From our editorial desk, we share the rich history of Cooch Behar, tracing its origins from ancient mythological roots through medieval kingdoms, encounters with the Mughals, British colonial influence, and its subsequent integration into modern India.
For the past two thousand years, the vast alluvial plains beneath the Sub-Himalayan Mountain range stretching from the River Tista (Trisrota) to the Brahmaputra (Lauhitya) have been documented in ancient literary sources and inscriptions under various names such as Pragjyotis, Lauhitya, Kamarupa, and Kamata. From the sixteenth century onward, this western portion of Kamarupa appeared in Tantric texts, and Mughal, Portuguese, Dutch, and British accounts under various names like Couch Country, Cocho Bihar, Comotay, Kamata Bihar, Kosbia, Cos Bhaar, and Koch-Bihar. To resolve the confusion regarding the name, Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur of Cooch Behar officially fixed the spelling as Cooch Behar through a gazette notification in 1896.
Early Mythological and Historical Roots
The origins of human settlements in Pragjyotis and its surrounding regions are vividly portrayed in Indian mythology. According to the Mahabharata, Narakasura established a colony in Kamarupa by expelling the Kirat people. His elder son, Bhagadatta, participated in the great battle of Kurukshetra on the side of the Kauravas and was killed by Arjuna. The Koch Kings of Kamarupa claim that around nineteen rulers from Naraka’s dynasty governed Kamarupa, with the most famous being Kumar Bhaskaravarma, a contemporary of Harshavardhana of the Pushyabhuti dynasty of Kannauj.
Medieval Period and Political Changes
During the fourth and fifth centuries, Sangaladeva emerged as a powerful sovereign ruler, establishing his capital at Laksanabati (Gour) after repelling the Hunas from Bengal and Malava. Kalahana’s Rajatarangini mentions that in the eighth century, the kingdom of Pragjyotis and Stri-Rajya was attacked by King Muktapida Lalitaditya of Kashmir. Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, the Koch kingdom became a fief of the Pala kings of Kamarupa.
In 1205 AD, Ikhtiyar al-Din Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, the Turko-Afghan military general of Muhammad of Ghor, marched towards Tibet through these regions. Historical texts like the Sankara Charita and Asamer Sanksipta Burunji document the sustained conflict between the King of Ahom and the rulers of Kamata from 1293 onward.
The Khen Dynasty and Kamata Kingdom
In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Kamatapur (modern Gosanimari) on the banks of the River Dharla emerged as a powerful kingdom under the Khen dynasty. The Kamata rulers built a massive fortress at Gosanimari Rajpat, which was unparalleled in size and construction techniques in eastern India. Now a protected site by the Archaeological Survey of India, these ruins reflect the kingdom’s past grandeur. According to Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, the Kamata kingdom served as a buffer between eastern Kamrupa and the Bengal Sultanate.
Mughal and Bhutanese Incursions
From 1515 to 1949, twenty-one kings of the Koch dynasty ruled Cooch Behar, often facing invasions from the Mughals and Bhutanese. Biswa Singha (1515–1540), the first sovereign ruler of the Koch dynasty, established control over vast territories from the Himalayas to Gouda and reconstructed the Kamakhya Temple in Nilachal Hills. His successors, Maharaja Naranarayan and Laxminarayan, faced numerous external attacks. In 1596, Mughal general Mansingh I marched towards Cooch Behar, leading to Koch ruler Laxminarayan accepting Mughal suzerainty. Again in 1661, following Aurangzeb’s orders, Mir Jumla II attacked and subjugated Cooch Behar, temporarily renaming it Alamgirnagar.
British Colonial Influence and Modernization
After Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, Bhutanese incursions increased, leading to frontier disputes and the Sanyasi-Fakir uprising. Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of Bengal, intervened, leading to the Anglo-Koch Treaty of 1773, which marked the beginning of British influence in Cooch Behar. The British East India Company extracted a significant war indemnity from Cooch Behar and began anglicizing its administration, judiciary, revenue systems, and education.
Development Under British Influence
The modern cityscape of Cooch Behar Town developed from the reign of Maharaja Harendranarayan to Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur during the nineteenth century. British colonialism directly influenced this growth, prompting the construction of various structures reflecting Neo-classical and Indo-Saracenic architecture, similar to those in Calcutta. The royal palace, educational institutions, state offices, court, libraries, clubs, theatrical stages, playgrounds, and a railway station were established, enhancing the region’s stature.
Legacy and Integration into India
Maharaja Nripendra Narayan and Maharani Sunity Devi achieved global recognition, with Sunity Devi becoming the first Indian Queen to travel abroad and receive the CIE award of the British Empire. She attended Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1898 and the Delhi Durbar of 1911. During the rule of the Regency Council in Cooch Behar, Manishi Panchnan Barma advocated for the rights of the Rajbansi people and social justice.
The last Koch ruler, Sir Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, ceded full ruling powers to the Government of India on September 12, 1949, leading to the state’s merger with West Bengal on January 1, 1950.
Conclusion
Cooch Behar’s rich history, marked by mythological origins, medieval political changes, Mughal and Bhutanese incursions, and British colonial influence, reflects its significant role in the region. Its integration into modern India marks the culmination of a historical journey spanning millennia.
