Assam's Bihu is three harvest festivals in one, with roots blending several cultures

world cultures & travelWikipedia

Assam's Bihu is three harvest festivals in one, with roots blending several cultures

the gist

Bihu is a cultural festival found only in the Indian state of Assam and comes in three forms through the year. Rongali or Bohag Bihu in April marks the Assamese New Year and spring, with feasts, music and dancing, and is the most important. Kongali or Kati Bihu in October or November is a quiet festival of thrift, when small harvests mean few stores, and it honours crops and plants. Bhogali or Magh Bihu in January is a harvest festival with community feasts. The word is thought to come from a Deori term meaning excessive joy, and its traditions blend Tibeto-Burman, Austroasiatic and Indo-Aryan influences so closely that they cannot be separated.

how it works

Each Bihu follows the farming year. Rongali marks the sowing season, Kongali is linked to protecting crops and the lean period before harvest, and Bhogali celebrates the harvest with feasts. The festivals are built around agriculture, which explains their timing and rituals.

so what

Bihu shows how a festival can belong to all of a region's communities while carrying the memory of many peoples who settled there. The Bihu dance and songs are now the best-known symbol of Assamese identity.

the bigger pattern

Several Indian regions have agricultural new years timed to spring sowing, such as Vaisakhi in Punjab and Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, all held in April. This reflects how the seasonal calendar shaped festivals across the subcontinent.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Musta firoj ahmed, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