Dynasty after Bhaskar Varmana

By Growhills 3.9.24

"Explore the detailed history of the dynasty after Bhaskar Varman, delving into the rulers, political developments, cultural influence, and the lasting impact on Assam's history after the renowned Kamarupa king's reign."

Dynasty after Bhaskar Varmana

Salstambha Dynasty:

Bhaskara Varman had no inheritance. After his death (650 A.D.) one of his officers namely Salstambha ascended the throne and commenced the Salstambha dynasty. Twenty kings of this dynasty had ruled over Kamrup, among them Sri-Harshadeva or Sri Harsha (C 725-750 A.D.) was the greatest king. He made Kamrupa a larger Kingdom by invading the different neighboring kingdoms. The last king of this dynasty was Tyag Singha (C 970-990 A.D.).

Pala Dynasty:

Tyag Singha had no son and as a result, one Brahmapala (C. 990-1010 A.D.) of this dynasty ascended the throne of Kamrupa and began the Pala dynasty. At the old age of Brahmapala, he handed over his Kingdom to his son Ratnapala (C.1010-1040 A.D.) and he quit the throne for religious purposes.

Ratnapala:

He was the most powerful and greatest king of the Pala dynasty. He has a fairly long reign of at least 30 years i.e. the first part of the 11 century. Ratnapala had beautified and well-fortified the city of Hadapyaka and renamed it as ‘Durjya’ or the ‘impregnable one’ Hadapyaka was probably a later name of Haruppeswara, the capital of the Salastambhas. Like other kings of Salstambha, Ratnapala also assumed the full imperial title, Parameswara Parambhattaraka Maharajadhiraja. His epigraphs mention his war-like activities which probably refer to his suppressing the rebellious chiefs within Kamrupa proper or in North Bengal. He also defeated a king of Gauda named Rajapala.

Ratnapala’s capital city was inhabited by hundreds of wealthy people and was a place of resort for the learned men, religious preceptors, and poets. As the Bargaon grant states ‘ It resembles the summit of Mount Kailasa in being the residence of the Parameswar (Siva) and being inhabited by Vittesa (Kuvera)’. The people seemed to enjoy peace and prosperity during his reign. After Ratnapal’s death, the throne of Kamrupa was inherited by his grandson Indrapala. He probably ruled in the middle of the 11th century and ruled for 25 years. Dharmapala shifted his capital from Pragjyotishpur to ‘Kammrupa Nagar’.

The chronological order of the Pala Dynasty is - Brahmapala (C.990-1010 A, D.), Ratnapala (C1010-1040 A.D.), Indrapala (C1040-1065A.D.), Gopala (C.1065-1080 A.D.), Harshapala (C.1080-1095A.D.), Dharmapala (C.1095-1120A.D.), Jaypala (C.1120-11138A.D.). Jaypala was the last king of the Pala dynasty.

The Chutiya Kingdom

In the early part of the thirteenth century, Southeastern side of Sivsagar on the north bank of Brahmaputra Birpala established the Chutiya Kingdom in 1189. Birpal's son and successor Gaurinarayan or Ratnadhvaj was one of the most powerful among the Chutiya kings. Ratnadhvajpal is said to have succeeded the throne in 1244 AD. Ratnadhvaj had also a quarrel with the king of Kamata. It is said that he demanded the daughter of Kamata king as a bribe for his son Bijoydhvaj. The Kamata king refused his demand. After hearing this Ratnadhvajpal marched with an army on Kamata. At last Kamata, Raj presented his daughter Princess to the Ratndhvaj family. After his accession, he subjugated the neighboring hill chiefs Nilagiri, Dhavalgiri, Chandangiri, Rangalguri, Kalagiri etc. Next, he attacked king Bhadrasen, the ruler of the Swetagiri hills, with a large army, defeated him, and brought many prisoners like Brahmins, Tantis ((weavers), Sonaries (Goldsmith), Sutars (Carpenters) and Kumars (potters), whom he had settled in different parts of his kingdom. After this victory, Gaurinarayan established his capital Ratanpur on the North bank of the Brahmaputra and assumed the name Ratnadhvajpal.

Ratnadhvaj had a very good relationship with the ruler Gauda. Therefore, he sent his sons to Gauda for higher education. Unfortunately, Chutiya Prince Bhijoydhvajpal died there. The corpse was sent to Ratnaadhvajpal, who was engaged in building a city at Sindhukshetra on the bank of Kundil river, where it was cremated, from that time onwards the palace came to be known as Sadiya (Sa-Dead body, Diya-to give, cremate) where the permanent capital of the Chutiyas seems to grow up. Political relations of the Ahoms with Chutiyas began in the middle of the 14th Century when the Ahom king Sutupha (1364-76) made friends with the contemporary Chuitya king, after a long gap, it was Suhungmung or the Dihingia Raja (1497-1539), the powerful Ahom king, who had finally conquered and annexed the Chutiya kingdom in 1523 AD, during the reign of Nitipala and in this battle Nitipala and his wife Sadhini committed suicide.

Barobhuyans:

After the fall of the Pala dynasty, was followed by the emergence of many independent or semi-independent kingdoms or the feudatory rulers of Mongoloid chiefs. A class of officers entrusted with the assessment of revenue of certain areas under the old administration became powerful landlords and exercised important political powers. They called themselves ‘Bhuyans’ or Barobhuyans and often behaved as kings. The western part of the kingdom retained the name Kamrupa. There is a line of kings who exercised power till about the middle of the 13th century, after which the Bhyuans gradually rose to power. Despite the intervention of such kings as Durlab Narayan and Indranarayan, the political scene of Kamrupa was dominated mainly by the Bhuyans. Srimanta Sankardeva was an illustrious inheritance Bhuyan family.

