270 
E. A. Gait — The Koch Kings of Kamarupa. 
[No. 4, 
away the body piece-meal with his discus. The body fell to earth 
in 51 different pieces, and wherever each piece fell, the ground was held 
to be sacred. Her organs of generation fell on Nilachala hill near 
Gauhati, and the deity of that place was thenceforth known as 
Kamakhya, the goddess of sexual desire. As S'iva still continued 
to do penance, the other gods became afraid that he would thereby 
acquire universal power, and accordingly despatched Kamadeva, the 
Indian Cupid, to make him fall in love again, and thereby break his 
penance. Kamadeva succeeded in his Mission, but so enraged was S'iva 
at the result, that he burnt him to ashes by a fiery glance from the 
eye in the centre of his forehead. Kamadeva eventually recovered his 
original form, and the place in which this took place was ever after- 
wards known as Kamarupa. 
The earliest recorded king of Kamarupa, of whom however, very 
little is known, was named Mahiranga Dana- 
va. # He was succeeded by his son Hataka 
Asura, after whom came S'ambara Asura and then Ratna Asura.f 
After this, there was a chief named Gha^aka, the ruler of the 
Kiratas, who are said to have been a power- 
ful race, much addicted to eating flesh aud 
drinking strong drinks. 
Ghataka was defeated and slain by Naraka, who was born 
of the earth by Vishnu, and had been depu- 
ted by him to exterminate the Kiratas. Hav- 
ing succeeded in doing this, J he made Pragjyotishapura ( the mo- 
dern Gauhati) his capital, § and settled numerous Brahmans at 
Kamakhya. His rule extended from the Karatoya on the West, 
to the Dikraug on the East. It is said that he married Maya, the 
Mahiranga Dana va. 
Ghataka Kirata. 
Naraka Asura. 
* Notices of Mahiranga and his successors will be found in the Kalika Purana 
Chaps. 36-42, and on page 81 of the Yoginl Tantra. In the Raghuvamsa, it is re- 
lated that Raghu crossed the Brahmaputra with a view to attacking the king of 
Pragjyotisha or Kamarupa. The latter is said to have submitted without ventur- 
ing to give battle, and to have paid a tribute of war elephants. The name of the 
king is not mentioned. 
t The names Danava and Asura, indicate that these kings were of aboriginal 
origin. According to the VamMvali of PrasiddhaNarayan Kuar, Sarnbar, who is men- 
tioned in the text as the grandson of Mahiranga, was the founder of the dynasty. He 
is there spoken of as the son of Brahma, and is said to have had his capital at 
Rahgamati. 
t Apparently he only subdued them. In the Udyoga Parvan, his son Bhaga- 
datta is referred to as bringing Kiratas to the aid of Duryodhana. (XVIII, 15-16.) 
§ There is a hill near Gauhati which is still known as the hill of Naraka 
Asur. 
