Habung

Habung was an ancient province, today forming parts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts. Habung (Ha-vrnga-Vishaya) was a province(Visaya) where Brahmins brought from other parts were settled by Ratna Pala of the Pala dynasty of Kamarupa in the 10th century.[1]

Etymology

According to some authors like Sydney Endle and PRT Gurdon, the word Habung is of Bodo-Kachari origin and is a combination of two words Ha which means "land" as in Ha-lali(Golden land), Hasao(Elevated land), Hasong(Fertile land) and Subung which means "people", forming the word Habung(similar to Ha-gwjo: Hajo, Di-gwlao: Dilao).[2][3] It could also be derived from the Bodo-Kachari word Habrun meaning Bog/Swamp considering the word Havranga to be an older form or from Ha-bung meaning land(Ha) fill(Bung)[4] There was another settlement near Habung which was known as Khubung.

History

Early history

The earliest reference to Habung comes in the 10th century copper plate grant of Ratnapala of the Pala dynasty, when it was a principality of the Kamarupa Kingdom settled by Brahmins.[5][6] After the downfall of the Kamarupa Kingdom it became a part of the Chutiya kingdom.

Chutia dynasty period

The copper plate of Chutia king Dharmanarayan dated 1428 A.D. mentions Sri Vrihat-patra as Habung-aadhipati(lord of Habung). The plate records land grants of 400 puti given to a Brahmin named Purandar Vipra. This shows that Vrihat-patra was a Chutia chief under whose presence a plot of land was donated to the Brahmin in Habung proving Habung to be a Chutia principality.[7] Besides this, several other copper plates dating from 1392 A.D. have been found in the region, the last recording a grant made by Dhirnarayan in 1522 A.D. The Chutia chief of Habung Vrihatpatra (Borpatra) is also mentioned as one of the generals who led the Chutia army in the Dibrugarh(Tiphao) war against the Ahoms in the year 1523 A.D.[8] After the defeat of Chutias, the region was finally annexed by the Ahom king Suhungmung.[9]

The land grant reads,

“Purandharai Viprai Bhuputinang Saturkhatam
Nripadeshata Samagatya Dadadi-Sashana Dadou-Habung-adhipati”

— Copper plate found in Chapakhowa, Sadiya(Scribe: Swarnakara Krishna Sadhu(1428 A.D.)

A list of other inscriptions found in the region are:

NameKindRulerDateFind spot
1Barmurtia Beel InscriptionCopper plateSatyanarayan1392 CEGhilamora
2Ghilamora InscriptionCopper plateLakshminaryan1401 CEGhilamora
3Dhenukhana InscriptionCopper plateSatyanarayan1392 CEDhenukhana
4Naharani InscriptionCopper platePratap Narayan/Nandeswar1375 CEDhemaji
5Dhakuakhana InscriptionCopper plateDhir Narayan1522 CEDhakuakhana

Ahom dynasty period

In 1240 A.D, Sukapha came to Habung and spent around four years. But, due to floods, he along with all his followers, shifted to the south bank of the Brahmaputra. In the year 1253, he finally settled at Charaideo and established the foundation of the Ahom kingdom. Sukapha didnot leave any of his representatives to rule the Habung region, like he had previously done for Namrup and Tipam. Thus, this region didnot form a part of Ahom kingdom until Suhungmung annexed it in the early 16th century.[10] Some time later, the Chutia king Ratnadhwajpal annexed the state of another Chutia king Bhadrasen(Swetagiri state) and carved out a capital in Ratnapur, Majuli. It is mentioned that Bhadrasen had Brahmins living in his territories. This indicates that Habung previously formed a part of Swetagiri and came under Ratnadhwajpal's rule after the defeat of Bhadrasen. King Suhungmung annexed the Habung region from Chutias in the year 1523 A.D. In the year 1526 A.D., he created the position Bhatialia Gohain(Thao-mung Mung-teu) with headquarters at Habung and placed Klangseng in-charge.[11] Later in the year 1527 A.D., a new ministerial position named Borpatrogohain was created(borrowed from the Chutia Vrihat-patra)[12] and Klangseng was made the first Borpatrogohain.[13] During the rule of Suklenmung, a Brahmin chief and a Chutia Borpatra rebelled against the Ahom king. The Borpatra was killed and the Brahmin fled to Behar(probably Koch-Bihar) in the west.[14]

There is a fortification known as Tai Bheti by locals which indicates the settlement of migrated Tai people. Inside the fortification, there is a historical Maidam and a pond. Ahom manuscripts have also been found in households near the fortification. The most complicated among these scriptures is known as Ban-Chyeng. It includes names of Ahom families who migrated to the region.

Notes
  1. " Habung was an ancient Brahmin settlement (Havrnga-Vishaya) situated near the mouth of the Dihing river." (Guha 1983:11) "According to tradition, Habung was a petty medieval principality governed by its Brahmin settlers themselves. It now appears from a recently found copper plate inscription that it was the same as the Ha-Vrnga Visaya where a Brahmin was given land by King Ratnapala. (c 10th century) (Guha 1983:33)
  2. S.Endle, The Kacharis, p. 88, Habung-iya, perhaps from Ha earth, Bung for Su-bung men ; hence ha-bung-iya, autochthones
  3. PRT Gurdon, The Morans, p.43 In Moran language Habung meant Men/Settlement
  4. As per the Linguistic Survey of India(Volume 3-2, p. 7), Ha means Land and Bung means Fill in standard Bodo language.
  5. Habung was a Chutiya dependency; that still earlier it was an autonomous principality of Brahmins; and that the latter's origins could be traced back to a circa 10th-century copper-plate and grant issued by king Ratnapala (Guha 1984:73)
  6. The mention of Dibbaisa river forming southern boundary and Saica the south-western boundary led P.C. Choudhury to identify the Havranga visaya with Habung country lying to east of the river Suvansiri during the 10th-11th century A.D. Habung, comprising present Dhakuakhana region was for centuries a centre of Aryan culture
  7. Dr. Swarnalata Baruah(2004), Chutiya Jaatir Buranji, Page 585
  8. Bhuyan,S.K. Deodhai Buranji,Chapter 31: "The chiefs of the Chutias were Toktoru, Koitara, Chuluki Chetia and Borpatra."
  9. Ved, Prakash, "Encyclopaedia of North-East India, Volume 1", pg. 170
  10. Barua, Gopal Chandra, Ahom Buranji, p. 46-47
  11. Barua, Gopal Chandra, Ahom Buranji, p. 59
  12. (Guha 1983:20)
  13. Barua, Gopal Chandra, Ahom Buranji, p. 61
  14. Assam Buranji(SM), p. 25
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References
  • Saikia, Yasmin (2004). Fragmented Memories: Struggling to be Tai-Ahom in India. Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822333739.
  • Barua, Raj Sahib Golap Chandra (1930). Ahom Buranji (Reprinted ed.). Spectrum Publications , 1985. pp. 45–47.
  • Acharyya, N.N (1987). A Brief History of Assam. Omsons Publications. pp. 71–73.
  • Gogoi, Padmeswar (1968). The Tai and the Tai kingdoms: with a fuller treatment of the Tai-Ahom kingdom in the Brahmaputra Valley (First ed.). Dept. Of publication , Gauhati University. pp. 259–265.
  • Guha, Amalendu (1983), "The Ahom Political System: An Enquiry into the State Formation Process in Medieval Assam (1228-1714)" (PDF), Social Scientist, 11 (12): 3–34, doi:10.2307/3516963, JSTOR 3516963
  • Gait, Edward Albert (1906), A history of Assam, Calcutta, Thacker, Spink & co.
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