Assam-Bengal Trade in the Medieval Period A

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Assam-Bengal Trade in the Medieval Period A ASSAM-BENGAL TRADE THE MEDIEVAL IN PERIOD A NUMISMATIC PERSPECTIVE BY NISAR AHMAD (Varanasi, India) Assam, in the beginning of the medieval period, extended between 24-28 and 88-96 degrees latitude north and longitude east of Green- wich respectively. It was bounded by the Himalayan mountains of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh in the north, and the hills of Nagaland and Manipur in the east, Mizoram and Tripura in the south and the river Karatoya in the east. The river Brahmaputra flowing, from north-east to south-west, through the heart of Assam separated it into two parts: Uttara Kula (North Bank) and Dakshina Kula (South Bank), as well as forming an island called Majuli. Fur- ther, its vertical land divisions are designated as Upper (Eastern) and Lower (Western) Assam. Politically it constituted various prin- cipalities. Its Western part marked the continuation of the old kingdom of Kamarupa which comprised the areas lying between the rivers Karatoya in the West and Bhareli in the east with its capital at Kamarupanagar (Gauhati); sometime after 1257, its capital was shifted to Kamatapur (near the present town of Koch Bihar) and thence it was known as Kamata. The landlords (Bhuyans)-the revenue assessment officers, who possessed the surplus stockpiles, exerted political authority in this part of Assam; finally, they usurped the Kamata kingdom in the latter half of the 13th century. Its eastern part was ruled by the Chutiyas and the Kacharis: the Chutiya domain 170 extended from the Bhareli to Brahmakund across the Brahmaputra with its capital at Sadiya; and the Kachari kingdom was bounded by the rivers Kapili and Dikho with its capital at Dimapur. The tract sit- uated in the east of Dikho was inhabited by the Marans, the Barahis, the Tipamiyas and the Nagas.') The early part of the 13th century witnessed the beginning of the raids marshalled from the west by the Turko-Afgans of the Ganga plain with the aim of extending their regal jurisdiction over this north-eastern tract and the movement of the Tai-Shans of Burma from the south-east by crossing over the Indian border to carve out a domian there. The latter, known here as the Ahoms, reached the Upper Brahmaputra Valley in 1228; and, by reducing the local tribes to submission, they established their headquarters at Charaideo in 1253. Gradually pushing ahead the western boundary of the Ahom kingdom, they made Bakata (on the bank of the river Dihing) their capital in the reign of their king Suhungmung Svarga Narayana (1497-1539). Subsequently, after 1523 and 1531 respectively, they amalgamated the whole Chutiya territory into their kingdom and by capturing the Dhanasiri valley of the Kacharis they pushed back the boundary of the Kachari domain further to the south-west. As the result of the consolidation of their power, the Ahoms made Garhgaon (on the river Dikho in the south of Brahmaputra) their capital. The rulers of these different regions of Assam offered tough resistence to the endeavour of the Sultans of the Ganga plain and their eastward territorial expansion. However, at times, the Sultans temporarily attained success in penetrating into their kingdoms: Yuzbak Tughril Khan and Azam Shah entered Gauhati; Bahadur Shah, Sikandar Shah I and Turbak advanced as far as the areas of the district Nowgong. Husain Shah succeeded in reaching the region beyond the Barnadi and held Kamata domain for a short period, while Nusrat Shah proceeded up to Temani (Tirmohani) in the Kalang Valley.2) .
