Koch Hajo
Encyclopedia
Koch Hajo was the eastern portion of the Kamata kingdom
that splintered off under Raghudev Narayan in 1581 from the Kamata kingdom
then under Nara Narayana in medieval Assam
. The Sankosh river was fixed as the boundary between Koch Hajo and the western portion that came to be called Koch Bihar
. This boundary is roughly the boundary between the present-day Assam
and West Bengal
. The name Hajo comes from a legendary king Hajo the Koch, who ruled over the Rangpur district
in present-day Bangladesh
and some regions of Assam
.
occupy Garhgaon the capital of the Ahom kingdom
briefly, Koch rule was consolidated between the Sankosh river in the west and the Barnadi river on the east under the governorship of Chilarai. Chilarai's son, Raghudev, was the heir apparent to the childless Nara Narayan. A son (Lakshmi Narayan) born late to Nara Narayan dashed Raghudev's hopes of becoming the king. Raghudev and some trusted state officers traveled east on a purported hunting trip and declared himself king of the eastern portion at a place Barnagar near the Manas river. Nara Narayana did not react aggressively, and the kingdom was divided amicably with Raghudev promising to pay an annual tribute. This division occurred in 1581. When Nara Narayan died in 1587, Raghudev stopped paying tribute and declared himself independent.
The kingdom under Raghudev included the region between Sankosh and Barnadi rivers on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra river, and on the south the region west of the Kallang river that followed the course of the Brahmaputra as it bends south and right up to the forests of Mymensingh region, now in Bangladesh
.
The first major defeat for Raghudev was at the hands of Isa Khan
, an Afghan chief from Mymensingh. Raghudev fortified Jangalbari in Mymensigh, but ultimately lost the region south of Rangamati sometime before 1594. After Man Singh
became the Subahdar of the Mughal Empire for Bengal in 1594, Isa Khan and others were defeated by the Mughals under Himmat Singh in 1596, forcing Isa Khan to ally with Raghudev. Raghudev, with the help of Isa Khan, attacked Koch Bihar, and Lakshmi Narayan submitted on his own accord to vassalage of the Mughal Empire. Under these circumstances, Raghudev transferred his capital from Barnagar to north Guwahati.
The Koch Bihar-Mughal alliance defeated Raghudev in May 1597, but in the same year Raghudev was able to recoup his losses with the help of Isa Khan. Isa Khan died in 1599, driving Raghudev to seek an alliance with the Ahom kingdom
. Raghudev offered his daughter Mangaldoi to Prataap Singha in 1602/1603, and the Ahom king accepted on the possibility of using Raghudev as a buffer against the Mughals. But this did not happen because Raghudev died within a few days after the marriage between Pratap Singha and Mangaldoi.
in 1609. Parikshit could ward off the first Mughal expedition under Abdul Wahid, but the second expedition under Mukarram Khan was massive. He tried to enlist the Ahoms into the war but was unsuccessfully.
have maintained hostilities against each other. In 1602 the Nawab of Dhaka
(governor for the Mughals
) moved by Lakshmi Narayan (ruler of Koch Bihar) and others attacked Parikshit Narayan, the ruler of Koch Hajo. Parikshit was defeated at Dhubri and sued for peace. But he soon continued with the hostilities and in 1614 was driven up to Pandu, now in Guwahati
. Here, Parikshit surrendered and agreed to become a vassal of the Mughal Empire. But before he could take up this assignment he died. The Mughals then appointed Kabisekhar as the kanungo and instructed Sheikh Ibrahim Karori to set up a Mughal system of administration. The Mughals appointed Bijit Narayan, son of Parikshit Narayan, as the zamindar of the region between river Sankosh and Manas, and he became the founder of the Bijni branch of the Koch royal family which finally settled in Abhayapuri.
The four sarkars were further divided into pargana
s, and traces of this revenue system exists till today.
