Arjun1010

 THE KIRATAS OF NORTH EAST INDIA :KACHARIS

'KIRATAS MORE POPULARLY called as KACHARIS IN NORTH EAST INDIA . They entered the valley of Nepal and Northeast India in the pre Mahabharat times. Kiratdesh stretched from the Nepal to parts of North East India, Bangladesh, West Bengal, Tibet, Bhutan. It is said that KACHARIS first entered the NorthEast through North Western Region of Assam ( current Bodoland region ). KACHARI KING desired to move Southwards and he had to cross the Dilao river (Brahmaputra). So he prayed to Lord Shivarai for help and then He had a divine vision of Snake God. Snake God expressed that He would grant a bridge across Dilao river within one night But he said No subjects king, are to see backwards while crossing the river or else the bridge collapses ' Next morning King along with subjects crossed the river via bridge(Bridge made of Rai "Cane")that Snake God had granted. But while crossing one old woman while working with her thread roll, it fell on the bridge which rolled backwards. And as the woman turned backwards for her stuff, the bridge collapsed the same moment .

      King then declared ' My people who crossed the river Dilao today shall be known from now as THE DIMASA KACHARIS ' While our men who couldn't cross the river came to be known as The BODO KACHARIS. Ultimately, both Dimasa and Bodo refers to same people. The same KACHARIS. Kachari means Children of Himalayas (Kassar-Himalayas + hari - children) 

      DIMASA KACHARIS established a powerful Kingdom of KAMARUPA (Kamarupa means the first settlement in KACHARI) which included Assam , parts of Bhutan, Arunachal, Bengal, Bangladesh, Nepal.
 
     GATOTKACH is believed to be KING Of KACHARIS among many. He was the son of Bhima and Amai Hidimdi. 

And till date Dimasa Kacharis worship Maa Hidimdi ceremonially. No idol worship of Maa Hidimdi is practiced . She is invoked first then worshipped by Kachari priests with rituals .

KACHARI (KAMARUPI) royals first introduced the Assamese language in the valley due to Brahminical influence . It was used for all court works, coin inscriptions. KACHARIS first introduced the word ASSAM in ancient times. Assam comes from word HASHAM (HA- Land + Sham - Grass) which trsnslates as Land of Grasses in Kachari language. Currently, DIMASA KACHARIS have a clan of HASAM OR HASAMSA. The clan of Hasamsa among Dimasa Kacharis clues the origin of word ASSAM. KACHARI KINGS first made the Assamese language as official language of kingdom while at Pragjyotishpur. And hence, many Kacharis adopted Assamese as their mother tongue in the following generations. Koch word is derived from word "KOCHARI ".Koch Rajbangshi initially had their Tibeto Burman (DIMASA) language.



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