A Jewel Hiding in Plain Sight — Mahabahu Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre, Guwahati
Planning a visit to Guwahati? Have some time to spare? Then don’t miss a visit to Mahabahu Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre (https://brahmaputraheritage.org/).
Guwahati is still a small city, so it does not matter where you are staying, it should be an easy commute. And believe you in me, you will have enough reasons to cheer about once you go there.
We all know the Brahmaputra, the mighty river that originates at Manasarovar Lake near Mount Kailash in Tibet, flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and then cuts through Bangladesh before meeting the Bay of Bengal.
Of the 3,000 of its length, Brahmaputra travels for around 900 km in India. On the way, it weaves a story of livelihood, culture, nostalgia, and sadly destruction.
Mahabahu (Maha — big, Bahu — arm: one with strong arm) Brahmaputra Heritage Museum is a bold attempt by the government of Assam to capture a slice of the Brahmaputra and the life around it.
Inaugurated in 2021, the museum was built at the erstwhile residence of the British High Commissioner of Kamrup. In a story stretching back 170 years, the story started after the British annexed Assam in 1826 (after the Treaty of Yandaboo). The post of Deputy Commissioner was created for Kamrup (in which Guwahati is a town) in 1839. But the city had no appropriate house at that time to accommodate Captain James Matthie, the first DC.
That was a hard time for the mighty British. Several sites were surveyed, and a site atop the Barphukanar Tilla (Barphukan’s Hillock) was selected. A small hillock named after the legendary Ahom general Lachit Borphukan (who is credited as the only Indian ruler who defeated the invading seventeen times), it is the site from which the Ahom forces planned and launched an attack on the Mughals in the battle of Saraighat (1671). Ahoms ruled Assam for almost 600 years (1228–1826) and laid the cultural, political, and social foundations of Assam.
Situated on the banks of Brahmaputra, cannons used during the battle lay scattered on the hillock before the bungalow came up. It continued to be DC’s residence till 2011, after when it fell into disuse.
When the state government wanted to build a heritage museum, the bungalow in the middle of the city was a great choice. A spend of INR 9 crores for renovation, and almost a decade down the line, it is now a sprawling layout with a museum, garden, lake, and also a Starbucks which is open till 11 PM. It is now one of the most beautiful tourist sites not just of Guwahati, but across the country.
Apart from the Starbucks, the lawn outside houses an amphitheater with paintings displaying Assam tea gardens, rich wildlife, and how Lachit Borphukan. However, this post has more to do with displays inside the museum.
The museum greets with two majestic drawings of the river map, and the map of railways and waterways.
The first set of exhibits are various devices used for fishing. If we go deep, this probably is one exhibit that captures how the life and livelihood of people around the river have changed over time.
I was lucky to have my brother-in-law Kumud Das. A septuagenarian who now stays in the US has fond memories of using some of these in his childhood. Hooks and lines, maze/barricades, encircling gear, entangling gear, impaling gear, scooping gear, groping, impounding, Indigenous trap, and noose fishing are some of the methods used.
A quick reference will be helpful for all.
Note, all these are made of bamboo, which is plentiful across North East and South East Asia among the fishing community. Thankfully, the mechanized fishing in the entire North East is still low, so the traditional fishing communities survive.
We have seen in the Eastern and Western coasts where commercialization has created havoc in fish population, environment, livelihood, and nutrition. As motorized boats and trawlers enter into fishing, violations happen in getting into forbidden areas. Scraping off the bed happens to have a better yield, and as the fish population reduces traditional fishing families move to other professions. This disempowers the women severely, and they typically play a significant role in the retail fish market. Also, nutrition suffers as fish is often replaced from the meals. This seems a positive for Brahmaputra so far, but the days may be counted.
There are other exhibits displaying a glimpse of some of the people living along the banks of Brahmaputra.
The below are from Mask making in Majuli.
Majuli is a large river island on the Brahmaputra, near Jorhat. It was over 1,300 sq km at one time but now reduced to 352 sq km because of relentless erosion.
Home to members of the Mising, Deori, and Sonowal Kachari tribes and the hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture. Srimanta Sankaradeva, the Vaishnavite saint of the 15th-16th century promoted the philosophies of neo-Vaishnavism. He also established the Sattra institutions for the practice, preservation, and propagation of the neo-Vaishnavite culture. Majuli is a major hub of the Sattras, with around 30 being there.
Shankaradeva also created the Bhaona, a traditional entertainment with religious messages. People portraying mythological characters in Bhaona wear the Mukha (mask) to portray the character. Sankaradeva created the Mukha of Brahma, Gaduda, and Hara for his inaugural one-act play (Ankiya Naat) titled Cinha Yatra in 1948. Masks making thus remains a very integral part of the Majuli culture, being centered around the Sri Sri Samaguri Satra.
Another set of exhibits captures weaving in Sualkuchi.
Sualkuchi is a small locality in Kamrup, on the banks of Brahmaputra. It is famous for the weaving of silk, primarily Muga and Eri. Muga silk is harvested only in Assam, and Eri at Assam and Jharkhand.
Muga remains the queen of silk, with a production of 130 tonnes of yarn each year. Mekhala Chador and Sarees reach prices upwards of INR 50,000.
With approximately 2,000 households, Sualkuchi is said to have one or more looms weaving silk, earning the name “Manchester of Assam”.
The first floor of the museum is dedicated to the music and musical instruments.
This mostly has the instruments showcased, with many in glass enclosures. There are very few photos as well explainers, and even the lighting seemed low. Overall the floor lacked the dynamism as well as the immersive experience of the ground floor.
Unfortunately, the entire compound is accessible using a wheelchair, except this first floor (which olu has a staircase). This is the only gap I found during the visit.
The museum also maintains some of the original settings, like the river lounge.
This is the main room of the bungalow, with tall windows and a fireplace.
The meeting room.
With “Navigating the River” as the theme, this room has a bunch of photographs showing vessels and ships that once navigated the Brahmaputra.
It also gives a detailed description of the restoration project, including structural drawings and the construction process. It will be a delight for engineers and architects.
Finally, there is an anecdote enveloped in a historical narrative.
I suggest you go through the story above. In summary, it is told that Koch King Naranarayanan (who rebuilt the Kamakhya temple after it was demolished by Kalapahad, the Mughal Governor of Bengal) was told by his brother Sukladhwaja that Goddess dances in the temple at night.
They convinced the priest to watch her dance, but the Goddess became angry, killed the priest, and cursed that no one from the Koch royal family would ever be able to enter the temple.
The story goes that when Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, who was related to the Koch family (daughter of King Nripendra Narayan, a direct descendent of King Narayanan) was an MP was visiting Guwahati. As she was informed that she could see Kamakhya temple from the air, she traveled to Silchar by flight and then traveled by road.
Believe it or not? Your choice.
