Impact of Sufi Saints on Cultural Syncretism in Northeast India

The history of Northeast India is an example of cultural abundance and religious syncretism. The aesthetic beauty of a cohesive religious and spiritual lifestyle can be found in this hilly region of India on the banks of the Brahmaputra River.¹

Recently, the political scenario of this region has undergone a paradigm shift from a syncretistic ambiance to perturbing iconoclasm among people of different creeds. However, in fact, the region itself bears an egalitarian cultural heritage spanning centuries. Note that analyzing the religious syncretism in this region does not promote a theological view that treats all faiths as metaphysically identical, but a discussion of the pragmatic and spiritual methods rooted in contextually-aware daw’ah, inviting others to the faith through cultural familiarity and shared human experience.

Northeast India, earlier known as Kamarupa and Pragjyotisha, came to be named Assam. It is demographically dominated by Hindus and Muslims, forming the second-largest population. Both communities merrily shared their heritage, cultures, traditions, legacies, and various customs over the course of time.

The entire Muslim population of Assam can be classified into four major categories. First, Assamese Muslims, the early settlers with Islamic conquests. Second, New Assamese Muslims, the Bhatiya Muslims, who arrived in the late seventeenth century. Third, Muslims of Cachar or the Barak Valley, mostly Bengali-speaking people. And lastly, Bihari and North Indian Muslims who are newly residing in Assam.² The driving force behind the region’s religious synthesis has been the sustained efforts and spiritual movements of Sufi saints, wandering fakirs, and learned scholars from both Hindu and Muslim communities throughout medieval history. Hindu-Muslim amity in the Kamrup land is reflected in many historical accords. The most astonishing factor of Hindu-Muslim syncretism in Assam is that this region is the only place in India wherein Hindus used to eat food cooked by Muslims, as Shihabuddin Talish noted in Fathiyuh-i-Ibriya.³ On the other hand, many Muslims in Kamrup, Mongoldoi, and Nagaon districts also used to participate in the Mansa Puja. This apparent phenomenon explicitly displays the integrated societal structure of Assam, which has been profoundly cultivated and irrigated by the benedictory endeavours of Sufi saints in this soil.

Assam and undivided Bengal share almost the same history of the successive advent of Sufi saints from different Islamic worlds. Between 1206 A.D. and 1662 A.D., different Muslim invaders made several expeditions to this region. It can be argued that Assam and Bengal have paved their access to the Sufis from different parts of the world along with the invasion of Turk Muslim rulers. Later, Sufis settled down in these northeastern hilly areas and became engrossed in the propagation of Islam through service, assimilating into local cultures, rituals, customs, traditions, languages, etc. Some historians believe that the deep richness of cultural integration and syncretistic atmosphere has been generated by the cumulative adoption of Sufi saints to monolithic tenets of various beliefs in the form of devotion and human services. This article focuses on the central ideologue of Sufis’ efforts and influences on the cultural and social integrity of the people of Assam and their teachings of universal peace and tranquillity through various activities.

Sufis’ Cohesion with Other Dogmas

By the 12th century, Sufism had become a universal aspect of the Islamic devotional lifestyle, as its influence extended to almost the entire Muslim community. In this era, Sufi saints not only confined themselves to their own bounds of religious devotion and self-restraint from the earthly world but also took initiative in the propagation of Islam to many newly conquered overseas lands and assimilated into other societies, whereby they set up an abode of religious synthetic ambiance, and Assam was not an exception. Richard M. Eaton explained that the Assam region was prevalently incorporated into magical treatments and charms. Since Sufis were especially concerned with apprehending transcendent reality unmediated by priests or other worldly institutions, it is not surprising that they, among Muslims, were most attracted to the Yogi traditions of Assam.

Nonetheless, the popularity of the manuscript book (Baḥr al-ḥayāṭ) illustrates the Sufis’ substantial enthrallment with the mysterious practices of Bengali and Assamese local culture. The renowned Sufi Sheikh Muhammad Ghauth even navigated from Gwalior to Kamrup in order to learn the mysterious knowledge that Muslims had identified with that region. The lingering linkage of Baḥr al-ḥayāṭ, both with Rukn al-Din Samarqandi in the earlier century and with Sheikh Muhammad Ghauth in the latter century, suggests the likelihood of its continued use in the northeast region during the prevailing period. Another Indian historian, R. Sinha, who has written about religion in Northeast India, noted that the religion, as discovered in the northeastern cultural region, is different from what it is in other parts of tribal India. They have some elements of religion in common, such as ‘naturism’ or ‘animism,’ which were widespread among people and adhered to soul-driving power towards the universal divine presence. The new Muslim settlers, especially the Sufis of that time, were assimilated into the societal framework of early Assamese people and lived in a syncretistic prism with all colours of humanity in religious concord.

