The Mlechchha dynasty (c. 650 - 900) ruled Kamarupa from their capital at Harruppesvar in present-day Tezpur, Assam, after the fall of the Varman dynasty.[2] According to historical records, there were twenty one rulers in this dynasty, but the line is obscure and names of some intervening rulers are not known.[3] Like all other Kamarupa dynasties a semi-mythical lineage from Narakasura was constructed to accord legitimacy to their rule.[4] The Mlechchha dynasty in Kamarupa was followed by the Pala kings. The dynasty is unrelated to the previous Varman dynasty.[5]
Sources
Salasthambha is first mentioned in an inscription 175 years into the rule of the dynasty.[6]
The Hayunthal Copper Plates, dated to the middle of 9th Century CE, mentions multiple kings from the dynasty in a chronological fashion — Salastamba, Vijaya, Palaka, Kumara, Vajradeva, Harsavarman, Balavarman, [unnamed], Harjaravarman, and Vanamala.[7] The Tejpur Copper Plates (since lost), roughly dated to the same spans, primarily chronicles Vanamala — other rulers like Pralambha, and Harjaravarman are mentioned.[7] The Parbatiya Copper Plates, again roughly dated to the middle of 9th Century CE, chronicles Vanamala.[7]
Origins and etymology
It is not clear how Salasthambha, the first of this dynasty, came to power.[8]
Suniti Kumar Chatterji as well Dineshchandra Sircar propose that Salastambha was a Bodo-Kachari chief of Mech, which was later sanskritized to Mleccha;[9][10] an inscription from the reign of a king from the later Pala dynasty claims him to be a mlecchādhināth (Lord of The Mlecchas).[11] An illegible explanation of theirs being called mlecchas was provided over the Hayunthal Plates, too.[7]
Symbolically, Mleccha designation could mean suppression of Vedic religion and the predominance of tantric vamacara practised by saivites and saktas. So, ethnic identity of Salastambha family could be same as Varmans but came to be known as mlecchas.[12]
According to some historians, the remnant of the Mlechchha kingdom formed the later Kachari kingdom.[13]
Rulers
The grants of Ratnapala give the list of 21 kings from Salastambha to his line.[3]
^(Shin 2010:8):"Along with the inscriptional and literary evidence, the archaeological remains of the Kamakhya temple, which stands on top of the Nilacala, testify that the Mlecchas gave a significant impetus to construct or reconstruct the Kamakhya temple."
^(Shin 2016:127):"From a close reading of the royal genealogy, it is apparent that there was no unilineal development of dynasties and definite connection among them. In fact, the Mlecchas and the Pālas denied the validity of previous dynasty for claiming their own legitimacy and the character and identity of progenitor, Naraka, were continuously re-formulated according to the socio-political changes."
^"(W)hen exactly Salasthambha occupied (the throne of Kamarupa) and under what circumstances cannot be determined in the present state of insufficient information." (Sircar 1990:122)
^(Chatterji 1951:97)The distinct mention of Sala-stambha as being a lord of the Mlecchas, as in the Bargaon copper-plate of the 19th century, would appear to make it clear that he was a Bodo chief of the Mèch tribe (Sanskritised as Mlēccha), who followed Bhaskara-varman in assuming the rulership of Assam
^(Shin 2011:178) According to D.C. Sircar, 'Mleccha' may be sanskritized form of tribal name 'mech'
^"Salasthambha is called mlecchādhinath or lord of the Mlecchas in Ratnapalal's grant of the first half of the 10th century." (Sircar 1990:124)
^Pralambha, read from the Tezpur plates, can be corrected to Salambha, in light of the Parbatiya plates, (Sarma 1978, p. 105) harv error: no target: CITEREFSarma1978 (help)
Shin, Jae-Eun (2018), "Region Formed and Imagined: Reconsidering temporal, spatial and social context of Kamarupa", in Dzüvichü, Lipokmar; Baruah, Manjeet (eds.), Modern Practices in North East India: History, Culture, Representation, London & New York: Routledge, pp. 23–55
Shin, Jae-Eun (2010). "Yoni, Yoginis and Mahavidyas : Feminine Divinities from Early Medieval Kamarupa to Medieval Koch Behar". Studies in History. 26 (1): 1–29. doi:10.1177/025764301002600101. S2CID155252564.
Bhattacharjee, J. B. (1992), "The Kachari state formation", in Barpujari, H. K. (ed.), The Comprehensive History of Assam, vol. 2, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board, pp. 391–397
Sircar, D. C. (1990), "The Mlechchha Dynasty of Salasthambha", in Barpujari, H. K. (ed.), The Comprehensive History of Assam, vol. 1, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board
Chatterji, S.K (1951). Kirata-Jana-Krti. Calcutta: The Asiatic Society.
Sen, S.N. (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. ISBN9788122411980.
Shin, Jae Eun (2016). "Searching for Kāmarūpa:Historiography of the Early Brahmaputra Valley in the Colonial and Post Colonial Period". Journal of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of West Bengal. 1: 115–32.
