The
early history of Assam is lost in the mists
of antiquity, though there are several references
to the in the Mahabharata,
the Puranas, and the Tantras.
In these sacred scriptures the area was known
as Kamrupa; it encompassed
the Brahmaputra valley, Bhutan,
Cooch Behar (West Bengal),
and the Rangpur region (now
in Bangladesh). The legendary king Narakasura,
whose son Bhagadatta fought valiantly in the
Mahabharata war, ruled Kamrupa
from his capital at Pragjyotishpura
(modern Guwahati). The site has a famous temple
dedicated to the Tantric goddess
Kamakhya.
Sri Krishna frequently appears in the legends
and mythology of Assam. It was Krishna who fought
against king Bhismaka of Kundil
(now Sadia) in his bid to marry
Bhismaka's daughter Rukmini.
King Banasura of Sonitpur
(now Tezpur) fought against
Sri Krishna, when Banasura's
daughter Usha secretly entered
into wedlock with Aniruddha,
Krishna’s grandson.
Historical evidences prove that the first king
who ruled over Kamrupa was
Pushya Varman
(350 - 380 AD), who was a contemporary of Samudragupta
(350 - 375 AD). He took on the title of Maharajadhiraj
and ensured steps to establish Kamrupa
as a prosperous state. His descendant Mahendra
Varman waged a successful war against
the Guptas and also performed the Ashwamedha
Yagna (horse sacrifice). The glory of Varman
dynasty reached its zenith during the rule of
Bhaskar Varman (594 - 650 AD),
who was a contemporary of Harshavardhan
(606 - 648 AD).The latter had invited and honoured
Bhaskar Varman at a conference
held at Kannauj.
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The mighty Brahmaputra-
Assam's lifeline
The famous
Kamakhya temple
Ruins of Banasur's capital Sonitpur (modern
Tezpur)
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In
640 AD, the famous Chinese pilgrim-scholar Hiuen-Tsang,
reported that he had attended the court of king
Bhaskar Barman. Several stone
and copper inscriptions dating from the7th to
the 12th centuries indicate a succession of
Hindu dynasties.
The Salasthambha
dynasty was the next to rule
Assam. The first to rule was a chieftain called
Salastambha. Shri Harshadeva
(725 - 750 AD) proved to be an excellent ruler.
The last king of this dynasty, Tyaga
Singha (970 - 990 AD), was succeeded
by Brahmapala (990 - 1010 AD), who founded a
new dynasty- that of the Palas.
Jayapala (1120 - 1138 AD) was
the last ruler of this dynasty.
The first Islamic invasion (between 1206 - 1226
AD) of Kamrupa took place during
the reign of a king called Prithu
who was killed in a battle with Illtutmish's
son Nasiruddin in 1228 AD.
During the second invasion by Ikhtiyaruddin
Yuzbak (alias Tughril Khan),
about 1257 AD, the king of Kamrupa Saindhya
(1250 - 1270 AD) transferred the capital Kamrup
Nagar to Kamatapur
in the west. After the invasion of the Mughals
in the 15th century many Muslims settled in
Assam and thus became the first
Muslim settlers of this region.
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Hiuen Tsang
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During
the early part of the 13th century, when the
Ahoms (who originated from
Ruili in the Yunan province of China, very close
to the border with Myanmar). Established their
rule over Assam with the capital at Sibsagar,
the area between the Sovansiri
and the Disang rivers were
under the control of the Chutias.
According to popular Chutia legends, the Chutia
king Birpal established his
rule at Sadia in 1189 AD. He was succeeded by
ten kings of whom the eighth king Dhirnarayan
or Dharmadhwajpal, abdicated
in favour of his son-in-law Nitai
or Nityapal. Nityapal's failure
to rule efficiently gave an opportunity to the
Ahom king Suhungmung annexed
it to the Ahom kingdom.
