Chapter 13


The ancient kingdom of Kamrup


1. Give short answers: (a) What was the name of Bhagadatta's daughter?

Answer: Bhagadatta's daughter's name was Bhanumati. (b) During the reign of which king did the Chinese traveler Huyen Chang visit the kingdom of Kamrup ?

Answer: During the reign of Bhaskar Burman.

(c) Which king married Amritaprabha, the princess of Kamarupa?

Answer: It was done by King Meghbahan of Kashmir. (d) Who was the greatest king of the Shalastambha dynasty?

Answer: Sri Harshadeva was the greatest king of the Shalastambha dynasty.

(e) Which king resisted the invasion of Bakhtiar Khilji in Kamrup?

Answer: King Prithu resisted the invasion of Bakhtiar Khilji in Kamrup.

2. Choose the correct answer -

(a) The Varman dynasty was founded by Pushya Varman/Bhaskar Varman.

Answer: The Burman dynasty was founded by Pushya Burman. (b) 'Chi-yu-ki' was a book by Kautilya/Huen Chang.

Answer: Chi-Yu-Ki was a book by Huyen Chang. (c) The era starting from the reign of Kumara Bhaskar Varman is Shakabda/Bhaskarabda.

Answer: The Bhaskarabda is the era that dates back to the reign of Kumara Bhaskar Varman. (d) Ancient Kamrup had a monarchic/democratic system of governance.

Answer: There was a monarchy in ancient Kamrup.

3. Fill in the blanks -

(a) The main occupation of the ancient kingdom of Kamrup was -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Agriculture was the main occupation of the ancient kingdom of Kamrup . (b) The Burman dynasty -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- founded.

Answer: The Burman dynasty was founded by Bhaskar Burman . (c) The greatest king of the Pala dynasty was -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Answer: The greatest king of the Pala dynasty was Ratnapala . (d) The king of the kingdom of Kamrup took the title of -- -- -- -- -- -- -- .

The king of the kingdom of Kamarupa adopted the titles of Paramabhattara , Maharajadhiraja and Paramaparameshwara . (e) - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Kamrup was the main source of income of the state.

Answer: Shakti Puja was the main source of income of the state of Kamrup .

4. The Write brief notes on Bhaskar Burman, Education System of Ancient Kamrup, Bhagadatta, Religion of Ancient Kamrup, Devadasi Practice.


Bhaskar Burman: Bhaskar Burman ruled Kamrup for a long time. It is noteworthy that Bhaskar Burman was unmarried and was known as Kumara Raja. His reign is a glorious chapter in the history of Kamrup. A new era began with the ascension of Bhaskar Varman to the throne in 594 AD. This period was called the Bhaskarabda or Kimrupi Chan.


Ancient Kamrup Education System: In ancient Kamrup, education was mainly provided in gurugrahs, Sanskrit tolls and rural schools. The rulers of Kamrup provided royal patronage for the promotion of education. There were many scholars like Raja Sthita Burman and Bhaskar Burman. The educational centers taught subjects like Chariveda, Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Tantra Vedang, History and Puranas.


Bhagadatta: Sources indicate that after the death of Narak, his son Bhagadatta sat on the throne of Kamarupa. There are several chapters of the Mahabharata that tell the story of Bhagadatta. According to legend, Duryodhana married Bhanumati, daughter of Bhagadatta. Bhagadatta dug the long pond in Guwahati during the reign of his daughter Bhanumati.


Religion of Ancient Kamarupa : Shaivism was practiced in Kamarupa since ancient times. The Kalika Purana mentions fifteen centers of Shaiva worship in ancient Kamarupa. Ancient Kamrup was one of the major centers of Shakti worship. Traditionally, Kamrup was recognized as the main center of Shakti Puja. The temple of Goddess Kamakhya was the first of these. Like Shiva and Shakti, Vishnu was worshiped in ancient Kamarupa. Buddhism also spread in ancient Kamarupa.


5. Explain the administrative system of the ancient kingdom of Kamrup.

Answer: For the convenience of governance, just as our country is divided into States, Districts, Sub-Divisions, Panchayats, Villages, etc., so the State of Kamrup was divided into Bhuktis, Mandals, Subjects, Pur Grams, etc. Some inscriptions also name the north bank of the Brahmaputra as Uttara-Kuldesh and the southern bank as Dakshina-Kuldesh.

The ancient kingdom of Kamrup was ruled by a monarchy. The rulers presented themselves as part of God. The kings adopted the titles of Paramabhattarak, Maharajadhiraj, Paramaparameshwara, etc. to assert their power over the subjects. The coronation of the kings was held in a very pompous manner according to Vedic tradition. The tributary kings, priests, nobles, and princes of other kingdoms were also invited to the ceremony.

        The Council of Ministers played a special role in the administrative system of Kamrup. Ministers and high-ranking officials were known as amatya, secretary, minister, mahapratihari, etc. The commander of the army was called the commander-in-chief and his subordinates were called commanders, heroes, warriors, etc.

        The army of Kamrup was able to demonstrate excellence in warfare. Minhaj Siraj describes the soldiers of Kamrup as clever fighters. Forts were built for defence. The army of Kamrup was well equipped with cavalry, navy, elephant and infantry. Huyen Chang's account mentions that Bhaskar Burman had a huge navy of thirty thousand ships and a powerful army of twenty thousand elephants. Several temples were built during the reign of Bhaskar Varman. At that time, the state of Kamrup was established as one of the centers of education.

6. Describe how the inscriptions help us to learn about ancient Kamrup.

Answer: FOR STUDENTS 7. Draw a map of present-day Assam and identify the capitals of the Burman, Shalastambha and Pala dynasties. (Get the teacher's help)

Answer: Draw the map yourself with the help of the teacher.