Assam was known as ‘Kamarupa’ or ‘Pragjyotish’ in the period of the Epics. Assam is found in the epics and the religious legends. Tracking back to the roots of Assam’s history, one finds Assam to be an ancient land that figured in international trade as far back as 100 B.C. various places mentioned in the epics, like Mahabharata etc. are now identified with sites in this state. n 1935 self governance in Assam was introduced. Assam plunged into the Quit India Movement in 1942 which was also popularly known as Peoples’ Revolution.
Assam state and adjoining regions have evidences of human settlements from all the periods of the Stone ages, but there are no archeological evidence of bronze- or iron-age culture. The hills at the height of 1,500–2,000 feet were popular habitats probably due to availability of exposed dolerites basalt useful for tool-making. According to a late text, Kalika Purana (c.7th–8th AD), the earliest ruler of Assam was Mahiranga Danav of the Danava dynasty, which was removed by Naraka who established his the Naraka dynasty. The last of these rulers, also Naraka, was slain by Krishna. Naraka’s son Bhagadatta became the king, who, it is mentioned in the Mahabharata, fought for the Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra with an army of kiratas, chinas and dwellers of the eastern coast.
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