CACHAR, Assam

Main Attraction: Kanchakanti Kali Mandir

Kanchakanti Kali temple, which is a union of Goddess Durga and Goddess Kali is situated 15 km from Silchar, on the way to the Kumbhirgram airport. Mythologically, the king of the region once had a dream, in which he was asked to build an idol of the four-armed goddess. Following his dreams, he constructed the temple and prepared a gold idol of the Goddess, somewhere during 1806. This temple however, got destroyed due to natural forces and a new one was constructed later. It is often said that one’s desires and wishes are fulfilled, if one prays to the Goddess of the temple and as such, the region is always crowded by devotees and worshippers.

Brief History

Cachar was the only ditrict of Assam in the Barak valley from the days of yore with Silchar, Karimganj and Hailakndi as its three sub-divisions.With regard to the origin of the name of ‘Cachar’ it is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Khachar’ which means a broad region near mountain or water. Mr. E. Gait is of the opinion that the Kacharies might have named the district of Cachar after their name .It might also be possible that the Bengalis of Sylhet district gave this district its name as the work ‘Kachar’ in Sylhetee means a stretch of land at the foot of a mountain or on the bank of a river. It is not very easy to trace the origin of the name but it is more likely that “Hadamba” was a very old name of Cachar.

The Kacharies

The Kachari kings had styled themselves as ‘Lord of Hedamba’. It has therefore been suggested that Hedamaba had long been the name of the Kachari kingdom and that of Dimapur. Dimapur, the capital, is in reality, a rename of Hedambapur. It may be mentioned that the work Hedamba or Hiramba frequently occurred in inscriptions and other records in the great epic Mahabharata. The Kacharies of Cachar or Dimasa, as they called themselves are generally supposed to be a section of the great Bodo horde. The populous and powerful race is said to have its origin somewhere between the upper water of Yan-t-se-kiang and the Hoang-ho. They came down to Assam in successive waves and had even penetrated as far south of Tippera Hills.

The history of Cachar can be traced back to the time when the ‘Ahoms, a race of people of the great Shan-Thai family migrated to Assam in the beginning of the 13th centuryA.D. Towards the end of the 13th century, the out laying Kachari settlements on east of Dikhow river withdrew along with the advance of Ahoms and the river Dikhow remainded the boundary between the two nations for a hundred years. Again the collision between the Kacharies and the Ahom took place on the banks of the Dikhow River. The Kacharies were victorious and killed 120of the enemies and the Ahoms offered a girl, two elephants and twelve slaves to induce them to maintain peace. In 1524, the Kacharies again raided into Assam territory, but were repulsed and this time Kachari Raja gave his sister in marriage to the Ahom kings. Again in 1530, Detsung, the Kachari Raja is said to have offered his sister in marriage to the Ahom kings and have sent with her as dowry an elephant, 500 swords and cloths, 1000 napkins, 100 coolies and Rs.1000 in cash. But it was evident that there could be no permanent peace with such aggressive neighbors.

In 1536, Detsung was defeated and the Kacharies were shown all of their possessions in the valley of the Dhansiri and north of the Kolong in Nagaon district. The Ahoms took over Dimapur, capital of Kachari kings, Detsung, after defeating him in a battle. The Kacharies decided to abandon Dimapur and moved his capital southwest to Maibong on the Mahur river in the hope that Ahoms would be unable to follow them through the jungle-covered hills to his new aboard.

In 1706, Rudra Singh, one of the most powerful princess, dispatched and expedition into the hills. The Army numbered not less then 37,500 men and the Kacharies were unable to withstand the attacks of such powerful force, ultimately the Kachari Raja, Tamradhas was totally defeated.