Recommended publications
  • The Forgotten Saga of Rangpur's Ahoms
    High Technology Letters ISSN NO : 1006-6748 The Forgotten Saga of Rangpur’s Ahoms - An Ethnographic Approach Barnali Chetia, PhD, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Vadodara, India. Department of Linguistics Abstract- Mong Dun Shun Kham, which in Assamese means xunor-xophura (casket of gold), was the name given to the Ahom kingdom by its people, the Ahoms. The advent of the Ahoms in Assam was an event of great significance for Indian history. They were an offshoot of the great Tai (Thai) or Shan race, which spreads from the eastward borders of Assam to the extreme interiors of China. Slowly they brought the whole valley under their rule. Even the Mughals were defeated and their ambitions of eastward extensions were nipped in the bud. Rangpur, currently known as Sivasagar, was that capital of the Ahom Kingdom which witnessed the most glorious period of its regime. Rangpur or present day sivasagar has many remnants from Ahom Kingdom, which ruled the state closely for six centuries. An ethnographic approach has been attempted to trace the history of indigenous culture and traditions of Rangpur's Ahoms through its remnants in the form of language, rites and rituals, religion, archaeology, and sacred sagas. Key Words- Rangpur, Ahoms, Culture, Traditions, Ethnography, Language, Indigenous I. Introduction “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away.” -P.B Shelley Rangpur or present day Sivasagar was one of the most prominent capitals of the Ahom Kingdom.
    [Show full text]
  • DISTRICTWISE LIST of AFFILIATED COLLEGES/INSTITUTES UNDER DIBRUGARH UNIVERSITY (NAAC Accreditated)
    DISTRICTWISE LIST OF AFFILIATED COLLEGES/INSTITUTES UNDER DIBRUGARH UNIVERSITY (NAAC Accreditated) TINSUKIA DISTRICT NAAC Accreditation Status Sl. COLLEGE NAME & Year of STATUS st nd No ADDRESS Establishment 1 Cycle 2 Cycle Grade CGPA 1 Digboi College Permanent 1965 B+ B 2.47 P.O. Digboi, Dist. Tinsukia Affiliation (15/11/2015) Pin 786171 (Assam) 2 Digboi Mahila Permanent 1981 C++ Mahavidyalaya Affiliation Muliabari , P.O. Digboi Dist. Tinsukia Pin 786171(Assam) 3 Doomdooma College Permanent 1967 B B P.O. Rupai Saiding, Affiliation (16/09/2011) Dist. Tinsukia, Pin 786153 (Assam) 4 Margherita College Permanent 1978 B B P.O. Margherita Affiliation (1/5/2015) Dist. Tinsukia, Pin 786181 (Assam) 5 Sadiya College Permanent 1982 C+ P.O. Chapakhowa Affiliation Dist. Tinsukia, Pin 786157 (Assam) 6 Tinsukia College Permanent 1956 B B+ 2.55 P.O. Tinsukia, Affiliation (15/9/2016) Dist. Tinsukia, Pin 786125 (Assam) 7 Tinsukia Commerce Permanent 1972 B B 2.10 College Affiliation (3/5/2017) P.O. Sripuria Dist. Tinsukia Pin 786145(Assam) 8 Women’s College Permanent 1966 B+ Rangagora Road Affiliation P.O.Tinsukia, Dist. Tinsukia Pin 786125(Assam) 1 DIBRUGARH DISTRICT NAAC Accreditation Status Sl. COLLEGE NAME & Year of STATUS st nd No ADDRESS Establishment 1 Cycle 2 Cycle Grade CGPA 9 D.D.R College B B 2.35 P.O. Chabua Permanent (19/02/2016) 1971 Dist Dibrugarh Affiliation Pin 786184 (Assam) 10 B++ B++ 2.85 D.H.S. K College (3/5/2017) P.O. Dibrugarh Permanent 1945 Dist. Dibrugarh Affiliation Pin 786001(Assam) 11 D.H.S.K Commerce B++ B College (30/11/2011) Permanent P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • The First Mohammedan Invasion (1206 &1226 AD) of Kamrupa Took
    The first Mohammedan invasion (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 Nassiruddin in 1228. During the second invasion by Ikhtiyaruddin Yuzbak or Tughril Khan, about 1257 AD, the king of Kamrupa Saindhya (1250-1270AD) transferred the capital 'Kamrup Nagar' to Kamatapur in the west. From then onwards, Kamata's ruler was called Kamateshwar. During the last part of 14th century, Arimatta was the ruler of Gaur (the northern region of former Kamatapur) who had his capital at Vaidyagar. And after the invasion of the Mughals in the 15th century many Muslims settled in this State and can be said to be the first Muslim settlers of this region. Chutia Kingdom During the early part of the 13th century, when the Ahoms established their rule over Assam with the capital at Sibsagar, the Sovansiri area and the area by the banks of the Disang river were under the control of the Chutias. According to popular Chutia legend, 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, in his old age, handed over his kingdom to his son-in-law Nitai or Nityapal. Later on Nityapal's incompetent rule gave a wonderful chance to the Ahom king Suhungmung or Dihingia Raja, who annexed it to the Ahom kingdom.Chutia Kingdom During the early part of the 13th century, when the Ahoms established their rule over Assam with the capital at Sibsagar, the Sovansiri area and the area by the banks of the Disang river were under the control of the Chutias.
