০৪ সসর ব্যাপ এ আবাভ (3) Jeweller:-The art of making Mind (ornament of gold) was known to the Aryans before they left their original home. vedic mand (ornament of gold : Cf. sach mana huray@ya) is the same as Latin-mind (=ornament of gold) and Assamese Mina. Two theories:—The above characteristics indicate an Assamese civilization which is similar to that of the Vedic Indians. The linguistic considerations as also the manners and customs referred to above are no- where to be found in India. They seem to show that the Kalitas are the earliest Aryan settlers in Assam. How they came to be here? Two theories are possible,viz.. (1) that they are the earliest Aryan immigrants who came into India from the west but were later driven eastward into Assam by the second batch of Aryans who came across the northern frontiers and spread into the middle country; or (2) that they entered Assam from the north through Tibet and over the passes of the Himalayas. The first theory :-We have seen above (section l) that the second wave of Aryan immigrants pushed the early settlers outward in 3 direc- tions by their superior culture and larger numbers. The latter had appa- rently no literature nor any priest with them, and in fact, division of castes was unknown to them. The second wave was a gradual process, extending over several centuries and at different epochs. They were the Vedic Indians. The Kalitas are apparently the descendants of the earliest or first wave of Aryan immigrants. It is probable that in their march eastward, having been driven forward by the second wave of Aryan settlers, some of their brethren parted company and moved southward and entered the mountainous country of Cuttack and Sambalpur, while the main body continued their onward march and eventually entered Assam and spread over the “lovely paphian region” in the Brahmaputra valley. The language and social system which they brought from their original home have not been obliterated through ages although fresh waves of Indo- European settlers, the Vedic Indians, later poured into Assam and merged in Assamese society. | There is, however, one objection to the acceptance of this theory. From Satapatha Brahmana we learn that imigration of the Aryans into Assam is very recent. There we find that Videgha Mathava of the country _gosea•Videhas was at first on the bank of the Sarasvati river. Fire (ie.. the fire cult) started from there castward consecrating the eastern world as far as the Karatoya ( karoti) river. Eventually the fire crossed the Sadanira and placed Videgha Mathava with his priest Gotama in the country east of that river. From that time Brahmanic influence with all 1 Rigveda vil, j8.17. satapatha Brahmana, . 3.3 14-18, See “Satapatha Brahmana, ix. .2.15.
