The Historical Atlas of Assam (From Pre-Historic to Modern Period)

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Supriti Phukan is a researcher on Cultural studies of ethnic groups of Assam. Her works are Tai Phake, a historical and cultural study. Anthroponymy of Assam, Sarat Manjari (ed.). Chin Desar Sadhu, Padmeswar Barthakur Rachanavali, Onomastics in Folk Literature of Assam jointly with Sarat Kumar Phukan. In connection with academic studies, Supriti has visited several countries such as the USA, China, Thailand etc. She is associated with North-East India Geographical Symposium, Epigraphic Society of India and Place Names Society of India, Mysore.

A well-travelled Sarat Kumar Phukan is a known name in the fields of Onomastics and Toponymy of North-East India. Phukan has been closely associated with United Nations Group of Experts on Geographic Names (UNGEGN), Ottawa; Standardization of Place names Body under UNGEGN; American Name Society (ANS), Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographic Names (CPCGN); International Symposium on Language and Linguistics: Pan-Asiatic Linguistics ISLL:PAL; Epigraphic Society of India and Place Names Society of India, Mysore and so on. Phukan presented several research papers in both International and National Seminars.

Phukan so far contributed Toponymy of Assam, Anthroponymy of Assam, Genesis of Surnames of Assam, Hydronymy of Assam, Oronymy of Assam, The Study of Hodonymy, Onomastics Assam I, II and III, Genesis of Ancient Toponymy of Central and Lower Assam, Place Names associated with Sankaradeva etc.

Historical geography with quality cartographic support continues to hold ever-growing importance, as it is concerned with the geography of the past and the influence of the past in shaping the present and future of the region in question. Rational understanding of the present and what may be impending in the future becomes possible only when one is exposed to the history of the area, preferably through maps authentically prepared to represent different phases of political history. "Like many other parts of India, Assam also has passed through some important and eventful historical phases. In other words, the present political landscape of the State is the result of the highly complex historico political processes that operated throughout the history of the region. It is academically and practically very encouraging that Dr Supriti Phukan and Dr Sarat Kumar Phukan have come forward to painstakingly prepare an atlas of Assam from historico-political perspectives. The duos have already been able to carve out a space of their own in the field of cultural historical studies, especially toponymy. In the present effort, they have successfully portrayed the very complicated process of (geological, geomorphological, anthropological, and archaeological, etc.) political evolution of the northeastern part of the country. The series of maps prepared by them under the title 'Historical Atlas of Assam' would provide a clear understanding of what was experienced by the region politically and administratively during the historical past. By carefully reading this, one will be able to zoom around history, pause at particular phases or simply watch how political areas melt away or disintegrate into tiny fragments."This is an admirable effort made jointly by a learned and committed couple, and we are very happy to wholeheartedly congratulate them for such a wonderful contribution towards the cause of the State of Assam and the entire North-Eastern Region. I earnestly hope that the readers will appreciate the authors for their interest in and commitment to their motherland-Assam.

The Historical Atlas of Assam is a glance into ancient Assam through the lens of a current-day geographer. It is a snapshot of Assam's past through the study of latitudes and longitudes, the flow of its rivers, and the expanse of its hills and mountains. It is a pictorial narrative of a world where civilizations have risen and fallen and each group, in its ascendance and subsequent decline, has left its lasting mark on the land and its way of life.

Where possible, we have included notable information from mythology and scriptures. It is noteworthy that the authors do not claim that mythology and scripture can substitute scientific findings or replace any objectively verifiable data. However, we sincerely believe that to tell the whole story of Assam, we need to create a framework of the past with the help of the epics, the Vedas, and the Upanishads. And to truly understand the Assam that was, we cannot separate the heroes of lore and their respective stories.

This Atlas, therefore, traces the geography as well as history, and mythology of the region.

In 165 maps, we attempt to capture a portrait of the past. We have drawn inspiration and information from mythology, oral traditions, early scriptures, epics, and holy writings from the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religions. We have also referenced various histories of Assam, historical inscriptions, Ahom-Moghal- Koch records, archaeological exploration sites, British surveys and records, Old atlases, field visits, and so on.

While the book focuses on early and medieval Assam, the names plotted in the maps are in contemporary Assamese. An example of this is Achala> Achal, Alaya>Alay. Asura>Asur. Chala>Chal. Danava>Danav, Grama>Gram, Iswara>Iswar (Baneswara>Baneswar, Deveswara>Deveswar, Haruppeswara >Haruppeswar, Nandiswara>Nandiswar, Pataka>Patak, Bhringeswara >Bhringeswar, Sukleswara >Sukleswar, Tingyeswara>Tingyeswar, etc.), Kirata >Kirat, Kuta>Kut, Nagara Nagar, Narayana>Narayan, Paragana>Pargana, Sagara>Sagar, Pala>Pal, Pitha>Pith, Pura>Pur, Sonita>Sonit, Varmana>Varman, Yojana>Yojan and so on. We have used the original Sanskrit forms in only a handful of instances.

Finally, this introduction is provided as a brief overview of Assam and its neighbors and the evolution of the region's topographic and societal landscape. We start with presenting details about the history of cartography and how various cultures and scholastic efforts have shaped and structured its current form. We then supply multi-faceted details on Assam's geography, anthropology, and ecology- the study of which has brought to light interesting mile markers in the evolution of modern-day Assam and its societies.