li corroborates the fact that the country enjoyed the influence of Hinduism from long before the visit of Higen-Tiang. Mr. Gait has stated in his detory of Ased — The Indian King Samuda who according to Forlong was ruling in Upper Burma in 108 A.D., must have proceeded thither through Assam, and so must the Hindus who led the lohampas or Shams in their conquest of the mouths of the Mekong in 280 A.D." from this Mr &ais infers that it is, therefore, by no means improbable that other adventurers found their way at a still earlier period to Northern Bengal and Assam, All these things point to a very early settlement of Hindus in Assam, Mi, R. 0. Dutt, in his Acient Idea, has collected evidences to prove that Hindu settlement extended over Bengal and Orissa sometime between 800 and 200 B.0. It is probable that the Hindus came to Assam before that time, as the fertike highlands of Assam must have had greater attractions for them than the swampy plains of Bengal. 'The Hindus of Assam claim to have come here from Mid-India and not from Bengal, their language also corroborates this view. Dr. Nicholl, on page 7 of his Assame&e Grammar has correctly observed that + Assamese is not, as many suppose, a corrupt dialect of Bengali, but a distinct and a co-ordinate tongue, having with Bengali a common sowde of current vocabulary. Its Sanskrit did not come to it from Bengal, but from the Upper Provinces of India-his, all who carefully examine the matter will teadily admit, | The Chinese pilgrim discovered little difference between the language of the people of Kamarup and that of Mid- India: In many matters social and religious, the Hindus of Assam resembled more the people of Northern India than brought about in the Magadh Prakrit or Ajabhramu dialect creat ju Amarupe with it predominently Tibbseo-Burnion population harefrom tly modited pronunciation might have spread to the contiguou tag of Bangl, wher, however, they do not weam We have become regularly established in the w they have done in Agnese, Vid Dr. Shari, “Qain and Development of the Bengali Language," val, . .? —s. . .