The Mughal influence in Kamrup ended in 1682. The Mughal political influence on Koch Hajo lasted for eighty years.
, attacked the Mughals before dawn and massacred a major portion of the Mughal army. The Ahoms defeated the Mughals in the Bharali war and re-occupied Darrang from the Mughals. After the region was cleared of the Mughals, Pratap Singha established Bali Narayan, the brother of Parikshit Narayan, as the Raja of Darrang. Pratap Singha christened Bali Narayan as Dharma Narayan. The Ahoms, with the help of Bali Narayan, then moved against the remnant of the Mughals ruling in Hajo. After many battles the Ahoms and Bali Narayan's army finally conquered Hajo and removed their influence from Goalpara. Bali Narayan began his rule from Hajo.
This did not last for long and the Mughals maintained their attack on Koch Hajo. Beginning with 1637 the Ahoms faced a number of reverses, including the death of Bali Narayan in Singari battle in 1638. His son ascended the throne and became the king of Darrang (excluding Tezpur
). On the other hand, the Ahoms ruled the eastern part of Darrang (the present Sonitpur
) through Kalia Bhomora Borphukan, stationed at Kaliabor. In 1639 by the Treaty of Asurar Ali
between the Ahom general Momai Tamuli Borbarua
and the Mughal commander Allahyar Khan the river Barnadi was fixed as the boundary between the Mughal empire and the Ahom kingdom. Darrang remained with the Ahoms ruled by Mahendra Narayan, son of Bali Narayan. Mahendra Narayan was succeeded by Chandra Narayan and then by Surya Narayan.
in 1657, the Ahoms reoccupied Kamrup. Again, this possession did not last long. In 1662 the Mughal general Mir Jumla marched up to Gargaon, the Ahom capital, and set up camp. But he could not consolidate Mughal rule in the region. Nevertheless, he struck an agreement
with the Ahom king that included war indemnities; but he died on his journey back to Dhaka. The Ahoms again captured Kamrup in 1667, and fended off an entrenched Mughal attack led by Kachwaha
Rajput Raja Ram Singh
in 1671 in the celebrated Battle of Saraighat
. In March 1679, the Ahom viceroy in Guwahati, Laluk-sola Borphukan, handed over Kamrup to Nawab Mansur Khan, the deputy of Sultan Azamtara, the son of Aurangzeb
and the then governor of Bengal.
Mansur Khan attacked Darrang in 1682, captured Surya Narayan and installed his 5-year old brother as the ruler of Darrang. But that influence did not last for long. In that year itself, the Ahoms, under the kingship of Gadadhar Singha, attacked Kamrup and removed the Mughals for good. In the meantime, the influence of the Raja of Darrang decreased, and the Ahoms took possession of Kamrup till the end of their rule.
and then finally to Abhayapuri in 1901. The control of the Bijni branch ended after the Indian government took direct control of the region in 1956.
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...
that splintered off under Raghudev Narayan in 1581 from 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...
then under Nara Narayana in medieval Assam
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 Sankosh river was fixed as the boundary between Koch Hajo and the western portion that came to be called Koch Bihar
Koch Bihar
Koch Bihar was a small kingdom located south of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, west of the upper Brahmaputra valley Ahom kingdom, and north-east of the Ganges plain and Bengal. It was formed when the Kamata Kingdom under the Koch dynasty split following the death of Nara Narayan in 1586. The...
. This boundary is roughly the boundary between the present-day Assam
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...
and West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. The name Hajo comes from a legendary king Hajo the Koch, who ruled over the Rangpur district
Rangpur District
The district of Rangpur have 4924 mosques, 480 temples, 43 churches and six tombs.In an anthropologic view most people of Rangpur are having Rajbagshi blood in their veins...
in present-day Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and some regions of Assam
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...
.
