Historic Jonbeel Mela to kick off from January 16 in Morigaon

Jagiroad, Dec 12: Jonbeel Mela, a massive get-together of the people of the hills and the plains, in which the 'barter system of trade' is still prevalent, will be held on the eve of Bhogali Bihu of the Tiwas, under the auspices of the Gova Tiwa Deoraja Raj Darbar and Jonbeel Mela Development Samiti, from January 16 with a three-day-long programme at Jonbeel Pathar, four km away from Jagiroad in the Morigaon district.

This was disclosed by the Jonbeel Mela Development Samiti secretary, Jursing Bordoloi, at a press meet held here recently.

He stated that the decision to this effect was taken in a general body meeting of the Gova Tiwa Deoraja Raj Darbar. He also informed that hill people from 58 villages of Karbi Anglong and from 20 villages of Meghalaya will participate in the 'barter system of trade' with their essential commodities for barter with the people of the plains.

He said that the programme of the three-day-long mela includes Raj Darbar, an open session, the Jonbeel Cultural Festival, and the distribution of 'raj bhatta' to 22 ancient kings of middle Assam. Actress Aimee Baruah and Rajat Kamal Award winner and Tiwa movie Sikaisal director, Babi Sarma, will be felicitated in the Mela, he added.

The secretary further said that on January 17, the second day of the Jonbeel Mela, as per tradition, the visiting hills people will 'barter' their essential items with the plains people at the Mela site in the early morning. It will be followed by 'community fishing' at Jonbeel, a natural lake after which the Mela has been named.

The age-old Jonbeel Mela has historical significance. It is an accepted historical fact that there were some seven prominent territorial provinces in Northeast India, contemporary to the Ahom Kingdom, each governed by an indigenous king. They were known as Hat-Raja, and the provinces were Gova, Nellie, Chahari, Dimorua, etc. It is also another historical fact that, till the 14th century, the hill people frequently created disturbances among the people of the plains of these areas and looted their belongings. To overcome this, the Ahom King, in the 15th century, organised some 'melas' at certain spots in the border areas of the kingdom to ensure commercial and cultural amity between the hills and the plains. The tradition still continues through melas like the 'Jonbeel Mela.' It is also believed that, originally, the kings of Gova, Nellie, Chahari, and Dimorua collectively took a decision to hold this big get-together, but at present, the Gova Tiwa Deoraja on his own declares the holding of the Jonbeel Mela.

By-

Correspondent