Kamarupa is the ancient name of the kingdom/region that consisted of the Brahmaputra valley and adjoining region. During even earlier times this region was called Pragjyotisha and in modern times Assam. This region forms the eastern most contiguous region with Sanskritization influences, and showcases the confluence of Aryan and non-Aryan cultural artifacts. The present district of Kamrup in Assam is named after this kingdom. The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Asia. ... Assam (অসম) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur. ... Kamrup was the mighty Kingdom ruled by Narayana Dynasty before the British broke the Kingdom into two big districts. ...

Earliest Mentions

The region is mentioned as Pragjyotisha in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century) and Ptolemy's Geography (2nd century) calls the region Kirrhadia after the Kirata population^[1]. The first mention of Kamarupa comes from the Allahabad inscription of Samudragupta from the 4th century. The Chinese traveler Xuanzang visited the kingdom in the 7th century, then ruled by Bhaskarabarman. The inscriptions left by the rulers of Kamarupa, including Bhaskarbarman, trace their lineage from the rulers of Pragjyotisha mentioned in the epics. The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahabharata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... Lord Ram, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman(crouching) The Ramayana (Sanskrit: march (ayana) of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... (1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century - other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100. ... // Events Roman Empire governed by the Five Good Emperors (96–180) – Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius. ... Map of India. ... Samudragupta, ruler of the Gupta Empire (c. ... (3rd century - 4th century - 5th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... Xuanzang, Dunhuang cave, 9th century. ... // Events Islam starts in Arabia, the Quran is written, and Syria, Iraq, Persia, North Africa and Central Asia convert to Islam. ...

Boundaries

According to the Kalika Purana and Xuanzang, the western boundary was the historical Karatoya^[2] river. The eastern border was the river Dibang, near present-day Sadiya in the eastern most corner of Assam^[3]. Thus it spanned the entire Brahmaputra valley. At various times it included present-day Bhutan and parts of Bangladesh. It appears to have broken up entirely by the 13th century, an in its place rose the Kamata kingdom in the west and the Ahom kingdom in the east as the main successor kingdoms. In 1581, Naranarayana the Koch king who ruled Kamata divided his kingdom along the Sankosh river retaining the western portion and gifting the eastern portion to Raghudeb, the son of his brother Chilarai^[4]. The present West Bengal-Assam border follows this division closely. The Puranas are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss devotion and mythology. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... The Tai Ahoms ruled parts of present day Assam for nearly 600 years: from 1228 to 1826. ... Events January 16 - English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism April 4 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. July 26 - The Northern Netherlands proclaim their independence from Spain in the Oath of Abjuration. ... Sankosh is a river in India that rises in Bhutan (where it is called Mo Chu) and empties into the Brahmaputra. ...

Rulers

According to the Puranas, the earliest ruler is Mahiranga of the Danava dynasty. One of his descendents was defeated by Naraka who established his line of kings in the kingdom. Naraka or Neraka, in Buddhism and Hinduism, is the underworld and Hell. ...

Bhauma dynasty

The historical rulers begin with the Varman (Bhauma) dynasty of Pushyavarman (350-374), contemporneous of the Gupta king Samudragupta. The most illustrious of the Bhauma kings of Kamarupa was Bhaskaravarman (600-650), during whose reign Xuanzang visited the kingdom. Bhaskarabarman had allied with Harshavardhana to attack Shashanka, the earliest ruler of unified Bengal. Though Shashanka was undefeated, his kingdom was divided between Harshavardhana and Bhaskaravarman after his death. Events January 18 - Magnentius proclaimed Emperor by the army in Autun. ... Events 4 May: Spearthrower Owl becomes emperor of Teotihuacan. ... For other uses, see number 600. ... Events Arab conquest of Persia, establishment of Islam as state religion Hindu empire in Sumatra Croats and Serbs occupy Bosnia Khazars conquer Great Bulgarian Empire in southern Russia building of St. ... Harsha or Harshavardhana (606-648) was an Indian emperor who ruled northern India as paramount monarch for over forty years. ... Shashanka (Bangla: শশাঙ্ক) is often attributed with creating the first unified political entity in Bengal. ...

It seems Bhaskaravarman maintained relations with China. He recounted to Xuanzang a Chinese song which became very popular in his kingdom. After the death of Harsha, he helped a mission from China led by Wang Hiuen-ts'oe according to a Chinese account. During his time men of high talent visited the kingdom for studies.

Mlechchha dynasty

After Bhaskaravarman's death without an heir, the kingdom passed into the hands of Salasthambha(655-670), a member of an aboriginal group called Mlechchha (or Mech) after a period of civil and political strife. Not much is known of this dynasty. The last ruler in this line is Tyāgasimha (890-900). Events November 15 - Northumbrian king Oswiu defeats the pagan Mercian king Penda in the Battle of Winwaed Empress Saimei ascends to the throne of Japan. ... Events On the death of his brother Clotaire, Childeric II becomes king of all of the Frankish kingdoms -- Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy. ... Events The sovereignty of prince Svatopluk I in Bohemia is confirmed. ... Events Persian scientist, Rhazes, distinguished smallpox from measles in the course of his writings. ...

Bhauma-Naraka or Pala dynasty

After the death of Tyāgasimha without an heir, a member of the Bhauma family, Brahmapala (900-920), was elected as king by the ruling chieftains, just as Gopala of the Pala dynasty of Bengal was elected. The last Pala king was Jayapala (1075-1100). Around this time, Kamarupa was attacked and conquered by the Pala king of Gauda Ramapala. Events Persian scientist, Rhazes, distinguished smallpox from measles in the course of his writings. ... Events The golden age of the Empire of Ghana began in Africa. ... Events Revolt of the Earls. ... For alternate uses, see Number 1100. ...

The Gauda king could not hold Kamarupa for long, and Timgyadeva (1110-1126) ruled Kamarupa independently for sometime. The period saw a waning of the Kamarupa kingdom, and in 1205 the Turkish Muhammad-i-Bakhtiyar passed through Kamarupa against Tibet which ended in a disaster. Yuzbak attacked and defeated an unknown ruler of Kamarupa in 1257. But Yuzbak could not hold on to the capital as he was defeated by the Monsoon rains and the local population. Events December 4 - First Crusade: The Crusaders conquer Sidon. ... Events Rutherglen becomes one of the first Royal Burghs in Scotland. ... Events January 6 - Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans April 14 - Battle of Adrianople (1205) between Bulgars and Latins August 20 - Following certain news of Baldwin Is death, Henry of Flanders is crowned Emperor of the Latin Empire Births Deaths July 13 Hubert Walter Archbishop of Canterbury... Events La Sorbonne, the famous university in Paris, is founded Eutin in Schleswig-Holstein is given its city rights Henry III of England orders the production of a coinage of pure gold location of city Cracow Births Sancho IV king of Castile and León Deaths Pho Khun Si Indrathit...

At this time, western Kamarupa was being ruled by the chiefs of the Bodo, Koch and Mech tribes. The eastern part of the traditional Kamarupa was already occupied by the Ahoms.

References

1. ^  Sircar, D. C., Chapter 4: Prāgjyotisha-Kāmarūpa, in The Comprehensive History of Assam Volume I, Publication Board Assam, 1990
2. ^  Historical Karatoya River from Banglapedia
3. ^  Bhuyan, S. K. Anglo-Assamese Relations 1771-1826, Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam, Gauhati, 1949, pp 260 and map.