The Bhuyans were petty chiefs
whose principalities were located towards the
east of Kamrup-Kamata area. Baro (twelve)
refers to the twelve chieftains who,
even though were not kings, established small
kingdoms on the basis of their strength. They
took up arms against the Ahoms. But the Ahom
king Pratap Singha crushed
the uprising of the Baro Bhuyans.
Bishwa Singha (1515 - 1540
AD) laid the foundation of the Koch dominion
in the early part of the 16th century and established
his capital in Cooch-Bihar
(modern W.Bengal). He was succeeded by his son
Malladeva who assumed the name
of Naranarayana. His brother Sukladhvaj,
who became the commander-in-chief, was known
as 'Chilarai' or 'Hawk King'
due to his ability to attack the enemy swiftly
like a Chila (hawk/ Kite). Naranarayan's
rule was the most glorious period of Koch kingdom.
He defeated the Ahoms in 1562 AD, annexed the
kingdoms of Kachar, Manipur, Tripura, Jayantia
and Srihatta (modern Sylhet in Bangladesh),thus
extending the boundaries of his domains. Chilarai
also fought the Nawab of Gour,
but succumbed to an attack of smallpox. Naranarayan
died in 1584 AD after a reign of nearly fifty
years (1540 - 1584 AD). It was during his reign
that the Assamese literature and culture flourished.
After his the kingdom weakened steadily and
until 1615 AD when it was annexed to the Mughal
Empire.
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Architecture of the Ahoms
Rang Ghar in Sibsagar -
Assam's ancient capital
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The
13th century saw the rise of the Kacharis,
one of the ancient races of Assam. The most
famous and powerful kings of the Kachari Kingdom
were Jashanarayan, Pratapnarayan,
Jamradwaj and Govindchandra.
The Kacharis claim descent
from Ghatotkacha, the son of
Bhima (the second Pandava).
Towards the end of the 15th century the Kacharis
were forced to surrender their capital Hidimbapur
(now Dimapur, in Nagaland) and the adjoining
areas adjoining it to the Ahoms.
The Jaintias was a matriarchal
race which had established their kingdom in
and around Jayantia hills. Dhanamanik
and Jashamanik were the powerful
kings of the Jayantia Kingdom. They forged matrimonial
relations with the Ahoms and allied with them
during the Mughal invasion. Bijaynarayan was
the last Jayantia ruler after whom the kingdom
passed into the hands of the British along with
the Ahom kingdom.
The 13th century witnessed the advent of the
Ahoms, led by their first king
Sukafa who was the prince of
Monlung (Upper Burma, modern
Myanmar). In 1228 AD the prince together with
a band of followers entered the boundaries of
Assam through the Naga Kingdom. He set up his
capital at Charaideo in 1253
AD. After Sukafa died in 1268 AD, his son Suseupha
(1268 - 1281 AD) became king and gradually extended
the boundaries of the Ahom kingdom. In 1397
AD Sudangpha (1397 - 1407 AD)
was crowned as king. His accession marks the
first stage in the growth of Brahmanical influence
among the Ahoms.During this period there was
a skirmish between Ahoms and
Tipams, but it ended peacefully.
during his reign but was later on peacefully
concluded.
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A specimen of Assam's
ancient sculpture
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King
Suhungmung's reign (1497 -
1539 AD) is considered to be the most memorable
period of the Ahom rule. He assumed the Hindu
name Swarganarayan (literary king in
heaven).
He annexed the Chutia
and Kachari kingdoms to his
territory. He created various classes of ministers:
Borgohain, Buragohain and
Borpatra Gohain. It was during his
reign that the first ever census was conducted.
During this period, the Mughals invaded thrice
but were unable to win. The invasions were an
eye opener for the Ahoms – they learnt
the use of guns which was a deviation from the
traditional weapons like bows, arrows and swords.
Suhungmung died in 1539 AD as the result of
a conspiracy hatched by his son Suklengmung
(1539 - 1552 AD).
