1893.] 
E. A. Gait . — The Koch Kings of Kdmarupa. 
269 
Extent of Kamarupa. 
The early history of Kamarupa is wrapped in mystery, and our 
Kamarupa before the knowledge of it is drawn from dubious and 
Koc .1 kings. fragmentary references in the Mahabliarata, and 
in the Pur Anas and Tantras, chief amongst which may be mentioned the 
Yogim Tantra and the Bhdgavata and Kdlika Puranas. 
The boundaries of the country varied greatly from time to time. 
In the Yogim Tantra it is said that Kama- 
rupa comprised the country between the Kara- 
toya, and the Dikrai, so that it included not only the whole of what 
is now known as the Brahmaputra Valley, but also Rangpur and the 
State of Koch Bihar. It was subdivided into four portions, viz : 
Kamapitha from the Karatoya to the Sankosh, Ratnapitha from 
the Sankosh to the Itupahi, Suvarnapitba from the Rupalii to the 
Bharali, and Saumarpitha from the Bharali to the Dikkara-basini or 
Dikrai. It is described as bounded on the North by Kunjagiri, on the 
West by the Karatoya, on the East by the Girikanjaka, and on the South 
by the junction of the Brahmaputra and Lakshina, rivers. It is added 
that Kamarupa is three cornered and is 100 yojanas in breadth and 
300 yojanas in length.* According to the Kalihd Purana, Kamakhya and 
Pragjj’otishapura were situated in the centre of Kamarupa, and the 
Vislinu Purana adds that the country extended around it for 100 yojanas 
in all directions.!- In the Mahabliarata, Bhagadatta’s Empire of Prag- 
jyotisha or Kamarupa is spoken of as extending to the seacoast.,J and 
the copper plate of Vanamala, which will be referred to further on, says 
that the rule of that monarch also extended to the sea.§ 
Hiuen Tsiang places the circumference of the country when he 
visited it, at 10,000 li, from which General Cunningham infers that 
it must, at that time, have comprised the whole of the Brahmaputra 
Valley as well as Koch Bihar and Bhotan.|| 
The name of the country is mythologically explained as follows: — 
When Sati died of grief at the reproaches of her husband S'iva, the 
Origin of name “Kama- latter, overcome by remorse, wandered about 
rupa.” the world carrying her dead body on his head. 
In order to put a stop to his penance Vishnu followed him and lopped 
Kings by Musalman historians, which have been made accessible by Blochmann in 
the J. A. S. B. for 1872. 
* Edition published in Calcutta at the Bangobashi press in 1294 Sal, pp. 76, 77. 
f Kalika Purana, page 91, of Edition published at the Bangobashi press; and 
Vishnu Purana, page 81 of Edition published at the same press. 
X Sabha Parva, XXVI, XXY1I. ' The references found elsewhere to the differ- 
ent parts of the Mahabharata are to the translation of Pratap Chandra Roy. 
§ J. A. S. B. IX, (Part II) 773. 
|| Ancient geography of India, Volume I, Buddhist period, p 500. 
