Kachari Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam
. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari
ethnic group. The Kachari Kingdom along with others kingdoms (Kamata
, Sutiya), are examples of state formations among the Bodo-Kachari
ethnic groups that developed in medieval Assam in the wake of the ancient Kamarupa Kingdom. Remnants of the Kachari Kingdom existed till the advent of the British and gave its name to two present districts in Assam: Cachar and North Cachar Hills (which changed its name to Dima Hasao in April 2010).
The origin of the Kachari Kingdom is not clear. Some historians speculate that they were the remnants of the Mlechchha dynasty
of Kamarupa Kingdom
. According to tradition, the Kacharis (Dimasas) had to leave the Kamarupa Kingdom in the ancient period due to political turmoil. As they crossed the Brahmaputra river
some of their compatriots were swept away down river and came to be called Dimasa (Dima-basa, sons of the great river Dima, the Dhansiri river
). It is conjectured that the initial state
formation began in the Sadiya
region (coterminous with the later Sutiya Kingdom) because the Dimasas and the Sutiyas have a common tradition of the worship of Kechai Khaiti, the goddess in Sadiya.
, from Dikhu river to Kallang river and included the valley of Dhansiri and present-day Dima Hasao district. According to the Buranji
s, the Kachari settlements to the east of Dhansiri withdrew before the Ahom
advance. The Sutiya Kingdom existed further east and the Kamata Kingdom
to its west.
took place in 1490, in which the Ahoms were defeated. The Ahoms sued for peace, and an Ahom princess was offered to the Kachari king and the Kachari took control of the land beyond the Dhansiri. But the Ahoms were getting powerful and pushed the Kacharis back west. In 1526 the Kacharis defeated the Ahoms in a battle, but in the same year they were defeated in a second battle. In 1531 the Ahoms advanced up to Dimapur
, the capital of the Kachari Kingdom, removed Khunkhara, the Kachari king, and installed Detsung in his place. But in 1536 the Ahoms attacked the Kachari capital once again and sacked the city. The Kacharis abandoned Dimapur and retreated south to set up their new capital in Maibong
.
of the Pandava
s, and his son Ghatotkacha
born to Hidimba
. The kingdom then came to be known as Heramba, and the rulers Herambeswar.
The king was assisted in his state duties by a council of ministers (Patra and Bhandari), led by a chief called Barbhandari. These and other state offices were manned by people of the Dimasa
group, who were not necessarily Hinduized. There were about 40 clans (called Sengfong) of the Dimasa people, each of which sent a representative to the royal assembly called Mel, a powerful institution that could elect a king. The representatives sat in the Mel mandap (Council hall) according to the status of the Sengfong and provided a counterfoil to royal powers.
Over time the Sengfongs developed a hierarchical structure with five royal Sengfongs though most of the kings belonged to the Hacengha clan. Some of the clans provided specialized services to the state ministers, ambassadors, store keepers, court writers, and other bureaucrats and ultimately developed into professional groups, e.g. Songyabsa (king's cooks), Nyablasa (fishermen).
By the 17th century the Kachari rule extended into the plains of Cachar. The plains people did not participate in the courts of the Kachari king directly. They were organized according to khels, and the king provided justice and collected revenue via an official called the Uzir. Though the plains people did not participate in the Kachari royal court, the Dharmadhi guru and other Brahmins in the court cast a considerable influence, especially with the beginning of the 18th century.
attacked the Kachari Kingdom in 1562 during the reign of Durlabh Narayan and made it into a tributary of the Koch Kingdom. The size of the annual tribute—seventy thousand gold mohars and sixty elephants— testifies to the resourcefulness of the Kachari state. A small colony of Koch soldiers, who came to be known as Dehans, enjoyed special privileges in the Kachari Kingdom. A conflict with the Jaintia Kingdom
over the region of Dimarua led to a battle and the defeat of the Jaintia king (Dhan Manik).
After the death of Dhan Manik, Satrudaman the Kachari king, installed Jasa Manik on the throne who is said to have manipulated events to bring the Kacharis into conflict with the Ahoms once again in 1618. Satrudaman, the most powerful Kachari king, ruled over Dimarua in Nagaon district
, North Cachar, Dhansiri valley, plains of Cachar and parts of eastern Sylhet. After his conquest of Sylhet, he struck coins in his name.
