1840.] Ancient Land Grants in Assam. 777 



Brahminical under the Pals (i. e. the Pal dynasty) ; they were swept away 

 by the Koches, who probably were not Hindoos till they ceased to be con- 

 querers, as was the case with the Ahoms, who with the Mahometans then 

 contended for Kamroop, and both perhaps destroying the temples which 

 fell into their power." I am strongly inclined to concur with Major Jenkins 

 in the opinion he expresses as to the probable prevalence of Boodhism in 

 Assam at an early period ; its supercession by Hindoo invaders ; and the 

 consequent destruction of the temples now extant. The following extracts 

 from the Mahabharat, and Roghuvanso, are of authority, as proving the 

 early power of the Rajas of Prajyotisha, and their early wars. I owe both 

 these quotations to Pundit Sarodhaprosad. 



The following slokas as quoted from the 4:th chapter of Roghuvanso. 



" 81st. While Roghii crossed the river Louhitya Sindhu (Brahmaputra) the king 

 Pragjyotisha (Kamroop) as well as the kalaguru trees* to which were tied the 

 elephants of Roghii trembled. 



82nd. How could he (the king of Pragjyotisha) stand forth against the advancing 

 army of Roghu, when he could not withstand the rising vast dust of his cars which 

 entirely covered the sun, and were like a day dark with clouds, but without shower. 



83rd. Him (to Roghu) who surpassed Akhandala (Indra) in power, the king of 

 Kamarupa visited with all his elephants, which were exuding juice from their temples, 

 (i. e. they were in a state of fury) and which he invaded others with. The king of 

 Kamarupa worshipped the shadow of the feet of Roghu, the ruling deity, of his footstool 

 with the flowers of valuable jewels. 



Mahabharat Bhishmavahda Parava, Section 75. 



O superior to man, the king of Pragjyotisha is on the centre of the entrenchment 

 attended with Madra, Souvera^ and Kekaya, and his numerous army. 



Section 112. 



Then the Raja of Pragjyotisha cut off the large bow of Madhava with his sharp 

 bhalla (a species of spear). 



Amid the uncertainty 1 have described above, it is gratifying to find 

 something in the shape of documentary evidence, speaking to a direct 

 historical fact, as in the case of the copper plate which Captain Jenkins 

 has enabled me to present to the readers of the Journal. With this, and 

 the other plate purporting to be a grant by Dhurmpal, we have two 

 documents bearing respectively the dates 19 and 36 of an unknown aera. 

 I will endeavour to prove that this sera must have been the one adopted 

 by the Hindoo conquerors of Assam as their own ; a fact which would 

 strongly corroborate the more than plausible supposition that the former 

 possessors of the land whom they subdued, were Boodhists, or at any rate 

 of a different faith from their own. 



For this purpose however I must in the first instance express my reason 

 for differing with the opinion which would, I think, destroy the local 

 application of the aera, the idea namely that the grant now before us rela- 

 ted to lands on the hanks of the Ganges, or real Gunga, an opinion which 

 it will be seen is held by Kamalakanta, as also by other capable authori- 

 ties whom I have consulted. My views could not be better expressed than 

 in the following extract from a note addressed to me in answer to a refer- 

 ence on the subject by one of our members, Baboo Prosunno Comar 

 Takoor : — 



* The black aloe wood. 



