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)