, which was taken over by Chilarai in the 16th century. The region was ruled by a tributary ruler, Kamalnarayana, the brother of Chilarai. After the decline of Koch power, Khaspur became independent. In the middle of the 18th century, the last of the Koch rulers died without an heir and the control of the kingdom went to the ruler of the Kachari Kingdom. After the merger, the capital of the Kachari Kingdom moved to Khaspur, near present-day Silchar
.
. At the time of British annexation, the kingdom consisted of parts of Nagaon and Karbi Anglong; North Cachar, Cachar and the Jiri frontier of Manipur
.
Maibong
Khaspur
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari
Bodo-Kachari
Bodo-Kachari is a generic term applied to a number of ethnic groups predominantly in Assam speaking Tibeto-Burman languages or claiming a common ancestry.-Origins:...
ethnic group. The Kachari Kingdom along with others kingdoms (Kamata
Kamata Kingdom
The Kamata kingdom appeared in the western part of the older Kamarupa kingdom in the 13th century, after the fall of the Pala dynasty. The rise of the Kamata kingdom marked the end of the ancient period in the History of Assam and the beginning of the medieval period. The first rulers were the...
, Sutiya), are examples of state formations among the Bodo-Kachari
Bodo-Kachari
Bodo-Kachari is a generic term applied to a number of ethnic groups predominantly in Assam speaking Tibeto-Burman languages or claiming a common ancestry.-Origins:...
ethnic groups that developed in medieval Assam in the wake of the ancient Kamarupa Kingdom. Remnants of the Kachari Kingdom existed till the advent of the British and gave its name to two present districts in Assam: Cachar and North Cachar Hills (which changed its name to Dima Hasao in April 2010).
The origin of the Kachari Kingdom is not clear. Some historians speculate that they were the remnants of the Mlechchha dynasty
Mlechchha dynasty
The Mlechchha dynasty ruled Kamarupa from their capital at Hadapeshvar in the present-day Tezpur after the fall of the Varman dynasty. The rulers were aboriginals, though their lineage from Narakasura was constructed to accord legitimacy to their rule...
of Kamarupa Kingdom
Kamarupa (History)
Kamarupa, also called Pragjyotisha, was the first historical kingdom in Assam that existed between 350 and 1140 CE i.e for almost 800 years. Ruled by three dynasties from their capitals in present-day Guwahati and Tezpur, it covered the entire Brahmaputra river valley and, at times, North Bengal...
. According to tradition, the Kacharis (Dimasas) had to leave the Kamarupa Kingdom in the ancient period due to political turmoil. As they crossed the Brahmaputra river
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
some of their compatriots were swept away down river and came to be called Dimasa (Dima-basa, sons of the great river Dima, the Dhansiri river
Dhansiri River
Dhansiri is the main river of Golaghat District of Assam and the Dimapur District of Nagaland. It originates from Laisang peak of Nagaland. It flows through a distance of 352 km from south to north before joining the Brahmaputra on its south bank...
). It is conjectured that the initial state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
formation began in the Sadiya
Sadiya
Sadiya is a small town in the Tinsukia district of the North-eastern Indian state of Assam. It stands on a grassy plain, nearly surrounded by forested Himalayan mountains, on the right bank of what is locally considered the main stream of the Brahmaputra river...
region (coterminous with the later Sutiya Kingdom) because the Dimasas and the Sutiyas have a common tradition of the worship of Kechai Khaiti, the goddess in Sadiya.
At Dimapur
By the 13th century the Kachari Kingdom extended along the southern banks of Brahmaputra riverBrahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
, from Dikhu river to Kallang river and included the valley of Dhansiri and present-day Dima Hasao district. According to the Buranji
Buranji
Buranjis are a class of historical chronicles written in the Ahom and Assamese languages. The first such Buranji was written on the instructions of the first Ahom king Sukaphaa who established the Ahom kingdom in 1228...
s, the Kachari settlements to the east of Dhansiri withdrew before the Ahom
Ahom
The Ahoms, who ruled Assam for six centuries are the descendants of ethnic Tai people who accompanied the Tai prince Sukaphaa into Assam. And for this reason people of this community call themselves the Tai-Ahom. Sukaphaa established the Ahom kingdom and the Ahom dynasty ruled and expanded the...
advance. The Sutiya Kingdom existed further east and the Kamata Kingdom
Kamata Kingdom
The Kamata kingdom appeared in the western part of the older Kamarupa kingdom in the 13th century, after the fall of the Pala dynasty. The rise of the Kamata kingdom marked the end of the ancient period in the History of Assam and the beginning of the medieval period. The first rulers were the...
to its west.
