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{{Short description|Road in Cooch Beher, West Bengal}}
[[File:Gohai Kamal Ali.jpg|thumb|A section of Gohain Kamal Ali today]]
[[File:Gohai Kamal Ali.jpg|thumb|A section of Gohain Kamal Ali today]]
'''Gohain Kamal Ali''', was a road that connected the capital of the [[Koch kingdom]] to heart of [[Agomani]] in [[Dhubri district|Dhubri]] and [[Narayanpur,_Assam|Narayanpur]] in [[Lakhimpur district]] in [[Assam]]. This was constructed under the supervision of Gohain Kamal, the step-brother of the king, [[Nara Narayan]] and was completed in 1547.<ref>{{harvcol|Baruah|1986|p=208}}</ref> This was the road that the Koch general [[Chilarai]] used soon after for his invasion of the [[Ahom kingdom]], and attacked the Ahom fort at Pichala, which was not a success,<ref>{{harvcol|Baruah|1986|p=208}}</ref> but a later movement in 1562 was greatly successful.
'''Gohain Kamal Ali''' was an [[Embankment (earthworks)|embanked]] road that connected the capital of the [[Koch dynasty]], [[Cooch Behar]] in [[North Bengal]] to the heart of [[Agomani]] in [[Dhubri district|Dhubri]] and [[Narayanpur,_Assam|Narayanpur]] in [[Lakhimpur district]] in [[Assam]], and ran along the foot of the [[Mountains of Bhutan|Bhutan hills]] and the [[Daphla Hills|Dafla (Nishi) hills]].<ref>{{harvcol|Nath|1989|p=54}}</ref> This was constructed under the supervision of Gohain Kamal, the step-brother of the king, [[Nara Narayan]] and was completed in 1547.<ref>{{harvcol|Baruah|1986|p=208}}</ref> This was the road that the Koch general [[Chilarai]] used soon after for his invasion of the [[Ahom kingdom]], and attacked the Ahom fort at Pichala, which was not a success,<ref>{{harvcol|Baruah|1986|p=208}}</ref> but a later movement in 1562 was greatly successful.


This road has also been of historical significance because it formed the boundary between the tribal region to the north of it and the orthodox region to the south of it. In 1562 Naranarayan encamped at Chandikabehar, [[Mangaldai]], he demarcated the region north of the road as where the ''[[Koch people|Koch]]'' and the ''[[Mech people|Mech]]'' people were to follow the tribal customs, and region south where Brahmanic rites were to be followed.<ref>{{harvcol|Nath|1989|p=55}}</ref>  In later years, this road formed the southern boundary of the [[Assam Duars]] that formed a buffer zone between the political powers in the plains of [[Brahmaputra valley]] and the hills of [[Bhutan]].
In 1562 Nara Narayan encamped at Chandikabehar, [[Mangaldai]], he demarcated the region north of the road as where the ''[[Koch people|Koch]]'' and the ''[[Mech people|Mech]]'' people were to follow their tribal customs, and the region south where [[Brahmin|Brahminic]] rites were to be followed.<ref>{{harvcol|Nath|1989|p=55}}</ref>
 
[[File:Southern border of Bhutan1985.jpg|thumb|280px|Southern boundary of Bhutan in '''blue''' before the [[Duar War]] of 1865]]  
 
From the early 17th century, the [[Kingdom of Bhutan]] pushed  south and took control of the fertile plains down to Gohain Kamal Ali road.<ref>"Taking advantage of [the collapse of Koch Hajo], the Bhutias pushed their southern boundary towards the plains and occupied the land up to the Gohain Kamal Ali." {{harvcol|Das|1998|p=13}}</ref><ref>"During the period of political uncertainty caused by the Ahom-Mughal conflict in the middle of the seventeenth century, the Bhutias had taken possession of the whole of the fertile plain south of their hills as far as the Gohain Kamal Ali." {{harvcol|Das|1998|p=59}}</ref>  Ahom King [[Gaurinath Singha]] (1780–1795) had fixed this road as the northern boundary of [[Darrang district|Darrang]].<ref>{{harvcol|Gogoi|1994|p=579}}</ref> The Kingdom of Bhutan controlled the [[Dooars|Duar]]s of  [[Koch Hajo]] and [[Cooch Behar State|Koch Behar]] north of Gohain Kamal Ali under the jurisdiction of ''[[Penlop of Trongsa|Trongsa Penlop]] and [[Paro Province|Paro]] [[Penlop]]'', till the [[Duar War]]s in 1865 when the [[British Raj|British]] removed the Bhutanese influence from the Duars under the [[Duar War#Treaty of Sinchula|Treaty of Sinchula]] and the [[Dooars#Eastern Dooars|Eastern Duars]], [[Dooars#Kamrup Dooars|Kamrup Duars]], [[Dooars#Darrang Dooars|Darrang Duars]] were merged with [[Undivided Goalpara district|Goalpara]], [[Undivided Kamrup district|Kamrup]], [[Darrang district|Darrang]] district of Assam and the [[Dooars#Western Dooars|Western Dooars]] to [[Jalpaiguri  district|Jalpaiguri]] district of [[West Bengal]] and later to the [[Dominion of India|Indian Union]] in 1949.


