JOURNAL 



OF 



THE ASIATIC SOCIETY, 



No. 73. — January, 1838. 



I. — History of Cooch Behdr, being an extract of a passage from Dr, 

 Buchanan's Account of Rungpur ( Rangapura )* . 

 [Revised and communicated by Major F. Jenkins.] 

 The history of this district is perhaps involved in still greater obscurity 

 than that of Dinajpur. Almost the whole of it is included in the anci- 

 ent Hindu territory of Kamrup, which extends east from the Kurotoya 

 where it joined the kingdom of Motsyo, tof DikJcorbasini a river of 

 Assam, which enters the Brohmoputro a little to the east of the eastern 

 Kamakhya, which is said to be fourteen days' journey by water above 

 Jorehat the present capital of the kingdom. I have not been able to 

 learn, that the ancient Hindus mention any kingdom as intervening be- 

 tween Kamrup and China. Those whom I have consulted seem to 

 think that Kamrup is bounded on the east by Chin ; by which, however, 

 it must be observed, is probably meant the country between the Indian and 

 Chinese empires, for as Abul Fa zil justly observes, the Chinese empire 

 is the Maha Chin of the Hindus. He indeed calls Pegu the China 

 of the Hindus ; but in this he is only to be considered as mentioning for 

 the whole, what was then the principal kingdom, as now we might say 

 that the empire of Ava is the proper China of the Hindus ; and in fact 

 it now separates Kamrup from the Chinese or Maha Chin. On the 

 north Kamrup extends to Kongjogiri, the frontier of Madro, the 

 kingdom of Sailyo, which comprehends JBhotan ; I have not, however, 

 been able to learn where the mountain is placed, and the Bhoteas seem 

 to have made large encroachments on the whole northern frontier of 

 Kamrup. The southern boundary of Kamrup frontier of Kamrup, is 



* Buchanan's orthography is retained: he uses the short o for a, being the 

 Bengali pronunciation. — Ed. 



+ This is the name of a temple on the Brahmaputra above Sadii/6, and nearly 

 where the river issues from the hills. 