Division of Kamata kingdom
After the Koch-Ahom wars that saw 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...
occupy Garhgaon the capital of the Ahom kingdom
Ahom 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...
briefly, Koch rule was consolidated between the Sankosh river in the west and the Barnadi river on the east under the governorship of Chilarai. Chilarai's son, Raghudev, was the heir apparent to the childless Nara Narayan. A son (Lakshmi Narayan) born late to Nara Narayan dashed Raghudev's hopes of becoming the king. Raghudev and some trusted state officers traveled east on a purported hunting trip and declared himself king of the eastern portion at a place Barnagar near the Manas river. Nara Narayana did not react aggressively, and the kingdom was divided amicably with Raghudev promising to pay an annual tribute. This division occurred in 1581. When Nara Narayan died in 1587, Raghudev stopped paying tribute and declared himself independent.
The kingdom under Raghudev included the region between Sankosh and Barnadi rivers on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra river, and on the south the region west of the Kallang river that followed the course of the Brahmaputra as it bends south and right up to the forests of Mymensingh region, now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
.
Raghudev Narayan
Raghudev's declaration of independence established a Koch Bihar-Koch Hajo conflict that was to result in Koch Bihar losing its independence to the Mughal Empire and Koch Hajo losing its very existence both within three decades. Lakshmi Narayan tried to instigate Parikshit, a son of Raghudev, against his father. The plot was detected and Parikshit managed to escape to Koch Bihar. This led to an armed conflict between the two kingdoms, but which maintained the status quo.The first major defeat for Raghudev was at the hands of Isa Khan
Isa Khan
Isa Khan is the most famous of the Baro Bhuiyans of medieval Bengal. He was the ruler of a region named Bhati. Throughout his reign he put resistance against Mughal invasion. It was only after his death, when the region went totally under Mughals.-Early life:It is estimated that he was born in 1529...
, an Afghan chief from Mymensingh. Raghudev fortified Jangalbari in Mymensigh, but ultimately lost the region south of Rangamati sometime before 1594. After Man Singh
Man Singh I of Amber
Raja Shri Man Singh Ji Saheb was the Kacchwaha King of Amber, a state later known as Jaipur...
became the Subahdar of the Mughal Empire for Bengal in 1594, Isa Khan and others were defeated by the Mughals under Himmat Singh in 1596, forcing Isa Khan to ally with Raghudev. Raghudev, with the help of Isa Khan, attacked Koch Bihar, and Lakshmi Narayan submitted on his own accord to vassalage of the Mughal Empire. Under these circumstances, Raghudev transferred his capital from Barnagar to north Guwahati.
The Koch Bihar-Mughal alliance defeated Raghudev in May 1597, but in the same year Raghudev was able to recoup his losses with the help of Isa Khan. Isa Khan died in 1599, driving Raghudev to seek an alliance with the Ahom kingdom
Ahom 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...
. Raghudev offered his daughter Mangaldoi to Prataap Singha in 1602/1603, and the Ahom king accepted on the possibility of using Raghudev as a buffer against the Mughals. But this did not happen because Raghudev died within a few days after the marriage between Pratap Singha and Mangaldoi.
Parikshit Narayan
Parikshit the eldest son of Raghudev returned to the capital in 1603 to stake his claim to the kingdom. In the war of succession that followed, Man Singha, a son of Raghudev was offered refuge in Namrup by the Ahom king. Soon, he invaded Bahirbandh, a region under Koch Bihar and occupied it. In the ensuing battle Lakshmi Narayan was defeated who had to accept a number of concessions. Lakshmi Narayan saw no recourse but to submit in person to Islam KhanIslam Khan I
Shaikh Alauddin Chisti was a Subahdar and general of the army of the Mughal empire in Bengal, and the first governor of the city of Dhaka, the capital of modern Bangladesh...
in 1609. Parikshit could ward off the first Mughal expedition under Abdul Wahid, but the second expedition under Mukarram Khan was massive. He tried to enlist the Ahoms into the war but was unsuccessfully.
