Kachari kingdom

Three capitals

The Dimasa kingdom is documented from the thirteenth century in the Brahmaputra valley, with its capital at Dimapur — where the remains of a walled city survive, including rows of carved monolithic stone pillars whose purpose is disputed and which are among the most striking archaeological remains in the northeast.

The Ahoms took Dimapur in 1536, and the kingdom moved south to Maibang in the North Cachar hills, and later to Khaspur in the Cachar plain. Each move was a defeat, and each was followed by reconstitution rather than collapse.

Sanskritisation and end

The Dimasa rulers progressively adopted Hindu kingship — taking Sanskrit names, claiming descent from Bhīma of the Mahābhārata, and endowing temples — while the Dimasa community retained its own clan and religious institutions. The tension between a Hinduised court and a non-Hindu people is a recurring theme in the northeast's state formation.

The last king was killed in 1830 and the kingdom was annexed by the East India Company in 1832 under the doctrine of lapse. The Dimasa remain a recognised community in Assam, with an autonomous council in Dima Hasao.