    [Show full text]
  • Name Designation NIC Email Ids Shri Vinod Kumar Pipersenia Chief
    Name Designation NIC Email ids Shri Vinod Kumar Pipersenia Chief Secretary and Resident Representative, Assam Bhawan, New Delhi, Assam [email protected], [email protected] Shri Bhaskar Mushahary Addl Chief Secretary, Cultural Affairs and Information & Public Relations Deptts., Assam [email protected] Shri Subhash Chandra Das Addl Chief Secretary, Revenue & Disaster Management, Public Health Engineering, Personnel, Pension [email protected] & Public Grievances and AR & Training Deptts., Assam Shri Ram Tirath Jindal Addl Chief Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Mines & Minerals and Handloom, Textiles & Sericulture [email protected] Deptts. & MD, Assam Hydrocarbon & Energy Ltd Rajiv Kumar Bora Addl Chief Secretary, WPT & BC and Soil Conservation Deptts. and Chairman, SLNA (IWMP), Assam [email protected] Shri V. B. Pyarelal Addl Chief Secretary, Power (E), Agriculture, Panchayat & Rural Dev Deptts. and Agruculture [email protected] Production Commissioner, Assam Shri Shyam Lal Mewara Addl Chief Secretary, Transport, Public Enterprises, Labour & Employment and Tea Tribes Welfare [email protected] Deptts., Assam Shri Davinder Kumar Addl Chief Secretary, Environment & Forest and Water Resorces Deptts., Asssam [email protected] Shri V. S. Bhaskar Addl Chief Secretary, Tourism and IT Deptts., Assam [email protected] Shri M. G. V. K. Bhanu Addl Chief Secretary to CM and Addl Chief Secretary, Home, Political, SAD, GAD and Health & [email protected] Family Welfare Deptts., Assam Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh Principal Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs, Minorities Welfare & Dev and Implementation of Assam [email protected] Accrod Deptts, Assam Jayashree Daolagupu Principal Secretary, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council [email protected] Shri Sameer Kumar Khare Principal Secretary, Finance Deptt.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Phenomena in Barak-Surma Valley During Medieval Period Dr
    প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN 2278-5264 প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo An Online Journal of Humanities & Social Science Published by: Dept. of Bengali Karimganj College, Karimganj, Assam, India. Website: www.thecho.in Political Phenomena in Barak-Surma Valley during Medieval Period Dr. Sahabuddin Ahmed Associate Professor, Dept. of History, Karimganj College, Karimganj, Assam Email: [email protected] Abstract After the fall of Srihattarajya in 12 th century CE, marked the beginning of the medieval history of Barak-Surma Valley. The political phenomena changed the entire infrastructure of the region. But the socio-cultural changes which occurred are not the result of the political phenomena, some extra forces might be alive that brought the region to undergo changes. By the advent of the Sufi saint Hazrat Shah Jalal, a qualitative change was brought in the region. This historical event caused the extension of the grip of Bengal Sultanate over the region. Owing to political phenomena, the upper valley and lower valley may differ during the period but the socio- economic and cultural history bear testimony to the fact that both the regions were inhabited by the same people with a common heritage. And thus when the British annexed the valley in two phases, the region found no difficulty in adjusting with the new situation. Keywords: Homogeneity, aryanisation, autonomy. The geographical area that forms the Barak- what Nihar Ranjan Roy prefers in his Surma valley, extends over a region now Bangalir Itihas (3rd edition, Vol.-I, 1980, divided between India and Bangladesh. The Calcutta). Indian portion of the region is now In addition to geographical location popularly known as Barak Valley, covering this appellation bears a historical the geographical area of the modern districts significance.
