In the elder days of Art,
Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part;
For the gods see everywhere.
- H W Longfellow
Historical relics, remains and ruins, art and architecture, customs and traditions, have always fascinated and enthralled the human kind. People take keen interest to know about ancient places especially those which are on the threshold of losing its name and existence in the sands of time. Khaspur is one such village which is home to the ruins of one of the oldest kingdoms, the century old Dimasa Kingdom.
Khaspur is a picturesque village, located just 20 kms from Silchar, in the Cachar district of the state of Assam. Though the kingdom is in ruins and the king’s palace is slowly going to be fictional and nonexistent, the entrance gates have passed many suns and storms. It is still there standing tall and magnificent. One can however find the centuries old king’s temple, the Sun gate and the Lion gate. The gates have been modeled on the shape of an elephant.
Dimasa kingdom was an influential, powerful and dominant kingdom. Located in Assam, the rulers of the kingdom were from an ethnic group – Dimasa. Remnants and relics of this mighty kingdom remained till the arrival of the British. It was this kingdom that named the two districts of Assam, Cachar and North Cachar Hills (Dima Hasao district). Owing to the lack of recorded documents in the form of manuscripts, pamphlets or any other such paraphernalia, the origin of Dimasa is vague, misty, mysterious and mystifying. Legends have it that in ancient period, the Dimasas were forced to leave Kamrupa kingdom because of political turmoil and chaos. Many Kacharis failed to cross Brahmaputra and remained there. But those who could cross the mighty and great river were named as Dimasa which means ‘sons of the river’. Kachari Ghat which lies on the river banks of Brahmaputra is a testimony of the above mentioned fact.
Worshipping has been one of the most integral and inseparable aspect of our culture and Dimasas were no exception at all. They had the custom and tradition of worshipping Kechai Khaiti. It was at Maibong where the royal family became Hindu. Since there is no vital record preserved, one has to fall back on legends and folklores.
According to one such legend, the royal family is believed to be the descendants of Ghatotkacha, who happened to be the son of Bhima from the epic Mahabharata. Hidimba, Bhima’s wife and Ghatotkacha’s mother, was a princess of the Dimasa people. It is held that when the Pandavas were on exile, they reached Kachari kingdom. Bhima, it is believed, fell in love with Hidimba, the sister of Hidimbo, and married her. A son, Ghatotkacha was born to them who ruled the kingdom for several decades.
There is also a strong belief that the Kacharis took an active participation in the war saga of Mahabharata. If one goes by Hindu mythology, Dimapur was named after the princess Hidimba and Assam was probably the first capital of the Kachari kingdom before Dimapur was. Dimasa Kachari rule was extended to, and remained unconquered, to the pains of Cachar.
Khaspur is the place where ruins of this mighty kingdom still exist. In the 16th century, Khaspur, originally a part of Tripura kingdom, was won over by the legendary Chilarai. Khaspur became independent only after the decline and weakening of Koch power as the Koch rulers passed way sans a successor. Thus, Dimasa Kachari kingdom’s capital moved to Khaspur, in Silchar. It is also locally known as Rajbari, which means the ‘King’s Palace’. The ruins in disperse inside Pathimara tea estate can be easily accessible. A walk around the tea gardens gives a good view of the remnants of this majestic kingdom.
Khaspur is not only a place of attraction in and around Silchar and Cachar. A host of temples, educational institutions, historical sites and spots, lakes and rivers, picturesque hills, hillocks, low lying basins known as beel, anwa or howar have also been pulling people towards this part of the North Eastern belt. Shon beel, Rata beel, Chatla howar, Ramnagar anwa are the some of the water bodies supplying fish. Nrimata temple at Barkhola, Bhubaneswar Shiva temple at Chandragiri in Sonai, Badarpur Fort in Badarpur, tea gardens, Siddeshwar temple in Badarpur, Bhuban Hills in Cachar, Malegarh at Latu in Karimganj, Rengti Hills in Cachar, Silchar railway station which is unofficially known as Bhasha Shaheed Station, Rantilla at Mohanpur Mouza in Hailakandi and Kachakanti temple in Udharbond are some of the important landmarks, temples and historical sites which can be counted among the top sites for visiting and taking a slice of history. Each and every aspect of Cachar is dipped in history. Even a seminal tome on Cachar district may not be enough to do justice to this place and its historical significance.