Hostilities with Ahoms
The Ahoms settled into the tract between the Sutiya and the Kachari Kingdoms that was inhabited by the Borahi and Matak peoples. The first clash with the Ahom KingdomAhom kingdom
The Ahom Kingdom was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal expansion in North-East India...
took place in 1490, in which the Ahoms were defeated. The Ahoms sued for peace, and an Ahom princess was offered to the Kachari king and the Kachari took control of the land beyond the Dhansiri. But the Ahoms were getting powerful and pushed the Kacharis back west. In 1526 the Kacharis defeated the Ahoms in a battle, but in the same year they were defeated in a second battle. In 1531 the Ahoms advanced up to Dimapur
Dimapur
Dimapur in Nagaland is bounded by Kohima district on the south and east, Karbi Anglong district of Assam on the West, the Karbi Anglong and stretch of Golaghat District of Assam, in the west and the north...
, the capital of the Kachari Kingdom, removed Khunkhara, the Kachari king, and installed Detsung in his place. But in 1536 the Ahoms attacked the Kachari capital once again and sacked the city. The Kacharis abandoned Dimapur and retreated south to set up their new capital in Maibong
Maibong
Maibong, also spelt as Maibang, is a town and a town area committee in Dima Hasao district in the Indian state of Assam.-Geography:Maibong is located at . It has an average elevation of 355 metres .-Demographics:...
.
At Maibong
At Maibong, the Kacharis kings came under Brahmin influence. The son of Dersongphaa took a Hindu name, Nirbhay Narayan, and established his Brahmin guru as the Dharmadhi that became an important institution of the state. The king's genealogy was drawn from BhimaBhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...
of the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
s, and his son Ghatotkacha
Ghatotkacha
Ghatotkacha , is a character in the Mahabharata, the son of Bhima and the giantess Hidimbi . His maternal parentage made him half-rakshasa and gave him many magical powers that made him an important fighter in the Kurukshetra war, the climax of the epic...
born to Hidimba
Hidimba
In the Mahābhārata, Hidimba was a rakshasa, the brother of Hidimbi and a forest dweller. He and his sister, Hidimbi were tempted at the sight of the Pandavas and wished to eat them. For this purpose Hidimbi changed herself into a beautiful woman and brought him near Hidimba...
. The kingdom then came to be known as Heramba, and the rulers Herambeswar.
The king was assisted in his state duties by a council of ministers (Patra and Bhandari), led by a chief called Barbhandari. These and other state offices were manned by people of the Dimasa
Dimasa
The Dimasa people are a group of people in Assam, in northeastern IndiaDimasa mythology says they are the children of Bangla Raja and the great divine bird Arikhidima...
group, who were not necessarily Hinduized. There were about 40 clans (called Sengfong) of the Dimasa people, each of which sent a representative to the royal assembly called Mel, a powerful institution that could elect a king. The representatives sat in the Mel mandap (Council hall) according to the status of the Sengfong and provided a counterfoil to royal powers.
Over time the Sengfongs developed a hierarchical structure with five royal Sengfongs though most of the kings belonged to the Hacengha clan. Some of the clans provided specialized services to the state ministers, ambassadors, store keepers, court writers, and other bureaucrats and ultimately developed into professional groups, e.g. Songyabsa (king's cooks), Nyablasa (fishermen).
By the 17th century the Kachari rule extended into the plains of Cachar. The plains people did not participate in the courts of the Kachari king directly. They were organized according to khels, and the king provided justice and collected revenue via an official called the Uzir. Though the plains people did not participate in the Kachari royal court, the Dharmadhi guru and other Brahmins in the court cast a considerable influence, especially with the beginning of the 18th century.
Neighboring states
ChilaraiChilarai
Shukladhwaj , or more popularly Chilarai , was the younger brother of Nara Narayana, the king of the Kamata kingdom in the 16th century. He was Nara Narayana's commander-in-chief, and he got his name Chilarai because his movement as a general was as fast as a chila .Chilarai is known to have...
attacked the Kachari Kingdom in 1562 during the reign of Durlabh Narayan and made it into a tributary of the Koch Kingdom. The size of the annual tribute—seventy thousand gold mohars and sixty elephants— testifies to the resourcefulness of the Kachari state. A small colony of Koch soldiers, who came to be known as Dehans, enjoyed special privileges in the Kachari Kingdom. A conflict with the Jaintia Kingdom
Jaintia Kingdom
The Jaintia Kingdom extended from the east of the Shillong Plateau of present-day Meghalaya in north-east India, into the plains to the south, and north to the Barak River valley in Assam, India...
over the region of Dimarua led to a battle and the defeat of the Jaintia king (Dhan Manik).
