Dimasa Kingdom
| Dimasa Kingdom, Dimasa-Kachari Kingdom | ||||||||||
| Dimaraji, Hidimba Raji | ||||||||||
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| Capital | Dimapur, Maibang, Khaspur, Haritikar | |||||||||
| Government | Tribal Monarchy | |||||||||
| Historical era | Classical India | |||||||||
| • | Established | 13th century | ||||||||
| • | Annexed to British India | 1854 | ||||||||
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The Kachari (Pron: kəˈʧɑ:rɪ) Kingdom was a powerful kingdom on the Indian subcontinent, located in the region of Assam, India. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group. The Kachari kingdom and others (Kamata, Sutiya), led by chieftains of indigenous tribes, developed in the wake of the Kamarupa kingdom, were examples of indigenous state formations in Medieval Assam. Remnant of the Kachari kingdom existed till the advent of the British, and this kingdom gave its name to two present districts in Assam: Cachar and North Cachar Hills.
The origin of the Kachari Kingdom is not clear. According to tradition, the Kacharis Dimasas had to leave the Kamarupa Kingdom in the ancient period due to political turmoil. As they crossed the Brahmaputra river some of their compatriots were swept away down river and came to be called Dimasa (Dima-basa), sons of the great river Dima, the Dhansiri river. Dimasa had a tradition of worshiping Kechai Khaiti, the goddess in Sadiya. According to a legend constructed at the time the royal family was Hinduized at Maibong, the royal family descends from Ghatotkacha, the son of Bhima of the Mahabharata fame, and Hidimbi a princess of the Dimasa people.
Kachomari was situated on river bank of Daiyang of Golaghat district in Assam, the first capital of Hidimba kingdom before establish the capital at Dimapur.
Dimapur is said to have been named after Hidimba. Dimapur is a corruption of Hidimbapur, meaning the city of Hidimba of Mahabharata, who is believed to be the progenitor of the Kacharis. Later Hidimbapur devolved to Dimbapur and then finally to Dimapur. While another popular belief is that Dimapur etymologically is named after Dimasas, where Dimasa and pur (which means river) is amalgamated. Dimapur etymologically transtates to "City of the Dimasas".Ahom Buranjee chronicles mentioned Dimapur as "Che-Dima" meaning city of Dimasas. By the 13th century the Dimasa Kachari Kingdom extended along the southern banks of Brahmaputra river, from Dikhow river to Kallang river and included the valley of Dhansiri and present-day Dima Hasao district. According to the Buranjis, the Dimasa Kachari settlements to the east of Dhansiri withdrew before the Ahom advance. The Sutiya Kingdom existed further east and the Kamata Kingdom to its west.
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