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Visit to the stone monoliths at Jamuguri |
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By train to Jamuguri, (leaving Naojan at 7.0 and getting in about 8.30). From here I went to look for the reputed monoliths about 5 miles from the Forest Rest House, and found them all right. One is of essentially the same type as the small pillars at Dimapur, the others are different, being big sandstone monoliths oblong in shape like Naga stones and carved on one face only, and neither round nor Y-shaped. Like the Dimapur stones they probably stood in rows of pairs, and the solitary pillar perhaps corresponds to the big solitary pillar at Dimapur. Out of ten stones and two fragments that I found, all in heavy jungle, only four are now erect. Earthquakes and falling trees have overturned the rest, and that not so long since, for the Lhota dobashi with me remembered when all were erect but two. The Lhota dobashi call the place Kimung - "the dwelling site" - and turn it into Assamese as la - "a fort", I suppose - of which it bears no signs. The Dimapur stones are unique in India and probably in the world. Those at Jamuguri may provide a much needed link between those of Dimapur and other type of monoliths. It is high time the jungle was cleared about them and the stones erected, as far as possible where they stood before, fenced about and made a protected monument and saved as far as may be from the ravages of time and wild elephants and human beings. The monoliths face west instead of east as at Dimapur, but in both cases they face the river, and the Kacharis seem to have had a special veneration for running water. |
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I made a rough plan of the stones and took photographs, but the result of them remains to be seen. There was a nasty fellow on the train who appeared to be a very non-co-operating non-co-operator. Possibly he was drunk. |
