Sacred Law and Social Order

Dharmasastra’s Legacy in Medieval Assam

Abstract

This paper explores the adaptive transmission and regional integration of the pan-Indian Dharma«s"astra tradition in medieval Assam, a culturally diverse frontier of the Sanskritic world. It argues that Dharma«s"astra functioned not as a fixed legal code but as a flexible ideological framework, enabling the assimilation of s"astric norms through processes of Sanskritisation, royal patronage, and cultural negotiation. Drawing upon Buranji chronicles, inscriptions, and s"astric texts, the study demonstrates how local Dharma«s"astrak"aras selectively incorporated regional customs into their normative discourse, while deliberately avoiding engagement with the judicial components of Dharma«s"astra—such as vyavah"ara, civil and criminal procedure, and r"ajadharma (royal duties). This conscious omission suggests both an acknowledgement of Assam’s distinctive legal ecology and a lack of political impetus to systematise adjudicatory frameworks in ¬s"astric terms. The findings reveal a distinct socio-legal order in which the classical varƒa hierarchy was pragmatically reduced to a Brahmin–›"udra binary, shaped by the limited presence of K¶atriya and Vai‹ya groups and the egalitarian impulses of Neo-Vai¶ƒavism. Kinship structures retained patrilineal joint family models, with prevalent practices such as polygyny and socially sanctioned divorce. Inheritance customs reflect a synthesis of Dharma‹åstric norms with indigenous institutions such as the service-based Paik land tenure system of the Ahoms. The practice of sati appears marginal and voluntary, diverging significantly from its portrayal in broader Indian contexts. The paper concludes that Dharma«s"astra in medieval Assam served as a dynamic vehicle for legitimising local socio-political realities through theological accommodation rather than juridical enforcement. By integrating tribal customs and administrative conventions into the Sanskritic ideological fold, Dharma«s"astra facilitated Assam’s inclusion within the broader Indic civilisational matrix while preserving regional particularities. Assam thus offers a compelling example of Dharma«s"astra’s resilience as a pluralistic, adaptive tradition—one that privileged orthopraxy through orthodoxy in a frontier setting.