ASSAM DISTRICT GAZETTEERS - CACHAR - Volume I: B. C. ALLEN

Traditional Origins of Kacharis

THE Kacharis of Cachar, or Dimasa, as they call themselves, are generally supposed to be a section of the great Bodo horde. This populous and powerful race is said to have had its origin somewhere between the upper waters of the Yang-tse-kiang and the Hoang-ho, to have spread in successive waves over Assam, and to have even penetrated as far south as the Tippera Hills. Mr. Dundas, lately Subdivisional Officer of North Cachar, reports that an old prayer is still in use amongst the Dimasa which refers to a huge pepul tree growing near the confuence of the Dilao (Brahmaputra) and the Sagi. It was here, according to the prayer, that they were born and increased greatly in numbers, and from here that they travelled by land and by water to Nilachal, the hill near Gauhati on which the temple of Kamakhya stands. From Nilachal they moved to Halali, and finally settled at Dimapur. Copper-plates which have been recently discovered, and which are ascribed to the tenth and eleventh centuries A.D., state that the descendants of Narak, one of the earliest kings of Kamarupa, were overthrown by Cala Stambha, a Mleccha or foreign conqueror. Cala Stambha was succeeded by twenty other foreign kings, and the line of Narak was then restored in the person of Brahma Pala. It thus seems possible that the Dimasa may for a time have ruled at Gauhati, and may have been driven from there eastwards into the valley of the Dhansiri. When the Ahoms entered the Assam Valley in 1228 A.D., the Dimasa occupied the western part of Sibsagar, and a considerable part of Nowgong in addition to the valleys of the Kapili and the Dhansiri.

Wars between Kacharis and Ahoms.

The first collision between the Kacharis and the Ahoms is said to have taken place in 1490 A.D., on the banks of the Dikho river. The Kacharis were victorious and killed 120 of the enemy, and the Ahoms offered a girl, two elephants, and twelve slaves to induce them to make peace. In 1524, the Kacharis again raided into Ahom territory, but were repulsed, and the Kachari Raja gave his sister in marriage to the Ahom king. There was little loss of life on this occasion, but an expeditionary force sent up the Dhansiri two years later succeeded in killing upwards of 1,700 of the Kacharis. In 1580, Detsung, the Kachari Raja, is said to have offered his sister in marriage to the Ahom king, and to have sent with her as dowery an elephant, 500 swords and cloths, 1,000 napkins, 100 doolies, and Rs. 1,000 in cash; but it was evident that there could be no permanent peace with such an aggressive neighbour. In 1586 hostilities again broke out. Detsung was defeated and his capital was sacked, and the Kacharis were shorn of all their possessions in the valley of the Dhansiri, and north of the Kalang in Nowgong.

Migration to Maibang

Raiding parties continued to be sent into the Kachari country, and it was probably about this time that the king decided to abandon Dimapur, and moved his capital south-west to Maibang on the Mahur river, in the hope that the Ahoms would be unable to follow him through the jungle-covered hills to his new abode. The remains of brick ruins, rock sculptures, and dense grovee of bamboos show that Maibang must once have been a thriving place, but the Raja was wrong in supposing that he had passed beyond the sphere of Ahom influence. In 1706, Rudra Singh, one of the most powerful of their princes, despatched an expedition into the hills. The army numbered no less than 37,500 men, and the Kacharis were unable to withstand the attacks of such a powerful force. Maibang was taken and sacked, the spoil including a brass cannon, 700 flint guns, 240 maunds of sulphur, 140 iron shields, 6 large copper drums and 4 tuska.

Migration to Cachar Plains

The Kachari Raja fled southwards to Khaspur, and, hearing that the Ahom troops had suffered severely from sickness during the rains, applied to the Jaintia Raja for help to recover his lost territory. The latter prince persuaded the unfortunate monarch to proceed to Bikrampur, where he met the prime minister of the Jaintia State. He was then induced to advance to the Barak, and to enter a boat in which the Jaintia king was said to be reposing. Needless to say there was no such person there, and the Kachari prince was made captive and removed to Jaintiapur. Both he and the members of his family were treated with scant courtesy, and the Jaintia king proclaimed himself sovereign of the Kachari country. Means were, however, found of applying to the Ahom king for help, which was not refused. A strong force was sent through both the North Cachar and Jaintia Hills, which captured both the princes and conveyed them to the Brahmaputra Valley. The list of spoil obtained, if it is correct, shews that the Kachari king must have been a person of some wealth and power. It included 8 large cannons, 2,278 large and small guns, 12,000 pieces of silver, 143 gold embroidered coats, 68 elephants, and 11 Turkey horses. The opportunity was also taken of removing back to Assam some 1,600 persons who had fled into the hills at the time of the Koch and Muhammadan invasions, or had been kidnapped by the Kacharis. The two captive princes were kindly treated by the Ahoms. The Kachari king was stationed near Bishnath, and was finally sent back to his own country, with ten elephants, and a supply of guns, gun-powder, and other implements of war. He took up his abode at Khaspur, but shortly afterwards was attacked by a mortal disease, and though the Ahom king sent three physicians across the hills to prescribe for his sick friend, be breathed his last in 1708 A.D.

This is a sample of the history section of the ASSAM DISTRICT GAZETTEERS - CACHAR - Volume I: B. C. ALLEN. For people who are curious can read the official historical textbooks.

Historical records indicate that the kings, administrative structure, and royal traditions of the kingdom were associated with the Dimasa people. For this reason, modern historians generally interpret the Kachari Kingdom as the political history of the Dimasa Kacharis rather than the collective history of all communities sometimes described as “Kachari.”

Books you may refer to:

• Allen, B. C. ASSAM DISTRICT GAZETTEERS - Cachar, Vol 1, 1905
• Gait, Edward. A History of Assam, 1926
• Endle, Sidney. The Kacharis, 1911