Kambiron, 1931
During their raids in February 1931, the British forces destroyed ‘Jadonang temples’ in places such as Kambiron. A number of artefacts were also taken from these temples. The temple in Kambirion housed two clay figures representing a god and goddess. When British officers arrived at the temple during military operations, they believed that the figures “bore a strong resemblance” to Jadonang and Gaidinliu. They destroyed the figures but the fabrics they had been dressed in were collected by J.C. Higgins, a member of the Cachar Road Column (along with J.P. Mills) in February-March 1931. These were then donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum.
The following artefacts in the Gaidinliu Collection were taken from Kambiron:
Shoulder Cloth—Black and White
White cotton machine-printed fabric with floral patterns in black dye along the border. Shoulder cloth used to dress a clay figure of a goddess at the Jadonang temple.
Dimensions: 178 x 90.5 cm
Body Cloth—Black, Red and White
Lower body cloth made of six narrow panels of woven cotton stitched together. This was used to dress a clay figure of a goddess at the temple of Jadonang, Kambiron village.
Dimensions: 95 x 69 cm
Waist Cloth—White
Narrow cloth of woven white cotton with a fringe of tasselled yellow orchid stem and red twisted cotton. This was used to dress a clay figure of a goddess at the temple of Jadonang, Kambiron village.
Dimensions: 113 x 21.5 cm
Shoulder Cloth—Red and White
Shoulder cloth made of four narrow panels of woven cotton stitched together, and a design of red and black mithun heads in wool in 3 lines down the centre. This cloth was used to dress a clay figure of a god at the Jadonang temple in Kambiron.
Dimensions: 148 x 20 cm
Body Cloth—Red and White
Lower body cloth made of four narrow panels of woven cotton stitched together in alternating stripes of white and brick-red, separated by a thin black line. This cloth was used to dress a clay figure of a god at the Jadonang temple in Kambiron.
Dimensions: 117 x 29 cm,
