The Khen dynasty (also Khyen dynasty) of Assam was a late medieval dynasty of the erstwhile Kamata kingdom. After the fall of the Pala dynasty of Kamrupa, the western region was reorganized into the Kamata kingdom when Sandhya moved his capital from Kamarupanagara to Kamatapur in about 1257 due to the frequent clashes with the Kacharis from the east.[1] Sandhya styled himself Kamateswara and the kingdom came to be known as "Kamata".[2][3] The Khen dynasty at a later period took control of the kingdom.
Origin
According to Gosani Mangala (1823), the Khen rulers had a humble origin, implying that they were probably local chieftains who rose to power after the fall of the Palas. Ethnically, the Khen rulers belonged to a Tibeto-Burman ethnolinguistic group.[4] The ethnicity of Khen is not known precisely but may have been associated with Khyen of the Indo-Burmese border[5] or Kheng from the mountains.[6]
Though there is no contemporary historical evidence, some data from eighteenth-century's Gosanimangal claim that a boy named Kanta Nath became the Khen ruler Niladwaj, who hailed from a poor family in Taluk Jambari on the bank of Singimari.[7] Other sources claim Kanta Nath to be a migrant from Tripura.[8] They worshipped Kamatashwari[9] (also called Chandi or Bhavani), thus providing a break from the earlier dynasties that drew their lineage from Narakasura, the son of Vishnu.
Fall
The kingdom of Kamatapura finally fell to Alauddin Husain Shah in 1498. But Hussein Shah could not rule the kingdom— Bhuyan chiefs of the region defeated the invaders in 1505. Soon, control of the Kamata kingdom passed into the hands of the Koch dynasty.[10]
^"Kamarupa was reorganized as a new state. 'Kamata' by name with Kamatapur as capital. The exact time when the change was made is uncertain. But possibly it had been made by Sandhya (c. 1250–1270) as a safeguard against mounting dangers from the east and the west. Its control on the eastern regions beyond the Manah (Manas river) was lax." (Sarkar 1992, pp. 40–41)
^(Kamarupa) was reorganized as a new state, 'Kamata' by name with Kamatapur as capital. The exact time when the change was made is uncertain. But possibly it had been made by Sandhya (c. 1250–1270) as a safeguard against mounting dangers from the east and the west. Its control on the eastern regions beyond the Manah (Manas river) was lax.(Sarkar 1992, pp. 40–41)
^"A Tibeto-Burman Khyan or Khen dynasty had risen there, holding sway from the Karatoya to the Barnadi, with its capital at Kamatapur
on the left bank of the Dharala." (Sarkar 1992:44)
^(Shin 2021:28)"The ethnic identity of the Khens is not known precisely; they may have been associated with a tribe called Khyen in the Indo-Burmese border (Waddell 1900: 37)"
^"There was a significant trade relationship between khengpas and Indians. During winter seasons the people of hill had to migrate to the plains with their goats and sheep. Khengpas were known for their excellence in warfare and statecraft. A Khen chief established a dynasty in Kamata (kamrupa) by virtue of his courage and skill. We have evidence of three kheng kings of this dynasty who ruled Kamrupa (Kamta)." (Dorji 2005:34)
^"While there is no contemporary historical evidence to prove the origin of the Khens, there emerge some data from the eighteenth century regarding a boy called Kanta Nath who became the first Khen ruler Niladhvaja (1440-60). He was born to a poor family in Taluk Jambari on the bank of the Singimari."(Shin 2021:28)
^"According to some, this boy was an infidel (asura), probably from the mountains of Tripura, or he was a son born between a woman of an impure social group and a brahmin she served (Martin 1838:408)."(Shin 2021:21)
^"(T)heir tutelary deity called Kâmatesvarî or the goddess of Kàmatàpur"(Shin 2021:29)
^"The kingdom again passed on to the rule of the Bhuyans till the rise of the Koches in about 1515 AD." (Baruah 1986:181)
References
Shin, Jae-Eun (2021). "Sword and Words: A Conflict Between Kings and Brahmins in the Bengal Frontier, Kāmatāpur 15th–16th Centuries". Journal of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. 3. Government of West Bengal: 21–36.
Acharyya, N. N. (1966), The History of Medieval Assam (From the 13th to the 17th century), Guwahati{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Baruah, S L (1986), A Comprehensive History of Assam, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
Dorji, Lham (2005). "The Historical Anecdotes of Kheng Nobilities". Journal of Bhutan Studies. 13. Thimpu: Centre for Bhutan Studies. ISSN1608-411X.
Sarkar, J. N. (1992), "Chapter II The Turko-Afghan Invasions", in Barpujari, H. K. (ed.), The Comprehensive History of Assam, vol. 2, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board, pp. 35–48