Durlabh Narayan:

After the death of Pratapdhvaj, his cousin Dharmanarayana took control of the throne. This action likely caused significant discontent among some of the influential Bhuyans, leading to a swift challenge to Dharmanarayana's rule by Durlabhnarayana, Pratapdhvaj’s son. With the backing of several powerful Bhuyan leaders, Durlabhnarayana captured a portion of Dharmanarayana's territory and established his base at Garia, near what is now Coach Behar. Reigning from Kamatapur between 1330 and 1350 A.D., Durlabhnarayana was a notable patron of culture, literature, and learning. Esteemed Assamese poets like Hem Saraswati and Harihar Vipra were among those associated with his court. Hem Saraswati’s works, including ‘Jayadhratha-Vadha’ and ‘Prahlad Charita,’ stand as significant contributions to Assamese literature. In 'Prahlad Charita,' Saraswati praises Durlabhnarayana as the unparalleled king of Kamatamandala. Furthermore, the renowned saint Sankardeva, in his work ‘Rukmini Harana,’ mentions that his great-grandfather, Chandigarh, was granted the title of Devidasa along with land in Bardowa by Durlabhnarayana.

Regarding the Bhuyans' origins, one prevalent theory, especially in Western Assam, is that they migrated from Gauda following a peace agreement between Gauda King Dharmanarayana and Kamata King Durlabhnarayana around 1330 AD. Originally from Kanauj, they fled to Western Assam when the city fell to Muslim invaders. The Kamata king resettled them at Lengamaguri, east of Hajo and south of the Barnadi River. Early Bhuyan settlements included villages like Lengaigaon, Maguri, Bhomarabari, and Dimu. According to Vaishnava literature, the Bhuyans returned to Gauda to bring their families and associates. As a result, five Kayastha Bhuyan families joined seven initial families, forming the twelve Baro-Bhuyans families of Assam. Due to disturbances caused by the Bhuita, the Bhuyans did not stay long at Lengamaguri and were eventually relocated to Bardowa in Nagaon district by Durlabhnarayan.

During the early 13th century, the Turko-Afghan rulers launched several invasions, paving the way for the Tai-Shans, who later became known as the Ahoms, to establish a kingdom in the southeastern Brahmaputra valley. Sanglung Sukapha founded the Ahom kingdom with its capital at Charaideo in 1253.

The Kachari Kingdom

The Kacharis are among the earliest known inhabitants of the Brahmaputra valley, belonging to the Mongoloid race and speaking Bodo, an important language of Assam recognized in the Indian constitution. By the 13th century, when the Ahoms entered the region, the Kacharis had an organized kingdom extending from the Dikhou River in the east to the Kapili River in the west, including the North Cachar district in the south. The Kacharis are known by different names in various regions: Bodo in the Brahmaputra Valley, Dimasa in the North Cachar Hills, and Mech in Goalpara and North Bengal. This distribution indicates that the Bodo-Kacharis held significant influence across the Northeast over different periods. They claimed descent from Ghatotkacha, son of Bhima. The first recorded conflict between the Kacharis and the Ahoms occurred in the late 15th century, resulting in a Kachari victory. However, in 1526 AD, the Ahom king Suhungmung retaliated and decisively defeated the Kacharis, making them vassals of the Ahoms. Although the Kacharis later rebelled, the Ahoms quickly quelled the uprising, capturing Dimapur and killing the Kachari king Detsung in 1536. Following this defeat, the Kacharis relocated their capital to Maibang on the Mahur River. In 1562, the Kacharis were conquered by the Koches, who appointed Gohain Kamal as the governor of South Cachar for over a century. After the Koches were defeated in Bengal (1567-68), Kachari king Maghanarayan declared independence. Despite Ahom demands for tribute, the Kacharis resisted successfully. By the late 16th century, the Kachari king adopted the title "Lord of Hidima," indicating that the kingdom's name, Dimapur, derived from 'Hidimbapur.' King Satrudaman expanded the Kachari influence by defeating the Jayantiya king Dhana Manik and securing control over Dimarua. After Satrudaman’s death, Jayantiya king Jasa Manik sought Ahom help to overthrow the Kacharis, leading to further conflicts. Satrudaman defeated the Ahoms and changed his capital's name from Maibong to Kirtipur. After the Ahom-Mughal war, the Ahoms, under Rudra Singha, subjugated the Kacharis, who ceded territory up to the Yamuna River and agreed to remain Ahom vassals. The Kacharis eventually became part of the Ahom dominion under Rudrasingha after Tamrodvhaj’s defeat.

The Kachari kings were known patrons of art, literature, and architecture. Their main city, Dimapur, was fortified by a brick wall on three sides, with the Dhansiri River forming the southern boundary. Among the ruins are intricately carved sandstone pillars, with no human forms depicted, indicating a lack of Hindu influence at that time. These ruins suggest that the Kacharis were more advanced in civilization than the Ahoms during this period.

The Barahis and the Marans

The Barahi kingdom was bordered by the Dichang River in the north, the Dikhou River in the south, Nagahat in the east, and Barahi Fika in the west. The Marans ruled an area from the Burhi Dihing River in the north to the Dichang River in the south, and from the Safari River in the east to the Brahmaputra River in the west. These Mongoloid tribes established independent and semi-independent states in the eastern Brahmaputra Valley. When Sukapha arrived in the Brahmaputra valley, these tribes collectively had around 4,000 warriors. The Barahi chief, Thakumatha, had his headquarters near Charaideo Hill, while the Maran chief ruled from Kaktal in the south to Sadiya. 0 0 0.

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