TEZPUR, Aug 12 - �Tezpur has the invaluable ruined Siva Temple at Da-Parbatia, which is the oldest till now in Assam. These ruins lead us historically to link Tezpur to the early Gupta civilisation in the 5th century AD.� This was observed by noted writer and historian, Kanak Chandra Sharma at a seminar on �Tezpur as a place of tourist destination: Retrospect and Prospect� organised by the Tarun Asom Sangha here on August 7.
In his long discourse on the topic, �Tezpur through the ages: it�s history, legends and myth� he said that Tezpur has existed since the days of early Aryan settlement in the kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamrupa, on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra, enriched with architectural sites, sculpture and cultural treasures of ruins in and around, and has a history going back at least to the 5th century AD. He also said that the first kings of Bhauma Vermana dynasty of Pragjyotisha-Kamrupa has been referred to in the light of records of Allahabad stone Pillar inscription (350 or 360 AD) of Samudragupta, the mighty emperor of the Gupta period. �The glorious historical era of Tezpur during the early mediaeval period with the kings of Salastambha dynasty ruling from the seventh century AD to the tenth century AD established its headquarters at Hatappeswar or Hadappeswara (and not as Haruppeswara, as was wrongly deciphered earlier) has been discussed. The shifting of the capital from Pragjyotishpura to Hadappeswara by the kings of Salastambha dynasty shows the importance of proud stature of Tezpur.�
He added that the cultural and material progress of Tezpur region in this long period of history was achieved tremendously and temple building activities reached a culminating point. Speaking on �Tezpur in the mediaeval period�, Sharma further stated that Tezpur in this period became the part of Ahom administration and in view of political and strategic situation in the period, the Ahom kings shifted its attention more to places like Bhomoraguri, Sootia, Biswanath etc., than to Tezpur . �But it is however, very pleasant to mention that Ahom kings followed the policies of previous rulers in respect of maintenance of cultural heritage. They rebuilt some temples where possible, repaired them where necessary and constructed fresh temples. Not only that they patronised them but also promoted the Vaishnavite movement by issuing fresh land grants to the institutions in the entire area of Tezpur,� he maintained.
Taking part in the daylong programme, Dr Satish Chandra Bhattacharya in his speech said that the importance of studying the history of Tezpur can never be under-estimated. The administrators of the erstwhile East India Company stationed here like EV Westmacot, ET Dalton, William Robinson and T, Bloch among others, were the pioneers in studying the ancient ruins lying scattered in and around the town. In the period that followed a host of Indian scholars and researchers came forward and did a lot in unearthing the heritage of Tezpur.
Prof Chandan Goswami, Tezpur University in his speech stated that the mythological stories related to Tezpur are intriguing and these make Tezpur a very prominent place for development as a tourist destination. Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism, Tezpur College, Pranab J Bhuyan in his speech stated that economists frequently put stress on the development of the tourist infrastructure as it is the prerequisite for accelerating economic growth. �Destination with excellent infrastructure are very popular which have few or no barriers,� he mentioned.
It needs mention here that dignitaries including Assistant Professor, Department of History, LGB Girls� College, Pallab Bhattacharya, Papori Hazarika, researcher on archeology, upcoming writer, Santanu Baruah, former curator of State Museum, Gwuahati, Dr Saharabuddin Ahmed among others who were present in the programme also delivered lectures on the issue. Earlier, president of Tarun Asom Sangha in his welcome address spoke on the importance of the programme while the Deputy Commissioner, Sonitpur Laya Madduri in her inaugural speech laid stress on giving a unique facelift to Tezpur as a tourist destination. Also attended by students from various institutions, the day long programme was chaired by Bhupendra Nath Hazarika. The event divided into inaugural and technical session was later followed by a discussion wherein a few resolutions regarding the future course of action in this venture were adopted.
