Ancient Kamrupa

 Ancient Kamrupa 

1. Kalika purana was written in _______ century.

Ans: 10 th century.

2. What was the location of ancient Kamrupa?

Ans: In the Kalika purana, written in , it was mentioned that Kamrupa was located in the east of Karatowa river and its length was 100 jujon (450 miles) and breadth was 30 jujon (135 miles). According to this, the state was triangular in shape. The Kamakhya temple was located at the center of the ancient Kamrupa.

 According to the Juginitantra written in 16th century, the Kanchenjunga mountains were towards the north of Kamrupa and the meeting point of the Brahmaputra and Lakhya (Bangladesh) river in the south, the Karatowa river was in the west and the Dikkor bhaxini (Dikorai river) in the east. The Kamrupa was divided into four parts or pith in the above mentioned book. They were Ratnapith, Kampith, Swarnapith and Saumarpith.

From these , it is observed that the ancient Pragjyotishpur or Kamrupa was extended over to the present day Brahmaputra valley, Bhutan , north Bengal, north and east part of Bangladesh and to the Tibetan border towards the north.

3. Who was the first ruler of Kamrupa?

Ans: Mahirang Danab.

4. What is the name of Bhagadutta's daughter?

Ans: Bhanumoti .

5. During whose reign did Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang visit Kamrupa?

Ans: During the reign of Bhaskar Barman Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang visited Kamrupa.

6. Which king married Amritprabha,  the Princess of Kamrupa?

Ans: Bala Barman 1.

7. Who was the best king of the Salstambha Dynasty?

Ans: Harsha Dev.

8. Which king did thwart Bakhtiar Khilji's attack on Kamrupa?

Ans: Prithu.

9. Find out the correct answer:

a) Pushya  Barman / Bhaskar Barman established the Barman dynasty.

Ans: Pushya Barman established the Barman dynasty.

b) Si - Yu - Ki was Kautilya's / Hieun Tsang's book.

Ans: Si - Yu - Ki was Hieun Tsang's book.

c) The era began from the rule of Kumar Bhaskar Barman was known as Sakabda / Bhaskarabda.

Ans: The era began from the rule of Kumar Bhaskar Barman was known as Bhaskarabda.

d) There was a system of monarchism / democracy in ancient Kamrupa.

Ans: There was a system of monarchism in ancient Kamrupa.

10. Fill in the blanks:

a) The main ________ of ancient Kamrupa was _______.

Ans: ruler, Bhagadutta.

b) ________ established Barman dynasty.

Ans: Pushya Barman.

c) The best king of Pal dynasty was ________.

Ans: Ratna Pal.

d) The king of Kamrupa received the ______ titles.

Ans: Parambhattarak , Maharaja dhiraj , Param Parameshwar etc.

e) _____ was the main source of income for the state of Kamrupa.

Ans: Land revenue.

11. Who wrote Rajtarangini?

Ans: Kalhan.

12.Who dug Digholi Pukhuri?

Ans: Bhagadutta .

13. Write a short note on Bhagadutta.

Ans: Bhagadutta was the son of Naraka. There is description of Bhagadutta's bravery in many chapters of the Mahabharata. According to the sayings, Bhagadutta's daughter, Bhanumoti was married to Durjyodhan. It is also said that Guwahati's 'Digholi Pukhuri' was dug by Bhagadutta during the time of his daughter's marriage. Due to this relationship, Bhagadutta fought along with the Kauravas in the war of the Mahabharata inspite of his friendship with the Pandavas. It can be assumed that Bhagadutta was one of the famous and brave kings of India from the contribution that he made towards the war of the Mahabharata.

After Bhagadutta, many renowned kings ruled Kamrupa. Bajradutta, Banroja and king Bhismak were among few of them who received popularity.

14. Pushya Barman was contemporary to _____ .

Ans: Samudra Gupta.

15. Write about Samudra Barman.

Ans: Samudra Barman was the son of Pushya Barman. He ruled approximately between the period from 380-405 AD. Samudra Barman was a skillful ruler and his wife Duttadevi was an intelligent lady.

16. Write about Bala Barman 1.

Ans: Bala Barman 1 ruled Kamrupa from approximately 405 - 420 AD. According to many historians, during his rule a pleasant relationship between Kamrupa and Kashmir was developed.

17. Write about Bhaskar Barman.

Ans: Bhaskar Barman was a ruler of Kamrupa. It is said that Bhaskar Barman was unmarried that is why he was also known as Kumar Raja. He ruled Kamrupa for a long period of time. His rule was one of the most glorious episode in the history of ancient Kamrupa. Bhaskar Barman's ascension to the throne in 594 AD created a new era known as 'Bhaskarabda' or 'Kamrupi year' . Amongst several significant events during his rule, two of the most striking incidents are his cordial relationship with the valiant king of north India, Harsha Vardhan and the Kamrupa visit of Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang.

18. Write about King Harsha Dev.

Ans: King Harsha Dev was a famous ruler of the Salstambha Dynasty of Ancient Kamrupa . During his rule, Kamrupa led multiple successful military marches in places like Gauda, Bengal, Orissa, Kaushal, Bihar etc.