Migration to Cachar

The Kachari Raja, Tamradhaja abandoned Maibong and took refuse at Khaspur at Silchar town in Cachar district. In the meantime Kachari king, Tamradhaja heard that Ahom troops had suffered severely from sickness during the rains, he appealed to the Jaintia Raja for helps to recover his lost territory. But unfortunately he was treacherously seized by the Jaintia King. A strong force was sent by the Ahom king and captured both the princess and conveyed them of the Brahmaputra Valley. The Kachari king, Tamradhaja took up his abode at Khaspur but shortly afterwards attacked by a fatal disease and breathed his last in 1708 A.D. The Kachari king Suradarpa son of Tamradhaja set himself to re-organize the people and improved the capital. Brick-built palaces and temples were constructed in different parts of Khaspur and the kingdom was name by as “Haidimba Kingdom”. All Kacharies leaving in different parts of Assam owned moral allegiance to the lord of “Khaspur”. Mr. Soppitta gave 1750 as the year in which the Kacharies migrated to the plains of Cachar and stated that it took place in the reign of Suradarpas successor Dhamradhaj or even in that next prince, Kartik Chandra. Two reasons were put forward for this migration. First that Dharmadhaj had married the daughter of the king of Hill Tipperah and had received the upper valley of the Barak as her dowry and second, that the Kacharies were attacked by the Jaintia Raja on the west. The account given by the Ahom chronicles seems to be more plausible. Mr. Soppittra is also of the view that this story of the Cachar plains formed part of the dowry of a Tippera princess. 

In 1757, envoys from the Kachari Govt. came to the Ahom King and complained that the Tipperas were devastating their territory. The Raja had to fled to Mekhali; his uncle to Maibong and the officers and nobles had taken refuge in the jungle. Cachar was a tributary state and such had to the protected against invasion. An expedition so the Ahom chronicles says, was dispatched but very little was done and the Tipperas no doublet retried in their own good time. The first connection of the British with the district started from 1762’ when Mr., Verelst marched from Chittagong to assist the Manipuri king, Jop Singh, who had been driven from his throne by the Burmese’s and halted with his Army at Jatrapur near the present Silchar town. The Army remained therefore about a year but due to death and disease amongst the army and due to the difficult route to Manipuri, Mr., Verelst could not proceed further and was ultimately recalled.

The other important historical event was the formal conversion of the Raja Krishna Chandra to Hinduism in 1790 A.D. He and his brother, Govindra Chandra , were place inside a body of a large copper cow and thence produced by the Brahmans who declared then to be Hindus and Kshattriyas and to be descendants of an union between Bhima , the hero of the Mahabharata and Rak Shasti whom he espoused in the Nambar forest. The people followed the example of their prince and nearly all the Kachari in the district described themselves as Hindus.

After few years, Govindra Chandra, the last prince was driven from the throne by Margit Singh of Manipuri with the help of the Burmese. There after, the Burmese drove Marjit Singh from his place to the Surma Valley. The Burmese then threatened to annex Cachar, But the British Govt. which was in possession of Sylhet, was unable to permit a powerful nation to extend its territory right up to the frontier of Sylhet. Taking the side of the Kachari king, they expelled the Burmese and handed back the district to Govindra Chandra. For their assistance in regaining the district he was required to pay an amount of Rs.10, 000 annually in return which proved somewhat heavy on the resources of the district. The king then took up his aboard at Haritikar. But in 1830 he was assassinated by a batch of Manipuri marauders, very likely at the machination of the Manipuri king, Gombhir Singh. In the absence of natural heirs his territory lapsed to the British Govt. under the term of the treaty of Yandaboo executed in 1826, Cachar was formally annexed by the proclamation of August, 14,1832.

Tularam Senapati being the last Kachari Raja was known as Tularam Senapati Barman. He was very brave and quite powerful and he succeeded in holding a large portion of Kachari Kingdom since 1829 to 1834. Captain Fisher of the Survey Department was first appointed as Superintendent in the district 1835, the district was annexed to the Commissionership of Dacca and title of officer-in-charge was changed from Superintendents to Deputy Commissioner who was entrusted with the power of a Magistrate also exercised political authority over the tribes on the frontier. The Judge of Sylhet acts as Session Judge for Cachar. In 1854, the Northern part of Cachar had become the British territory after the death of Tularam Senapati Barman which was annexed to the Assam district of Nagaon but in 1867 on the formation of the Naga Hills district this track was partitioned between the district of Nagaon and Cachar. It consisted of three sub divisions viz North Cachar with an area of 4,276 sq. kms which was wholly a hilly country and two plain sub- divisions Silchar and Hilakandi with 4,967 sq. kms. Latter in 1951 with the constitution of United Mikir (Karbi Anglong) and North Cachar hills district, the North Cachar Hill tract was separated from undivided Cachar, loss being made up by adding Karimganj sub division alongwith a part of old Karimganj police station, Badarpur P.S, Ratabari P.S and Patharkandi P.S. which in pre-independence days were part of the district of Sylhet.