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E. A. Gait — The Koch Kings of Kdmarupa. [No. 4, 
named Rolia, Nara Narayana determined to attack the king of Siratha 
(Sylhet), whose kingdom is described as being near Jaintia, and who is 
said to have been a very powerful prince. Messengers were sent calling 
upon him to submit, but this he refused to do, and Silarai was 
accordingly despatched with a strong force to overcome him. He met 
the army of the Sylhet king, and a battle took place which lasted 
three days. At the end of this time as the scales of victory still hung 
in the balance, Silarai became impatient, and so seizing his sword and 
shield, he rushed forward like the kite, from which he took his name, 
and attacked the hostile army. It is related that 100,000 soldiers fell 
before his all-destroying sword, and that at last the king of Sylhet 
himself was slain. The king’s brother Asirai then tendered his 
submission and returned with Silarai to the court of Kara Narayana, 
who appointed him king in the place of his brother and fixed his tri- 
bute at 100 elephants, 200 horses, 300,000 Rupees and 10,000 gold 
coins.* 
Being thus victorious in three directions, Nara Narayana. determined 
to invade the kingdom of Gaur (Gauda). Before doing so, he visited 
the temple of Kamakhya, which he found in ruins. He intended to 
rebuild it, but being possessed by S'ani (or the planet Saturn) he post- 
poned this pious act until after his proposed expedition. This incensed 
the goddess against him, and his army, which was led by Silarai, was de- 
feated by the Pasha of Gaur, after a fight which lasted for ten days. 
Silarai himself performed prodigies of valour, and after his weapons had 
been broken he disdained to fly, and so continued to fight with rushes until 
they also were exhausted, and he was taken prisoner. Subsequently, 
through the favour of Kali, he succeeded in curing the Pasha’s mother, 
who had been bitten by a snake which had been sent into her presence by 
Silarai in the form of a rope. In return for this cure, Silarai was released, 
and the Ganges was fixed as the boundary between the two kingdoms. 
On his return home, he and his brother at once set about the erec- 
tion of the Kamakhya temple.f Twice they erected a temple of stone, 
and each time it fell in a night. Then Parvati appeared in a dream and 
* Sylhet was conquered by the Musalmans in 1384 A. D., but may have boon 
temporarily independent at the period here referred to, which was a troublous one in 
Bengal. Or it may be that the king of Sylhet here referred to was the ruler of 
Laur, who long continued to maintain his independence of the Musalman inva- 
ders. 
t An inscription within the temple records its erection by Silarai during the 
reign of his brother Nara Narayana. This inscription which bears date 1487 S'ak- 
(1565 A. D.) will be referred to again further on. Other accounts say that the 
temple took ten years to build. (Gunabhiram’s A'sam Buranji page 68.) 
