307 
1893.] E. A. Gait — The Koch Kings of Kamarupa. 
however, be interesting to note the present status of the family and the 
manner in which it was created.* Under Mughal rule, the Raja paid 
an annual tribute of Rs. 5,998, which was afterwards commuted to an 
annual delivery of 68 elephants, The Nazim used to make up for short 
deliveries by sending a Sazawal into the Raja’s estates and levying the 
balance due by force, but when the East India Company came into pos- 
session of Bengal, this method of recovering outstanding payments was 
abandoned, and during the years 1776-1787 A. D., only 90 elephants were 
received out of the 816 which should have been supplied. The contribu- 
tion of elephants was again changed for a money payment in 1788, the 
amount fixed being Rs. 2,000. Two years later the Raja agreed to pay 
another thousand rupees a year, but this offer was declined by the 
Governor-General, on the ground that the chance of losing the attach- 
ment of a Zamindar in possession of a border estate should not be risked 
for the sake of Rs. 1,000. Subsequently a deduction of Rs. 850 
from his annual payment was allowed as compensation for the abolition 
of sdyar, so that the family now pay a total revenue of only Rs. 1,150, 
for an estate, the annual collections from which amount to very nearly 
two lakhs of rupees. f 
In Darrang, Bali Narayana was succeeded by Mahendra Narayana, 
who is said to have made large grants of Brah- 
Darrang family. moWctr land to Brahmans. He died in 1643 
A. D., and was succeeded by liis son Chandra Narayana, who died in 1660, 
and was followed by his son Surya Narayana. This prince is said to 
have been worsted in battle by Manzur Khan in 1682, and taken cap- 
tive to Delhi.]; He escaped, but declined to resume his place as 
* This information is extracted from a note by Mr. Forbes in 1875, on certain 
bundles of paper received from the Board of Revenue. 
t It has been argued that the estate has never been permanently settled, that 
the payment is of the nature of a tribute and not an assessment, and that as Bijni 
is no longer a border estate, the reason for an unduly low assessment no longer 
exists. But this is a matter with which we are not at present concerned. 
1 According to Gunabhiram. Prasiddha Narayana’s Vamsdvali says, that Man- 
sum Khan was the name of the Musalman leader, and fixes 1675 as the date of the 
occurrence. The manuscript Yogini Tantra on the other hand, says that it took place 
in 1709 A. D. No mention is made of the matter by Musalman historians, and even 
the name of the Muhammadan leader does not appear in their accounts of events 
in Kamrup. I have not mentioned Mir Jumla’s invasion, which took place during 
this prince’s reign, as that invasion was directed against the Ahoms, and there 
is no record of any conflict between Surya Narayana and the Musalmans. The only 
reference to this king in the Fdthiyah i ‘Ibriyah is the following : “At this time 
Makar dhvaj, Raj& of Darrang, who is subject to the Raja of Assam, came and 
paid his respects to the Nawab ( at Gauhati), presented an elephant, received a 
KhiVat, was promised protection, and was ordered to travel with the army. 