Koch Hajo-Mughal war
The Mughal army and navy began its expedition from near Dhaka in the July 1612.Mughal rule
Since the declaration of independence, the rulers of Koch Hajo and the rulers of Koch BiharCooch Behar
Cooch Behar is the district headquarters and the largest city of Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and located at . Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage...
have maintained hostilities against each other. In 1602 the Nawab of Dhaka
Nawab of Dhaka
The Nawab of Dhaka was the title of the head of the Dhaka Nawab Estate, the largest and richest Muslim zamindari in Bengal. The first Nawab of Dhaka was Khwaja Alimullah who had been installed by the British Raj as head of the estate, which covered modern day Dhaka city and several of its...
(governor for the Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
) moved by Lakshmi Narayan (ruler of Koch Bihar) and others attacked Parikshit Narayan, the ruler of Koch Hajo. Parikshit was defeated at Dhubri and sued for peace. But he soon continued with the hostilities and in 1614 was driven up to Pandu, now in Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
. Here, Parikshit surrendered and agreed to become a vassal of the Mughal Empire. But before he could take up this assignment he died. The Mughals then appointed Kabisekhar as the kanungo and instructed Sheikh Ibrahim Karori to set up a Mughal system of administration. The Mughals appointed Bijit Narayan, son of Parikshit Narayan, as the zamindar of the region between river Sankosh and Manas, and he became the founder of the Bijni branch of the Koch royal family which finally settled in Abhayapuri.
Mughal divisions
The Mughal divided the kingdom of Koch Hajo into four sarkars. They were:- Uttarkol or Dhekeri, north of the Brahmaputra containing Nagaon.
- Dakhinkol, south of Brahmaputra.
- Kamrup, containing GuwahatiGuwahatiGuwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
and Hajo. - Bangalbhum, containing Bahirbund and Bhitarbund.
The four sarkars were further divided into pargana
Pargana
A pargana is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent, used primarily, but not exclusively, by the Muslim kingdoms.Parganas were introduced by the Delhi Sultanate, and the word is of Persian origin. As a revenue unit, a pargana consists of several mouzas, which are the smallest...
s, and traces of this revenue system exists till today.
The Mughal influence in Kamrup ended in 1682. The Mughal political influence on Koch Hajo lasted for eighty years.
Darrang
With the Mughals reaching the doorsteps of the Ahoms, hostilities ensued. These finally led to a large Mughal army attacking the Ahom kingdom in 1615-1616. On January 27, 1616, the Ahoms, under the king Pratap SinghaSusenghphaa
Susenghphaa , also Pratap Singha, was the 17th and one of the most prominent kings of the Ahom kingdom. As he was advanced in years when he became king, he is also called the Burha Raja...
, attacked the Mughals before dawn and massacred a major portion of the Mughal army. The Ahoms defeated the Mughals in the Bharali war and re-occupied Darrang from the Mughals. After the region was cleared of the Mughals, Pratap Singha established Bali Narayan, the brother of Parikshit Narayan, as the Raja of Darrang. Pratap Singha christened Bali Narayan as Dharma Narayan. The Ahoms, with the help of Bali Narayan, then moved against the remnant of the Mughals ruling in Hajo. After many battles the Ahoms and Bali Narayan's army finally conquered Hajo and removed their influence from Goalpara. Bali Narayan began his rule from Hajo.
This did not last for long and the Mughals maintained their attack on Koch Hajo. Beginning with 1637 the Ahoms faced a number of reverses, including the death of Bali Narayan in Singari battle in 1638. His son ascended the throne and became the king of Darrang (excluding Tezpur
Tezpur
Tezpur is a city and the administrative headquarters and municipal board of Sonitpur district in the state of Assam in northeastern India. Tezpur is an ancient city on the banks of the river Brahmaputra and is the largest of the north bank towns with a population exceeding 100,000...
). On the other hand, the Ahoms ruled the eastern part of Darrang (the present Sonitpur
Sonitpur
Sonitpur is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Tezpur. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Assam , after Nagaon and Dhubri.-Etymology:...