==Notes==
==Notes==
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==References==
==References==
{{refbegin}}  
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation |last=Baruah |first=S L |title=A Comprehensive History of Assam |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.|place=New Delhi |year=1986}}
* {{Citation |last=Baruah |first=S L |title=A Comprehensive History of Assam |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.|place=New Delhi |year=1986}}
* {{Citation
* {{Citation
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   | year=1989
   | year=1989
}}
}}
 
* {{Cite thesis|last=Das|first=Smriti|date=1998|title=Assam Bhutan relations with special reference to duars from 1681 to 1949|type=PhD|publisher=Guwahati University|url=https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/195|hdl=10603/67909|access-date=2023-03-16|archive-date=2023-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316100526/https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/195|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gogoi |first1=Nityananda |title=Historical Geography of Medieval Assam |date=1994 |publisher=EBH Publishers (India) |isbn=9789383252701}}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


[[Category:History of Assam]]
[[Category:History of Cooch Behar]]

Latest revision as of 14:26, 27 February 2026


A section of Gohain Kamal Ali today

Gohain Kamal Ali was an embanked road that connected the capital of the Koch dynasty, Cooch Behar in North Bengal to the heart of Agomani in Dhubri and Narayanpur in Lakhimpur district in Assam, and ran along the foot of the Bhutan hills and the Dafla (Nishi) hills.[1] This was constructed under the supervision of Gohain Kamal, the step-brother of the king, Nara Narayan and was completed in 1547.[2] This was the road that the Koch general Chilarai used soon after for his invasion of the Ahom kingdom, and attacked the Ahom fort at Pichala, which was not a success,[3] but a later movement in 1562 was greatly successful.

In 1562 Nara Narayan encamped at Chandikabehar, Mangaldai, he demarcated the region north of the road as where the Koch and the Mech people were to follow their tribal customs, and the region south where Brahminic rites were to be followed.[4]

Southern boundary of Bhutan in blue before the Duar War of 1865

From the early 17th century, the Kingdom of Bhutan pushed south and took control of the fertile plains down to Gohain Kamal Ali road.[5][6] Ahom King Gaurinath Singha (1780–1795) had fixed this road as the northern boundary of Darrang.[7] The Kingdom of Bhutan controlled the Duars of Koch Hajo and Koch Behar north of Gohain Kamal Ali under the jurisdiction of Trongsa Penlop and Paro Penlop, till the Duar Wars in 1865 when the British removed the Bhutanese influence from the Duars under the Treaty of Sinchula and the Eastern Duars, Kamrup Duars, Darrang Duars were merged with Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang district of Assam and the Western Dooars to Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal and later to the Indian Union in 1949.

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. (Nath 1989:54)
  2. (Baruah 1986:208)
  3. (Baruah 1986:208)
  4. (Nath 1989:55)
  5. "Taking advantage of [the collapse of Koch Hajo], the Bhutias pushed their southern boundary towards the plains and occupied the land up to the Gohain Kamal Ali." (Das 1998:13)
  6. "During the period of political uncertainty caused by the Ahom-Mughal conflict in the middle of the seventeenth century, the Bhutias had taken possession of the whole of the fertile plain south of their hills as far as the Gohain Kamal Ali." (Das 1998:59)
  7. (Gogoi 1994:579)

References[edit | edit source]

  • Baruah, S L (1986), A Comprehensive History of Assam, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
  • Nath, D (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom: 1515-1615, Delhi: Mittal Publications
  • Das, Smriti (1998). Assam Bhutan relations with special reference to duars from 1681 to 1949 (PhD). Guwahati University. hdl:10603/67909. Archived from the original on 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  • Gogoi, Nityananda (1994). Historical Geography of Medieval Assam. EBH Publishers (India). ISBN 9789383252701.