Susengpha,
a descendant of Suklengmung, ascended the throne
in 1603 AD. He took on the name of Pratap
Singha. It was during his time that
war between Ahoms and Mughals reached its peak.
But Pratap Singha fought valiantly
and further extended the boundaries of his dominions.
Supungmung
(alias Chakradhvaj Singha, 1663 – 1669
AD) was an independent minded king who combatted
the Mughals again. In August 1667 AD, under
the excellent leadership of Lachit Barphukan
(son of Momai Tamuli Borbarua,
a man of humble origins who had risen to be
the Governor of upper Assam as well as the Commander-in-Chief
of the Ahom army) a brave warrior
and an able general, the Ahoms
were able to wrest Guwahati
and Pandu from Mughal control.
An enraged dispatched a huge force under Ram
Mohan Singh to tackle the Ahoms. In
1671 AD afierce battle took place between the
Ahoms and the Mughals
at Saraighat. The Mughals were
inflicted a crushing defeat. As a result of
this battle, the Manas river became the line
of demarcation line between the Ahom and Mughal
territories. This arrangement continued until
the British occupation in 1826 AD.
The kingdom of the Ahom reached
its zenith under Rudra Singha
(reined between 1696 - 1714 AD), the renowned
military strategist and patron of the buranji,
or Ahom chronicles. Rudra Singha
established a flourishing trade with Tibet and
built the city of Rangpur.
During the decades that followed,
the Ahom rulers were gradually
torn asunder by feuds and factions, conspiracies
and intrigues. Their mighty kingdom began to
totter.
In 1817 AD, the Burmese took advantage of this
political instability and overran the Brahmaputra
Valley. The Burmese had actually been invited
by Barphukan Badan Chandra
a general in lower (western) Assam. He was the
son-in-law of Purnananda Burhagohain
a powerful minister under the king, who was
based in upper (eastern) Assam. The Burmese
also unleashed a series of genocides, in which
the masses were indiscriminately killed. Fearing
intrusions into their own territories, the British
drove ousted the Burmese from the Brahmaputra
Valley shortly afterwards. By means of the Treaty
of Yandaboo between the British
East India Company and the Burmese
King of Ava, signed on February 24,
1826 AD, between the Burmese and the British,
annexed the Ahom kingdom in 1826 AD. In 1838
AD, all of northeast India became part of the
Bengal Presidency
of British India.
The astute businessmen that
the British were they discovered that the region
of Assam was a virtual goldmine for them. Hence
they embarked on a process of development and
progress. The British dismantled the Ahom administrative
structure, made Bengali the official language,
and recruited Bengali Hindus for various posts
instead of the local populace. Coal, limestone,
and iron mines were opened and the government
offered incentives to European entrepreneurs
to start plantations for the production of tea,
rubber, chinchona (source of quinine) hemp and
jute. The British brought in contract labour
from Bihar, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. By the
turn of the century, one and a half million
of such coolies were employed on 700 plantations
producing 145 million pounds of tea annually.
The first revolt against the
British was led by Dhananjay Borgohain
and Gunadhar Konwar in 1828
AD. Gunadhar Konwar was sentenced
to seven years in prison and Dhananjay
Borgohain, having been sentenced to
death fled to the Matak kingdom. There he secretly
joined hands with his own sons Harakanta
and Haranath, son-in-law Jeuram
Dulia Baruah, and many others and made
plans to attack Rangpur. But before they were
betrayed by one of their associates, Sadiya
Khowa Gohain. Some members of the gang
were hanged and others expelled from country.
Thereafter, the British control over Assam was
strengthened. Besides Assam, they annexed Khamtis,
Singhpho, Matak,
Kachari, Naga,
Garo, Lushai
and other hilly kingdoms.