) through Kalia Bhomora Borphukan, stationed at Kaliabor. In 1639 by the Treaty of Asurar Ali
Treaty of Asurar Ali
The Treaty of Asurar Ali was signed in early February of 1639 between the Mughal commander Allah Yar Khan and the Ahom commander Momai Tamuli Borbarua. The treaty came at the end of a period of Mughal efforts to drive into the Ahom kingdom that began in 1615, and followed a decisive Ahom victory...
between the Ahom general Momai Tamuli Borbarua
Momai Tamuli Borbarua
Momai Tamuli was the Governor of upper Assam as also commander-in-chief of the army in the Ahom kingdom. He was the first Borbarua, a new office created during the rule of the Ahom king Prataap Singha. He rose from a humble position as a bondsman to the office of the Borbarua, which was a combined...
and the Mughal commander Allahyar Khan the river Barnadi was fixed as the boundary between the Mughal empire and the Ahom kingdom. Darrang remained with the Ahoms ruled by Mahendra Narayan, son of Bali Narayan. Mahendra Narayan was succeeded by Chandra Narayan and then by Surya Narayan.
Kamrup
Following the war of succession after Shah JahanShah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
in 1657, the Ahoms reoccupied Kamrup. Again, this possession did not last long. In 1662 the Mughal general Mir Jumla marched up to Gargaon, the Ahom capital, and set up camp. But he could not consolidate Mughal rule in the region. Nevertheless, he struck an agreement
Treaty of Ghilajharighat
The Treaty of Ghilajharighat, Tipam, was signed between the Ahoms and the Mughal forces led by Mir Jumla on January 23, 1663. The treaty brought Mir Jumla's occupation of the Ahom capital, Garhgaon, to an end.-Terms:...
with the Ahom king that included war indemnities; but he died on his journey back to Dhaka. The Ahoms again captured Kamrup in 1667, and fended off an entrenched Mughal attack led by Kachwaha
Kachwaha
Kachwaha are a Suryavanshi Kshatriya clan who ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states in India such as Alwar, Maihar, Talcher, while the largest kingdom was Jaipur which was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727...
Rajput Raja Ram Singh
Ramsingh I
Mirza Raja Ram Singh I was the elder son Mirza Raja Jai Singh I and was ruler of Amber, and head of the Kachwaha Rajput clan, from 1667 to 1688.- Career as prince :...
in 1671 in the celebrated Battle of Saraighat
Battle of Saraighat
The Battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 between the Mughal empire , and the Ahom Kingdom on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, now in Guwahati...
. In March 1679, the Ahom viceroy in Guwahati, Laluk-sola Borphukan, handed over Kamrup to Nawab Mansur Khan, the deputy of Sultan Azamtara, the son of Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
and the then governor of Bengal.
Mansur Khan attacked Darrang in 1682, captured Surya Narayan and installed his 5-year old brother as the ruler of Darrang. But that influence did not last for long. In that year itself, the Ahoms, under the kingship of Gadadhar Singha, attacked Kamrup and removed the Mughals for good. In the meantime, the influence of the Raja of Darrang decreased, and the Ahoms took possession of Kamrup till the end of their rule.
Bijni
The Bijni branch of the Koch dynasty controlled its feudatory from the present-day Bijni town from 1671 till 1864 when it was attacked by Jhawlia Mech, a chieftain from Bhutan. This resulted in the capital moving to Dumuria. The earthquake of 1897 destroyed the royal palaces and the capital moved again, first to JogighopaJogighopa
Jogighopa is a large industrial city located on the banks of the Brahmaputra River in the Bongaigaon district in the state of Assam, IndiaIn the city are the remains of the five rock cut rock-cut caves, excellent examples of Salasthambha period architecture The architectural site is being...
and then finally to Abhayapuri in 1901. The control of the Bijni branch ended after the Indian government took direct control of the region in 1956.