    [Show full text]
  • The TAI AHOM Movement in Northeast India: a Study of All Assam TAI AHOM Student Union
    IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 23, Issue 7, Ver. 10 (July. 2018) PP 45-50 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org The TAI AHOM Movement in Northeast India: A Study of All Assam TAI AHOM Student Union Bornali Hati Boruah Research Scholar Dept. of Political science Assam University, Diphu campus, India Corresponding Author: Bornali Hati Boruah Abstract: The Ahoms, one of the foremost ethnic communities in the North East India are a branch of the Tai or Shan people. The Tai Ahoms entered the Brahmaputra valley from the east in the early part of the thirteenth century and their arrival heralded a new age for the people of the region. The ethnic group Tai Ahoms of Assam has been asserting their ethnic identity more than a century old today. The Ahoms who once ruled over Assam seek to maintain their distinct identity within the larger Assamese society. The Tai Ahoms of Assam faced a lot of problem after independence in different aspects. Moreover, though once Tai Ahoms ancestors were ruling race but today they have been squarely backward .They have been recognized as one of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. As a measure to solve their multifold and multifaceted demands, the ethnic group Tai Ahoms has been struggling through their organizations. In present time, All Tai Ahom Student Union (ATASU) has been very much concerned about the various problems of Tai Ahoms community. While struggling for the overall development of the Tai Ahom community, rightly or wrongly the All Tai Ahom Student Union has been raising political issues and thus got involved in the politics of the state despite being a non-political organization.
    [Show full text]
  • 1Edieval Assam
    .-.':'-, CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION : Historical Background of ~1edieval Assam. (1) Political Conditions of Assam in the fir~t half of the thirt- eenth Century : During the early part of the thirteenth Century Kamrup was a big and flourishing kingdom'w.ith Kamrupnagar in the· North Guwahat.i as the Capital. 1 This kingdom fell due to repeated f'.1uslim invasions and Consequent! y forces of political destabili t.y set in. In the first decade of the thirteenth century Munammedan 2 intrusions began. 11 The expedition of --1205-06 A.D. under Muhammad Bin-Bukhtiyar proved a disastrous failure. Kamrtipa rose to the occasion and dealt a heavy blow to the I"'!Uslim expeditionary force. In 1227 A.D. Ghiyasuddin Iwaz entered the Brahmaputra valley to meet with similar reverse and had to hurry back to Gaur. Nasiruddin is said to have over-thrown the I<~rupa King, placed a successor to the throne on promise of an annual tribute. and retired from Kamrupa". 3 During the middle of the thirteenth century the prosperous Kamrup kingdom broke up into Kamata Kingdom, Kachari 1. (a) Choudhury,P.C.,The History of Civilisation of the people of-Assam to the twelfth Cen­ tury A.D.,Third Ed.,Guwahati,1987,ppe244-45. (b) Barua, K. L. ,·Early History of :Kama r;upa, Second Ed.,Guwahati, 1966, p.127 2. Ibid. p. 135. 3. l3asu, U.K.,Assam in the l\hom J:... ge, Calcutta, 1 1970, p.12. ··,· ·..... ·. '.' ' ,- l '' '.· 2 Kingdom., Ahom Kingdom., J:ayantiya kingdom and the chutiya kingdom. TheAhom, Kachari and Jayantiya kingdoms continued to exist till ' ' the British annexation: but the kingdoms of Kamata and Chutiya came to decay by- the turn of the sixteenth century~ · .