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More
was yet to follow. The famous Sepoy
Mutiny of 1857 AD,
found an echo in Assam under the leadership
of Maniram Dewan and Piyoli
Barua, who were eventually hanged in
1858 AD.
Meanwhile, the British had
sought to clamp to linguistic freedom of the
natives by introducing Bengali as the medium
of instruction in 1837 AD. However it ended
in a fiasco because owing to the efforts of
the American Baptist Missionaries,
and noted intellectuals of the day like Anandaram
Dhekial Phukan, Hem Chandra Baruah,
and Gunabhiram Baruah, Assamese
was reinstated as the medium of instruction
in 1873 AD.
In 1874 AD, Assam was separated from Bengal,
and made into a separate province, with its
capital in Shillong.
The Assamese intellectuals
realized that there ought to be an element of
cohesiveness in the social fabric of the state,
so that the fight for liberty could percolate
to every strata of the society. In 1884 AD Jagannath
Baruah formed such an organisation
at Jorhat and named it Sarbajanik Sabha.
In 1905, the British Viceroy
of India, Lord Curzon, again
got Assam amalgamated with East Bengal following
the partition of Bengal into the west and the
east. The year 1912 is of great significance,
in Assamese history, because of three landmark
events that took place during the year: The
first was Gandhi’s visit
to Assam, secondly, strikes by Assam Bengal
train service and steamer companies, plunged
the region into chaos and last but not the least,
after a gap of 63 years, Assam became a separate
province under a governor, thus paving the way
for a dual administration, which lasted till
1936.
In 1916, the Assam
Chhatra Sanmilan and in 1917 Assam
Sahitya Sabha were formed.
This was followed by the formation of Assam
Association by Manik Chandra
Baruah. In 1919, Assam Association
joined the Assam branch of Indian National
Congress.
In 1919 - 20 Assam too plunged
into the non-cooperation movement
launched by Gandhi. Assam's participation in
the mainstream of the country’s politics
had begun way back in 1886 AD at the second
session of Indian National Congress
held at Calcutta, where Debi Chandra
Baruah, Gopinath Bordoloi,
Kamini Kumar Chandra, Satyanath
Baruah and Joy Gobindasom
had represented Assam.
Assam joined the rest of India
in the Civil Disobedience Movement
of 1930 launched by Gandhi. In 1935 self-goverance
in Assam was introduced. Assam plunged into
the Quit India Movement in 1942 which was also
popularly known as Peoples' Revolution.
Early in the 20th century,
the government of India, made vast tracts of
land in Assam available to predominantly Muslim
farmers from the provinces of East Bengal for
settlement and cultivation. Nepalis were employed
as herders and encouraged to colonize new lands.
The subsequent immigration of Marwaris
and Sikhs, boosted capital
development in Assam and strengthened its ties
with the rest of India.
In the post-independence era,
the Assamese won control of their state assembly
and launched a campaign to reassert the preeminence
of Assamese culture in the region and improve
employment opportunities for native Assamese.
This led to the alienation of some tribal districts.
Moreover many tribal districts were demanding
independence from India. In a bid to placate
the various tribes, the Indian Government partitioned
the former undivided Assam into the tribal states
of Nagaland, Mizoram,
Meghalaya, Manipur
and Arunachal Pradesh over
the next few decades.
It would be interesting to note that during
the latter half of the 16th century, the revered
saint-teacher of Assam, Shankara Deva,
inspired a popular Vaishnavite
movement that sought to reform the esoteric
practices of Tantric Hinduism
and to limit the prerogatives of Brahmins attached
to the Ahom court. The Ahoms
themselves patronized an extensive network of
Vaishnavite monasteries (satras), whose
monks played a key role in the reclamation of
wastelands for rice cultivation throughout the
Brahmaputra Valley. Because of its rejection
of caste related privilege, Shankara
Deva's Vaishnavism
held immense appeal for the local tribals.Consequently
within a short period of time it became a highly
popular cult.
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Hemchandra Barua –
one of the greate
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