Sufis’ Influence on a Composite Society

Assamese culture has been deeply influenced by the profound Sufi presence, which has helped maintain peace and harmony with other religious groups. In this sense, they can be regarded as ambassadors of religious syncretism in Assam. The Sufis promulgated the humanitarian values of universal love and peace. In Assamese literature, the Sufis played a crucial role in bridging later modern literary styles with the advent of British communal influence. In the medieval age, ancient Assamese literature was a critical example of Islamic religious literature. Thus, based on early Hindu religious themes and shaped by literary forms and conventions, a secular and amicable medium was molded as the Assamese language literature for Muslims.

In songs and music, Zikr and Zari or Marsiya are the most impressive and cohesive contributions of the Assamese Muslim Sufis to the popular literature of Assam. Zikr is a religious or philosophical poem in which a point of faith or philosophy is delineated. In several songs of this genre, a story encircling the life of Azan Pir or Shah Miran (Milan), to whom these songs are sometimes dedicated, is well established among the people. Zari is an elegiac song in character and content; it can be called a form of Marsiya and generally relates to the tragic saga of Karbala. In these songs, Sufis praised Hindu prolific figures of the time and represented both Hindu and Muslim communities. This is why these songs have been a symbolic thread of syncretism and universal brotherhood in Assam.

Local Muslims can still be found visiting their Hindu friends in Namghars and accepting ‘Man Prasad,’ which is part of the offering made during the latter’s prayer. Similarly, Hindu villagers are often seen visiting Sufi shrines. Dargahs are crowded places where people make offerings and tie threads to trees or posts, hoping for the fulfillment of their prayers. In terms of dress and celebration during the Ahom kingdom, people from both communities were allowed to wear the same attire, with no significant differences observed. There are several shared celebrations in Assam. Bihu, the famous spring festival of dance and music in Assam, is a syncretistic hallmark where both Muslims and Hindus take part shoulder to shoulder without disparity. In the Nagaon district, Muslims even participated in the cattle bathing ceremony, which marked the beginning of the festival.

Link between Vaishnavism and Sufis

In Assam, history shows an enigmatic point; a trend of obtaining disciples from different religions. The Vaishnav Bhakti Movement gained a stronghold with the emergence of two famous Hindu reformist saints, Shri Shankaradeva and Shri Madhavadeva, who promulgated universal brotherhood and diminished the aristocratic and racial Hinduism promoted by Ahom Brahmins and Kings. Later on, this Bhakti doctrine attracted many Sufis to their pavilion. As a result, many Assamese Muslim ascetic disciples like Chand Khan and Jayahari made Shri Shankaradeva their apostle or Guru. Along with this, his disciples like Yavana Haridas followed Shri Madhavadeva. This shows to what extent Vaishnavism exerted its influence on the Muslim settlers of Assam. This is further ascertained by the marked influence of Assamese Neo-Vaishnava literature on the Zikrs and Zaris or Marsiyas, which were composed by several Muslim Pirs in the seventeenth century. Many historians believe that the great reformer and pioneer of the Vaishnavic Bhakti movement, Shri Shankaradeva, propagated the ideology of salvation through faith and prayer rather than sacrifice. He discarded idol worship and established monotheism. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that they were able to gain success in ensuring harmonious relations between Islam and Hinduism in particular; Vaishnavism alleviated the religious gap between Hinduism and Islam in the region to such an extent that there were several Muslim disciples of the reformer Shri Shankaradeva. They did not discriminate against people of other religions and called for religious fraternity and amity. In this context, Syed Abdul Malik beautifully composed the Zikr Song as its relic follows: 

Hindu Musalman, ek Allar farman
…gorasthane kabar sari sari
…hinduk puriba mominak gariba.

(Hindus and Muslims are bound by the same set of the divine rules of Allah…The act of cremating a Hindu and the entombing of a Muslim only signifies one end, death of all). 

This piece of Zikr song refers to the synthetic relations of the Hindus and Muslims of the time.⁴ There are abundant examples of Zikrs, which were devoted to Hindu figures by several Islamic Sufis in the clustering framework of Hindu-Muslim moderating temper and pacifying the religious harmony. 