    [Show full text]
  • Socio-Political Development of Surma Barak Valley from 5 to 13 Century
    Pratidhwani the Echo A Peer-Reviewed International Journal of Humanities & Social Science ISSN: 2278-5264 (Online) 2321-9319 (Print) Impact Factor: 6.28 (Index Copernicus International) Volume-VIII, Issue-I, July 2019, Page No. 207-214 P ublished by Dept. of Bengali, Karimganj College, Karimganj, Assam, India Website: http://www.thecho.in Socio-Political Development of Surma Barak Valley from 5th to 13th Century A.D. Mehbubur Rahman Choudhury Ph.D Research Scholar, University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya Dr. Sahab Uddin Ahmed Associate Professor, History, Karimganj College, Karimganj, Assam Abstract The Barak Valley of Assam consists of three districts, viz. Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj situated between Longitude 92.15” and 93.15” East and Latitude 24.8” and 25.8” North and covering an area of 6,941.2 square Kilometres, this Indian portion of the valley is bounded on the north by the North Cachar Hills District of Assam and the Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya, on the east by Manipur, on the south by Mizoram and on the west by Tripura and the Sylhet District of Bangladesh. These three districts in Assam, however, together form the Indian part of a Valley, the larger portion of which is now in Bangladesh. The valley was transferred to Assam from Bengal in 1874 and the Bangladesh part was separated by the partition of India in 1947. The social and polity formation processes in the Barak Surma Valley in the Pre-Colonial period were influenced by these geo-graphical, historical and sociological factors. On the one hand, it was an outlying area of the Bengal plains and on the other hand, it was flanked by the hill tribal regions.
    [Show full text]
  • District & Sessions Judge
    District & Sessions Judge Court of the District & Sessions Judge, Tinsukia was Established in the year 1992. The first roll of Honour of District & Sessions Judge of Tinsukia Judiciary was Sri Phanindra Nath Sarma, M.A., LL.B NAME INDEX OF DISTRICT & SESSIONS JUDGES FROM 1992 TO TILL DATE SL. NO NAME FROM TO 1. Shri Phanindra Nath Sarma, M.A., LL.B 15-06-1992 20-09-1994 2. Shri Aditya Kanta Barooah, M.A., LL.B 30-09-1994 19-06-1995 3. Shri Satyendra Nath Bezbaruah, M.A., LL.B 19-07-1995 27-01-1999 4. Shri Govinda Manikya Paul, LL.B 12-02-1999 29-11-1999 5. Shri Abdul Khalique, LL.B 06-12-1999 14-02-2002 6. Shri Dhireswar Deka, LL.B 20-03-2002 17-05-2004 7. Shri B.D.Agarwal, B.Com, LL.B (Elevated to H.C.) 24-05-2004 11-10-2006 8. Shri S.P.More, M.A., LL.B 23-11-2006 28-06-2007 9. Shri Badan Bora, A.J.S. 08-11-2007 30-04-2010 10. Smti. Aruna Devee , A.J.S.(Voluntarily Retired) 10-05-2010 28.02.2013 11. Shri Pranjal Das, A.J.S 01-03-2013 21.02.2014 12. Shri Haresh Chandra Sarma, A.J.S (Retired) 01-03-2014 30.06.2015 13. Smti Malasri Nandi, A.J.S. 01-07-2015 05.06.2017 14. Shri Parthiv Jyoti Saikia, A.J.S. 14.06.2017 Continued Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Tinsukia was Established in the year 1990.
