- Khen dynasty
The Khen dynasty of
Assam replaced the Pala dynasty in the12th century . Their accession marks the end of the Kamarupa kingdom, and the beginning of theKamata kingdom .According to the "Gosani mangala" (
1823 ), the Khen rulers had a humble origin, implying that they were probably local non-Aryan chieftains that rose to power after the fall of the Palas. Ethnically, they are possibly related to theKheng people of nearbyBhutan . They worshipped "Kamatashwari" (also called "Chandi" or "Bhavani"), thus providing a break from the earlier dynasties that drew their lineage fromNarakasura , the son ofVishnu . Along with the change in the deity, the Khen rulers moved the capital from Kamarupanagara to Kamatapura further west on the banks of theDharla River .Under the patronage of Kamata rulers (e.g Durlabh Narayan), some of the first examples of Assamese literature were composed.
The kingdom of Kamatapura finally fell to Alauddin Hussein Shah in
1498 . But Hussein Shah could not rule the kingdom—Bhuyan chiefs of the region, with the help of the Ahom king,Suhungmung , defeated the invaders in1505 . Soon control of the Kamata kingdom passed into the hands of theKoch dynasty .Rule
The first king Prithu is known from the Kanai Varasiboa rock inscription in which a reference is made of the destruction of Bakhtiyar's army in
1205 . This was followed by the defeat of Giasuddin in1227 , but in1228 , Prithu was defeated by Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah, the son ofIltutmish , and the Turkish army reached the Nagaon area. After Nassiruddin's death, Prithu's successor, Sandhya, removed the Turkish influence.Rulers
* Prithu (c
1185 -1228 )
* Sandhya (1228 -1260 )
* Sindhu Rai (1260 -1285 )
* Rup Narayan (1285 -1300 )
* Singhadhwaj (1300 -1305 )
* Pratapdhwaj (1305 -1325 )
* Dharma Narayan (1325 -1330 )
* Durlabh Narayan (1330 -1350 )
* Indra Narayan (1350 -1365 )
* Sasanka (Arimatta) (1365 -1385 )
* Gajanka (1385 -1400 )
* Sukranka (1400 -1415 )
* Mriganka (1415 -1440 )
* Niladhwaj (1440 -1460 )
* Chakradhwaj (1460 -1480 )
* Nilambar (1480 -1498 )References
* Acharyya, N. N. "The History of Medieval Assam (From the 13th to the 17th century)", Guwahati, 1966.
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