Evergreen Sufis and Their Impact

There are some notable and epoch-making Sufis on the soil of Assam who are revered by all regardless of religious connection. Azan Fakir is the most known and respected among all Sufis for his famous Zikr and Zari. His shrine is the most harmoniously visited tomb, located in Saraguri on the bank of the river Dikhaw near its convergence with the Brahmaputra in Sibsagar district. Bandar Pir, also known as Sawal Pir, was a contemporary of Azan Pir, as it is narrated he came to Assam during the time of Azan Pir.

Sufi Chand Khan is the utmost figure epitomizing the syncretistic culture of Assam, and he is popularly known as Chandasi, often ascribed as the ‘Kabir’ of Assam. He, being a Muslim mystic figure, compiled many Zikrs and Kirtans devoted to Hindu figures, and even wrote the biography of Gopaldeva, a preacher of the Vaishnav Bhakti Movement.

Pancha Pirer Dargah is another shrine revered by both Hindus and Muslims alike. It is situated in the Dhubri district of Assam. The shrine was built on the tombs of five Sufi saints: Shah Akbar, Shah Bagmar, Shah Sufi, Shah Saran, and Shah Kamal, as described in a chronicle preserved in the Damdama Sikh Gurudwara of Joolpara District. The dargah is a pilgrimage centre for both Hindus and Muslims of the locality. Like most such shrines, they associate miracles and magical power with the dargah and offer prayer to the saints.

Shah Adam Khaki, Meerul Arefin, and Shah Natawan were symbols of humanism. They were known for their multifaceted personalities—as social reformers, leaders of Muslims, and, above all, advocates for social harmony. They can also be called ambassadors of Hindu-Muslim unity because of their love for all the community people in Barak Valley.⁵ The Sufis played a significant role in the educational advancement of the audience, while some Khanqahs became centres of knowledge and wisdom. The Islamic concept of equality and brotherhood of men attracted the lower classes of Hindus to their Khanqahs. There are many exemplary shrines dedicated to Sufi saints in Assam, which have upheld the composite culture and blended all creeds into its broad shade.

As historian T. W. Arlond mentions, Islam was mainly propagated in the Indian subcontinent with the advent and efforts of Sufis.⁶ They understood the social and religious prejudices among the people and conveyed the message of universal brotherhood, peace, and cultural synthesis, where Assam was not an exception. Creating a new form of song literature, Zikr and Zari, and harmonizing with Vaishnavic saints on the common principles of universal brethren, the purpose of life, and syncretism, many Muslim Sufis propagated the message of Islam. This message was so appealing that people continued to embrace Islam after their demise.

Conclusion

Cultural blending and religious syncretism are widespread phenomena arising from cultural synthesis. The interrelated aspects of this phenomenon are culture change, reinterpretation, and assimilation. Such syncretism is also visible in the northeast in general and Assam in particular.⁷ The Vaishnav Bhakti doctrine had attracted so many Sufis to their pavilion. As a result, so many Assamese Muslim ascetic disciples like Chand khan and Jayahari, made Shri Shankaradeva their apostle or Guru. The Vaishnavism concept alleviated the religious gap between Hinduism and Islam in the region to an extent that there were several Muslim disciples of the reformer Shri Shankaradeva. The Phirni or Shirni distributed after Zikr and Zari, as initiated by Azan Fakir, and the Man Prasad offered after Kirtans in Vaishnavism both serve as communal feasts. This factor is itself the testimony to the intensity of this composite culture, as it was laid down by visionary Sufi saints of the medieval period. Sufis had promulgated the values of universal love and peace among the people of all creeds, showing the affinity to everyone. Thus enormous crowds gather for receiving blessings and offering homage and veneration to the holy shrines of these Sufi saints. 

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1. This is a trans-boundary river in the northeastern part of India. It flows through China, India, and then Bangladesh with different names. [↩]
2. Dr. Rehna Sultana, Social Stratification Among The Muslims Of Assam, 2020, pp. 1652. [↩]
3. Shihabuddin Talish, Fathiyuh-i-lhriyu. trans. H. Blochman, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1872, p.80. [↩]
4. Sayed Abdul Malik, Zikr Aru Zari, introduction, pp. 48. [↩]
5. Dr. Moynul Hoque and Dilwar Hussain Talukdar, Propagation of Social Harmony in Barak valley by Sufi Personalities, 2018, pp. 177. [↩]
6. Arlond, T. W. (1990). The Preaching of Islam: a history of the propagation of the Muslim faith (p. 254). [↩]
7. Varsha Singh, Spirituality in North-East India, 2018. [↩]