Chapter 14
Medieval Assam
1. 1. Write the answer-
(a) In which century did the Ahoms come to Assam?
Answer : The Ahoms came to Assam in the thirteenth century.
(b) Who were the two ministers whom Chukapha brought with him when he came to Assam?
The two ministers whom Chukapha brought with him when he came to Assam were Buragohai and Bargohai.
(c) Who was Mulagavru?
Answer: Mulagavru was the wife of Frasengmu Bargohai. She fought with Tubark to avenge her husband's murder.
(d) In which year did Gadadhar Singh ascend the Ahom throne?
Answer: In 1861 AD, Gadadhar Singh ascended the Ahom throne.
(e) In which year did the Koch king Naranarayan invade the Ahom kingdom?
Answer: The Koch king Naranarayan invaded the Ahom in 1562 AD.
(f) Who was the greatest king of the Chutia?
The best king of the Chutia was Ratnadhvaja Pala or Gaurinarayan.
2) Arranged in order-
a) Treaty of Yandabu
b) Hussain Shah's invasion of Kamrup Komta
c) The Battle of Saraighat
d) Mir Jumla's invasion of Assam
e) Swargadeo Chukapha established his capital at Charideo.
f) Ikhtiar-ud-din Malik Uzbeg Tughril Khan's invasion of Kamrup ǀ
Answer: ( e) Swargadeo Chukapha established his capital at Charideo. (in 1228 AD)
(f) Invasion of Kamrup by Ikhtiar-ud-din Malik Uzbeg Tughril Khan. (1257 AD)
(b) Hussain Shah's invasion of Kamrup Komta (1498 AD)
(d) Mir Jumla's invasion of Assam (1662 AD)
(c) The Battle of Saraighat
(a) Treaty of Yandaboo (1826)
3) Judging right from wrong-
a) The period from the arrival of the Ahoms in Assam to the Treaty of Yandabu is the Middle Ages of Assamese history
Answer: Correct.
b) The Ahom kings adopted Hindu names from the days of Chudangpha or Bamuni Konwar
Answer: Incorrect.
c) The author Chihabuddin Talish came to Assam during Mir Jumla's invasion of Assam
Answer: Correct.
d) The Kachari kingdom came under the British during the reign of Kachari king Govinda Chandra.
Answer: Correct.
e) The Chutia were Vaishnavas ǀ
Answer: Incorrect.
f) The Bhuyans helped the Turkish Afghans during the invasion of Kamrup
Answer: Incorrect
4) Fill in the blanks-
Answer:
a) The state of Kamrup became known as Assam after the arrival of the Ahoms in Assam
b) The Ahom worshiped and served a god named Chomdeu ǀ
c) Swarg Narayan Swargadeo Chuhungmu or Dihingia king Hindu name ǀ
d) Sandhya transferred the capital of Kamrup from North Guwahati to Komtapur ǀ
e) Ratnadhvajapala or Gaurinarayana was the most powerful king of the Chutia
f) The word Bhuyan means the owner of the land
5) Write the answer in about 50 words -
a) When, who and how was the Ahom kingdom established in Assam?
Answer : The Ahoms came to Assam in the thirteenth century ǀ they ruled in Assam for about 600 years till the early nineteenth century ǀ
The Chukapha entered Assam from the Maolung kingdom about 784 years ago, crossing the Patkai Mountains via Mukong. During this period, Chukapha faced many challenges from the indigenous people until he crossed the Patkai Mountains and established his capital at Charideo in 1228 AD. At this time, the area between the Dikhou and Dichang rivers was under the rule of the Maran and Barahi tribes. Chukapha was a clever ,brave and skilled warrior.He died in 1268 AD after reigning for 36 years.
b) Who fought the Battle of Saraighat? What was the result of this?
Answer: The conflict between the Ahom and the Mughals started when King Chakradhar Singh refused to pay taxes to the Mughals. The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb sent Ram Singh to invade Assam. The result was the Battle of Saraighat in 1671 between the Ahom army led by Bir Lachit Barphukan and the Mughal army led by Ram Singh.
The Mughal army was defeated in this battle and the lost honor and fame of the Ahoms was restored.
c) Who was Chilarai? What kingdoms did he conquer?
Answer: Another name of Bir Chilarai is Shukladhvaja. During the reign of Naranarayana, the greatest king of the Kochas, his brother Shukladhvaja was appointed commander of the army. Shukla Dhwaja is known in history as 'Chilarai' because he conquered the kingdom by attacking suddenly like Chila.
The kingdoms conquered by Bir Chilara were the Ahom kingdoms, Kachari, Manipur, Jaintia, Tripura, Khairam, Dimrua, Srihatta etc.
d) Who are the Barbhuiyans?
There are many stories about the rise of the Barbhuiyas in Assam . Some believe that the powerful feudal lords who were freed from the king during the earlier rule of the kingdom of Kamrup later became Bhuyans. The Bhuyans rose as independent kings during the reign of the weak kings of Kamarupa due to their sufficient wealth and army. The word 'Bhuyan' means land owners. The Bhuiyans of Assam are mainly Kayastha, Daivagya and Brahmin Bhuiyans. The Bhuiyans of Assam are known as the Barbhuiyans.
e) Who are the Kacharis?
Answer: The Kacharis are the oldest inhabitants of Assam. Historians believe that the Kacharis ruled the kingdom of Kamrup in ancient times. Their rule extended to the coast including Sylhet and Maimansingh in present-day Bangladesh. The Kacharis included the Chutia ,Koch, Tripuri, Sharania, Garo, Rava, Lalung, Dimacha ethnic groups. However, the people of this ethnic group settled in different places over time and gave birth to their own culture under the influence of the surrounding environment. This culture is somewhat different from their previous culture. Therefore, these people are known by different names in different places. They are the Boro, Kachari, Mess,Dimacha, Gare, Hajong, Sharania, Sonwal, etc.
