Brahma Dharma
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Brahma Dharma was a religion that was initiated by Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma in the early 20th century in Dhubri District of Assam among the Bodo people under the influence of the teachings of the mystic Param Hans Sibnarayan and assisted by Rupnath Brahma. The religion tried to remove some of the traditional customs of Bodo society and reform it.
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[edit] Social conditions of Bodo before Brahma Dharma
The Bodo people were followers of the Bathou religion which was based on the worship of Bathow. The Bodos ate pork, chicken and brewed and drank the rice beer zou and zumai. Traditional Hindu society looked down upon these practices. Further, many Bodos were either converting to Christainty, or were being Hinduized (Sarania, Rajbanshi etc). As a result Bodo society was under threat.
[edit] Brahma dharma teachings
Kalicharan Brahma (then Kalicharan Mech) started the Brahma religion to unify and reform Bodo society to meet these challenges. He was initiated into the religious teachings of Pram Hans Sibnarayan and in 1905 began his program of social and religious reform of Bodo society. He did away with worship of various deities and animal sacrifices and in its place instituted the burning of ahuti, which was similar to the Hindu homa, but had particular differences. He preached against rearing of pigs, fowl birds and brewing of the rice beer. To carry forward his teachings, he established the Bodo Mahasabha.
Many Bodos who followed Brahma Dharma started using Assamese in favor of the Bodo language. In 1911, the title Brahma was formally accepted as the lastname of the follower of this religion.
[edit] At Present
The Brahma Dharma did not become the predominant religion of the Bodos, but it has remained as an important Bodo institution. Under the Brahma Dharma, the Bodos found their first national awakening and consolidation. Some followers of Brahma Dharma (Joynarayan Basumatari, Satich Chandra Basumatari), incorporated Bathou back into the religion without the associated traditional forms of worship. Due to Brahma Dharma's insistence on education, most of the intellectual leaders of the Bodo society belong to the class created by the Brahma Dharma.
[edit] References
- Mosahary, R. N., (1997) "Brahma Religion and Social Change among Bodos" in The Bodos: Children of Bhullumbutter, eds T. Pulloppillil & J Aluckal, Spectrum Publications, Guwahati.
