Context: Recently, the Assam Cabinet decided to name a new Guwahati flyover after Prithu, a 13th-century Kamrup ruler, as a symbol of Assam’s historic resistance to foreign invasions.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Prithu: 13th-century Kamrup ruler.
King Prithu of Kamrup
- King Prithu, also referred to as Raja Prithu Rae, was a 13th-century king of the Kamarupa kingdom, which corresponds to modern-day Assam.
- He belonged to the Khen dynasty, who drew their lineage from Narakasura. They worshipped Kamteswari, an incarnation of Hindu Goddess Durga. Khen were probably local chieftains who rose to power after the fall of the Pala Dynasty.
- He has not been featured prominently in mainstream historiography, but local lore, inscriptions, and regional narratives elevate him as a heroic defender of the region.
- He is remembered for defeating the invading army of Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1206 CE.
- Prithu has gained renewed recognition in recent decades, largely due to the efforts of historian Raktim Patar who wrote Maharaja Prithu: The Unsung Warrior King Who Annihilated Bakhtiyar Khalji in 2021.
- He also defeated Hisan Uddin Iwaz (Delhi Sultan Ghiassuddin), noted British civil servant Wolseley Haig in The Cambridge History of India, Volume III.
Prithu and Bakhtiyar Khilji’s Invasion:
- Bakhtiyar Khilji, a general under Muhammad of Ghor, was one of the earliest Turko-Afghan commanders who attempted to expand Islamic rule into eastern India.
- In 1205-1206, following his destructive raid on Nalanda and Bengal, Bakhtiyar Khilji aimed to expand his conquests into Tibet through Kamrupa.
- The campaign ended in disaster, Khilji’s forces were completely routed in Kamrup, with local accounts suggesting that he was fatally wounded.
- This marked the first successful repulsion of Turko-Afghan incursions into the Northeast frontier. The Kanai Varasi rock inscription (Assam) is proof of the destruction of the Turks who invaded Kamrupa in 1206 CE.
The identity of the local ruler who inflicted this defeat has remained uncertain due to the absence of direct contemporary evidence, but modern scholars often associate the victory with King Prithu of Kamrup.
