Davaka: The Political Centre of Early Assam

Abstract

The origin of primitive nations in the Brahmaputra and Kapili-Jamuna river valleys is crucial for understanding the political and cultural past of Northeast India. Several scholars of the past concentrated solely on the prosperous kingdom of Pragjyotisa-Kamarupa. Nevertheless, numerous texts, inscriptions, and archaeological findings demonstrate that the other kingdoms also flourished during that time. Among them is , Davaka, known also as Kapili, Kia-pi-li, or Trivega in different documents. Davaka started to develop as a powerful kingdom from the very beginning of the Common Era and was eventually absorbed in Kamarupa in the sixth century CE. The paper is aimed at analyzing the development of Davaka as a kingdom, as well as investigating its political, economic, administrative, religious, and social features, such as settlement patterns, administrative system, agriculture, and trade. The paper also examines the biggest archaeological sites such as Rajbari-Jogijan, Gachtal, and Devasthan, as well as Visayamatya which was a part of Davaka. The territory of Davaka has also been related to a number of historical regions, such as Upper Myanmar and South China.As a result, Davaka must not necessarily be viewed as a trivial border state (pratyanta) but rather as an influential political and economic hub endowed with self-governing capability, agricultural setup, social variety with religion, and wider interconnections with other regions.