Meghalaya principal secretary PW Ingty has come out with a historical fiction on ancient Assam dynasty, says Rajiv Roy
‘KAMARUPA SERIES Bhaskara: The Last of the Varmans” isn’t just any book. It is a historical fiction on an ancient Assam dynasty written by Meghalaya principal secretary PW Ingty.
The IAS officer took three years to write the informative book. It is understandable for a busy bureaucrat, writing for whom is a hobby and a break from going through official files. “I wrote on weekends and holidays,” he said.
Ingty developed a fascination for the Varmans after an archaeological excavation in a Garo Hills hamlet unearthed the past. “I did not expect anything great apart from trekking when I visited there. But I gradually developed an interest,” he said.
He started researching on the dynasty and found that his book’s protagonist Bhaskaravarman, the younger son of Susthitavarman, was the last of the Varmans to have ruled Kamarupa for more than 300 years. The Varmans ruled Kamarupa – it straddled present-day Assam and Meghalaya and existed between 350 and 1140 AD – from 350-650 AD.
Being an officer in the arts and culture department helped Ingty. Visiting the archaeological site near river Jinjiram off Phulbari in West Garo Hills became a part of his official duty. Jinjiram is a tributary of Brahmaputra.
The site discovery was somewhat accidental. A villager found some strange solid objects when he was digging to lay the foundation of his house. He reported this to the village school teacher. The word subsequently reached the Archaeological Survey of India, which initially thought the site could have been a British outpost.
But chief archaeologist AK Sharma was awestruck when his team discovered bricks, mounds, fortification walls, temples, large water tanks and other structures. The ruins, they later found out, were that of an ancient fortified city. “A brick-reinforced earthen rampart enclosed the entire site of the ancient city that covered nearly 20 sq km,” said Ingty.
The ASI team also found Buddhist stupas, pointing to the coexistence of Buddhism and Hinduism at that time. The site yielded more – terracotta plaques, ponds of different sizes, brick-paved pathways, Shivalingas, yonis, stone blocks with engraved floral design, parts of temple sikharas, amalakas, lintels, doorframes and fragments of decorated terracotta tiles.
“Temples facing east were located on small hillocks beside the ponds. The Jinjiram is accessible from all sides, encircling like a moat,” said Ingty, adding knew the area as Rajpura since ancient times.
Ingty termed his book research-based history with a touch of fiction for narrating the tale. Among other material, he got inputs from Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang’s account on Kamarupa.
The book provides old names of places, rivers, dynasties and personalities of the region besides narrating warfare tactics. Bhaskara, having been taught to hunt and survive in the wild jungles and hills that surrounded ancient Kamarupa, is called upon by Harshavardhana, king of Thanesar, to join him in teaching a lesson to Sashanka, king of Gauda, and set free Princess Rajyasri from captivity.
A chapter, “City of Eastern Light” or Pragjyotisha is on the ancient capital of Kamarupa. The Songdu, Karotiya River (a river in Pundravardhan region), where the Varman dynasty was invaded by Mahasenagupta (Gupta King of Magadha) and Sashanka, takes one to the days of yore. “These rivers exist with their original names. They were the main lines of communication then and the cities were developed on their banks,” said Ingty.
Gauda, a region in ancient eastern India coinciding roughly with present-day West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh, could not conquer Kamarupa. “The king of Gauda could not advance to Kamarupa but clashes used to take place between the two,” said Ingty who dedicated his book to his parents Pratap and Verna. His IFS father retired as chief conservator of forest and mother was a social worker.
The book, available on Amazon, was published by Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co., USA. Ingty plans to write another historical fiction under the Kamarupa Series.
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