    [Show full text]
  • Marginalisation, Revolt and Adaptation: on Changing the Mayamara Tradition*
    Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics 15 (1): 85–102 DOI: 10.2478/jef-2021-0006 MARGINALISATION, REVOLT AND ADAPTATION: ON CHANGING THE MAYAMARA TRADITION* BABURAM SAIKIA PhD Student Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore University of Tartu Ülikooli 16, 51003, Tartu, Estonia e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Assam is a land of complex history and folklore situated in North East India where religious beliefs, both institutional and vernacular, are part and parcel of lived folk cultures. Amid the domination and growth of Goddess worshiping cults (sakta) in Assam, the sattra unit of religious and socio-cultural institutions came into being as a result of the neo-Vaishnava movement led by Sankaradeva (1449–1568) and his chief disciple Madhavadeva (1489–1596). Kalasamhati is one among the four basic religious sects of the sattras, spread mainly among the subdued communi- ties in Assam. Mayamara could be considered a subsect under Kalasamhati. Ani- ruddhadeva (1553–1626) preached the Mayamara doctrine among his devotees on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river. Later his inclusive religious behaviour and magical skill influenced many locals to convert to the Mayamara faith. Ritu- alistic features are a very significant part of Mayamara devotee’s lives. Among the locals there are some narrative variations and disputes about stories and terminol- ogies of the tradition. Adaptations of religious elements in their faith from Indig- enous sources have led to the question of their recognition in the mainstream neo- Vaishnava order. In the context of Mayamara tradition, the connection between folklore and history is very much intertwined. Therefore, this paper focuses on marginalisation, revolt in the community and narrative interpretation on the basis of folkloristic and historical groundings.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Mapping Monastic Geographicity Or Appeasing Ghosts of Monastic Subjects Indrani Chatterjee
    1 Mapping Monastic Geographicity Or Appeasing Ghosts of Monastic Subjects Indrani Chatterjee Rarely do the same apparitions inhabit the work of modern theorists of subjectivity, politics, ethnicity, the Sanskrit cosmopolis and medieval architecture at once. However, the South Asianist historian who ponders the work of Charles Taylor, Partha Chatterjee, James Scott and Sheldon Pollock cannot help notice the apparitions of monastic subjects within each. Tamara Sears has gestured at the same apparitions by pointing to the neglected study of monasteries (mathas) associated with Saiva temples.1 She finds the omission intriguing on two counts. First, these monasteries were built for and by significant teachers (gurus) who were identified as repositories of vast ritual, medical and spiritual knowledge, guides to their practice and over time, themselves manifestations of divinity and vehicles of human liberation from the bondage of life and suffering. Second, these monasteries were not studied even though some of these had existed into the early twentieth century. Sears implies that two processes have occurred simultaneously. Both are epistemological. One has resulted in a continuity of colonial- postcolonial politics of recognition. The identification of a site as ‘religious’ rested on the identification of a building as a temple or a mosque. Residential sites inhabited by religious figures did not qualify for preservation. The second is the foreshortening of scholarly horizons by disappeared buildings. Modern scholars, this suggests, can only study entities and relationships contemporaneous with them and perceptible to the senses, omitting those that evade such perception or have disappeared long ago. This is not as disheartening as one might fear.
    [Show full text]
  • Institution of Assam: an Introduction with Special References on Malinithān
    International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org ||Volume 8 Issue 05 Ser. II || May 2019 || PP 73-75 ‘Thān’ Institution of Assam: An Introduction with special references on Malinithān Dr. Deepsikha Gogoi, Assistant Professor (Contractual), Department of Assamese, Doomdooma College, Tinsukia, Assam, India ABSTRACT: There are many religious institutions in Assam which has a historical, mythological background and related with folk beliefs, they are worshiped by the people till today. ‘Thān’ Institution is one of them. This institution is also related to naturism. Natural objects like trees of variety such as bamboos, pipal, banyan, siju and some other objects like stones are considered sacred by them due to the strong belief that god resides in particular trees or in places around those trees or some secluded place generally some distance away from human habitation, has attracted people towards those places, and gradually, those places have turned into places of particular deities. Such places are popularly known as ‘Thān’. About the religious status of Assam and many religious institution of Assam, there are a few research works that has been carried on. But the ‘Thān’ has not got the basic importance among the researchers yet. In this research paper an attempt to give an introduction about Than Institution of Assam basically upper Assam with special reference on Maliithān and made to focus on the originality of Than. KEYWORDS : Than, Hindu, religion, Malinithān, folk beliefs, institution ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------- Date of Submission: 06-05-2019 Date of acceptance:21-05-2019 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- I.
    [Show full text]