Varman dynasty

The Varman dynasty (350–650) was the first historical dynasty of the Kamarupa kingdom. It was established by Pushyavarman, a contemporary of Samudragupta. The earlier Varmans were subordinates of the Gupta Empire, but as the power of the Guptas waned, Mahendravarman (470–494) performed two horse sacrifices and the status of Kamarupa as an independent state remained unimpaired. As per the Apsad Inscription of Adityasen, Susthivarman was defeated by Mahasengupta on the bank of Lauhitya. The first of the three Kamarupa dynasties, the Varmans were followed by the Mlechchha and then the Pala dynasties.

Origin

The first king in this dynasty was Pushyavarman, possibly a contemporary of Samudragupta (c. 335/350-375 CE). The kingdom which he established with much effort, grew in the periphery of the Gupta Empire, adopted the north Indian political model, and its kings took on names and titles of the Gupta kings and queens. Nothing much is known directly about the initial kings till the sixth king, Mahendravarman, who established a rock temple and assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja (king-of-kings) in the last quarter of the fifth century. The dynastic line from Pushyavarman first appear in the 7th century, in Dubi and Nidhanpur copperplate inscriptions issued by Bhaskaravarman and in the Harshacharita and not earlier in any inscription from his ancestors. In these inscriptions Bhaskaravarman claims that he was a descendant of Narakasur, Bhagadatta and Vajradatta. Modern scholars consider this claim to be a fabrication, Jae-eun Shin suggests that this genealogy was created in the context of Bharkarvarman's alliance with Harshavardhana, to help legitimise his sovereignty. The use of Naraka/Bhagadatta lineage to establish sovereignty continued under the Mlechchha and the Pala dynasties, a practice which is in keeping with the trend in the post-Gupta period in India.

Chinese work She-Kia-Fang-Che describes Bhaskaravarman as a Kshatriya whose ancestors had come from China. The ethnic origin of the Varman dynasty remains disputed. Some scholars have regarded it as probably the first Indo-Aryan dynasty of Assam, whereas other historians have argued for an indigenous or non-Indo-Aryan origin. Kanak Lal Barua described Kamarupa as having been ruled by an indigenous line of kings claiming descent from Naraka, Bhagadatta and Vajradatta. Jae-Eun Shin argues that the Varmans' adoption of the demon Naraka—rather than the conventional solar or lunar Kshatriya lineages—as their progenitor alludes to the dynasty's indigenous origin, although its rulers subsequently became patrons of Brahmanical religion. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, using the racial terminology of his period, similarly described Bhaskaravarman as a Hinduised mleccha king of Indo-Mongoloid origin. B. P. Singh characterised the state established in seventh-century Assam under Bhaskaravarman as a “Hinduized Indo-Mongoloid empire”. Hugh B. Urban also infers that the Varmans descended from non-Aryan tribal populations that were gradually incorporated into Brahmanical kingship.

Capital

The capital was moved at least once, the last time by Sthitavarman (566-590) with the older city not named but presumed to be Pragjyotishpura, located at the south-eastern slope of the Narakasur hill near Dispur. The new capital was possibly some location in Guwahati. Though the claim is not supported by any archaeological findings.

Politics and diplomacy

The Varman's modeled themselves after the Gupta's and named themselves after the Gupta kings and queens.

The dynasty

The dynastic line, as given in the Dubi and Nidhanpur copperplate inscriptions:

Family tree

Bibliography

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