After the death of Dhan Manik, Satrudaman the Kachari king, installed Jasa Manik on the throne who is said to have manipulated events to bring the Kacharis into conflict with the Ahoms once again in 1618. Satrudaman, the most powerful Kachari king, ruled over Dimarua in Nagaon district
Nagaon district
Nagaon is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. As of 2011 it is the most populous district of Assam .-History:...
, North Cachar, Dhansiri valley, plains of Cachar and parts of eastern Sylhet. After his conquest of Sylhet, he struck coins in his name.
At Khaspur
The region of Khaspur was originally a part of the Tripura KingdomTwipra Kingdom
Twipra Kingdom was one of the largest ancient kingdom of the Tipra people of the Bodo-Kachari ethnicity in the Northeastern region of the Indian Subcontinent having a chronicle of 186 Kings till the present times .- Geographical spread :The present political...
, which was taken over by Chilarai in the 16th century. The region was ruled by a tributary ruler, Kamalnarayana, the brother of Chilarai. After the decline of Koch power, Khaspur became independent. In the middle of the 18th century, the last of the Koch rulers died without an heir and the control of the kingdom went to the ruler of the Kachari Kingdom. After the merger, the capital of the Kachari Kingdom moved to Khaspur, near present-day Silchar
Silchar
Silchar is the headquarters of Cachar district in the state of Assam in India. It is the economic gateway to the state of Mizoram and part of Manipur. It is south east of Guwahati. The city of Silchar has tremendous commercial importance and is the second largest city in the state of Assam...
.
British occupation
After Gobinda Chandra the British annexed the Kachari Kingdom under the doctrine of lapseDoctrine of lapse
The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy purportedly devised by Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor General for the British in India between 1848 and 1856...
. At the time of British annexation, the kingdom consisted of parts of Nagaon and Karbi Anglong; North Cachar, Cachar and the Jiri frontier of Manipur
Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
.
Rulers
Dimapur- Virochana (835 - 885)
- Vorahi (885 - 925)
- Prasanto alias Prasadao (Chakradwaj alias Khamaoto) (925 - 1010)
- Uditya (1010 - 1040)
- Prabhakar (1040 - 1070)
- Korpoordhwaj (1070 - 1100)
- Giridhar (1100 - 1125)
- Beeradhwaj (1125 - 1155)
- Surajit (1155 - 1180)
- Ohak (1180 - 1210)
- Makardhwaj Narayan (Rana Pratap alias Raogena) (1210 - 1286)
- Bhopal (1286 - 1316)
- Purandar (1316 - 1336)
- Bicharpatipha alias Prakash (1336 - 1386)
- Vikramadityapha alias Vikaranto (1386 - 1411)
- Mahamanipha alias Prabal (1411 - 1436)
- Manipha (1436 - 1461)
- Ladapha (1461 - 1486)
- Khunkhora alias Khorapha (1486 - 1511)
- Det tsang alias Dersongpha (1511 - 1536)
Maibong
- Nirbhay Narayan (1540-c1550)
- Durlabh Narayan or Harmesvar (c1550-1576)
- Megha Narayana (1576–1583)
- Satrrudaman (Pratap Narayan, Jasa Narayan) (1583–1613)
- Nar Narayan (1613-)
- Bhimdarpa Narayan (Bhimbal Konwar) (-1637)
- Indraballabh Narayan (1637-)
- Birdarpa Narayan (-1681)
- Garurdhwaj Narayan
- Makardhwaj
- Udayaditya
- Tamradhwaj Narayan (1699–1708)
- Queen Chandraprabha
- Suradarpa Narayan (-1730)
- Dharmadhwaj Narayan (Harischandra Narayan)
- Kirichandra Narayan (1735–1745)
- Gopichandra Narayan (1745–1757)
Khaspur
- Harischandra II (1757–1772)
- Krishnachandra Narayan (1772–1813)
- Gobindchandra Narayan (1813–1830 till of 14 August)
- Tularam Hasnu (Till 1854 of 20 July)