record-keeping and the Buranji chronicles to Sukaphaa. The surviving textual evidence, however, belongs to a considerably later period, and research on the Ahom script indicates that its written form developed between the late 14th and 16th centuries.
Observance
Asom Divas is observed across Assam through cultural programmes, seminars, public meetings, exhibitions and educational activities. Traditional music, dance performances and discussions on Assam’s history and heritage form an integral part of the celebrations. Government departments, educational institutions and cultural organizations actively participate in commemorating the occasion, highlighting the legacy of Sukapha and his role in shaping the historical and cultural identity of Assam.
↑"Although tradition suggests that the Ahom brought their script with them when they crossed the Patkai Mountains into Assam in the 13th century from Mong Mao, located on the frontier of what is now Myanmar and China (Phukan 2006); it is unknown how old the script actually is. The oldest surviving Ahom text, the Snake Pillar inscription, only dates back to the time of King Siuw Hum Miung who reigned during 1497-1539 (Hosken and Morey 2012). However, the resemblance between the Ahom script and one of the extant Shan scripts known as lik hto ngouk, or “bean-sprout letters”, points to a common origin (Cushing 1888; Ferlus 1988; Diller 1992; Wichasin 1986). A recent paper by Daniels (2012) refers to a manuscript published in Yang, Bartholemew and Wang (2000). This has been identified as a Chinese manuscript dated 1407 that includes Tai language very similar in form and structure to the Tai Ahom script, suggesting that a script like Tai Ahom was in use in the Mong Mao kingdom by the end of the 14th century at the latest."(Gogoi, Morey & Pittayaporn 2020:17–18)
↑"There is a general consensus that the proto-Shan script that developed into the modern Shan and Ahom scripts was adapted from the Burmese script sometime between the late 14th and the 16th century. Ferlus (1988) and Diller (1992) also argue that lack of orthographic contrasts between original voiced and voiceless consonants suggests that the adaptation took place later than the first half of the 13th century. In addition, Pain (2017) adds the use of digraph ui, to represent /ɯ/ in Shan and Ahom as further evidence for the Old Burmese origin. Furthermore, Daniel’s (2012) analysis of the 1407 manuscript discussed above postulates that the adaptation occurred in the 14th century. The shapes of 14 letters attested in the text as well as the use of diacritical -y-, -r-, and -w- points to an Old Burmese origin."(Gogoi, Morey & Pittayaporn 2020:17–18)
