Latest / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History / The Copper Plate of Bhaskaravarman: Assam's Secret Treaty with Bengal
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've spent a lot of time on Bengal's medieval and early modern periods — the Palas, the Senas, the Mughals, the Nawabs. But I want to take us back further today, to a moment that really shaped the eastern frontier of Bengal, and it involves a king you might not have heard of: Bhaskaravarman of Kamarupa. Luna: Kamarupa — that's roughly modern Assam, right? Lucas: Exactly. Kamarupa covered most of the Brahmaputra Valley, plus parts of what's now northern Bengal and Bangladesh. And Bhaskaravarman ruled in the early 7th century CE — a time when Bengal itself was divided into several warring kingdoms. Lucas: The most powerful of those was the Gauda kingdom, under a king named Shashanka. He's a fascinating figure in his own right — he was the first independent ruler of Bengal after the fall of the Guptas, and he issued his own gold coins, which was a big deal. But he also had a reputation for being aggressive. Luna: I've heard Shashanka was the one who cut down the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya — is that true? Lucas: That's a contested story, but it comes from later Buddhist texts. According to some accounts, Shashanka was a Shaivite who persecuted Buddhists, and he supposedly cut down the sacred Bodhi tree and replaced it with a Shiva lingam. Whether or not that's historically accurate, it tells you how he was remembered. Lucas: Anyway, Shashanka's expansionism threatened Kamarupa. Bhaskaravarman needed an ally, and he found one in the most powerful ruler in northern India at the time — Harshavardhana of the Pushyabhuti dynasty, who ruled from Kannauj. Luna: So Bhaskaravarman and Harsha formed an alliance against Shashanka? Lucas: Yes. And this is where the copper plates come in. We have a set of inscriptions known as the Nidhanpur copper plate grants, issued by Bhaskaravarman. They record the donation of land to a group of Brahmins in what is now Sylhet, in modern Bangladesh. But more importantly, they also contain details of the political situation. Lucas: The plates mention that Bhaskaravarman sent an embassy to Harsha, and together they launched a campaign against Shashanka. The exact outcome is murky — Shashanka seems to have held on to his core territory, but the alliance probably checked his expansion. And the plates themselves are a brilliant piece of propaganda. Luna: Propaganda in what sense? Lucas: They praise Bhaskaravarman as a mighty king who 'crushed the pride of the Gauda king' — that's Shashanka. They also link him to the legendary Naraka dynasty, giving him an ancient pedigree. And they emphasize his generosity to Brahmins, which was a way of legitimizing his rule. Lucas: The Nidhanpur plates were actually issued in a second version later, after Bhaskaravarman's death, by a later ruler. So they were important documents that were kept and reused — which tells you how significant this alliance was. Luna: What happened to Kamarupa after Bhaskaravarman? Lucas: He had no heir, so the Varman dynasty ended. But the kingdom continued under a new line, the Mlechchha dynasty — and that name, 'Mlechchha', literally means 'foreigner' or 'barbarian' in Sanskrit, which suggests they might have been of non-Indo-Aryan origin, possibly from the hills. Lucas: What's really interesting is that the Mlechchha kings continued the same diplomatic and cultural traditions. They also issued copper plate grants, patronized Brahmins, and maintained the alliance with the successors of Harsha. So Bhaskaravarman's policies had a long afterlife. Luna: And this all ties into Bengal because Sylhet is now part of Bangladesh. Lucas: Exactly. The Nidhanpur plates were found in Sylhet, and they show that Kamarupa's influence extended deep into what we think of as Bengal. The Brahmaputra River was a highway connecting the two regions. Trade, culture, and politics were all intertwined. Lucas: One more thing about the plates themselves: they're written in Sanskrit, in a script that's a regional variant of the Gupta script. They list the boundaries of the donated land in meticulous detail — villages, rivers, even specific trees. So they're also a treasure trove for historical geography. Luna: That's amazing — you can literally map out the landscape of 7th-century Sylhet. Lucas: Right. And it shows that this was a prosperous region, with settled agriculture and a complex society. The Brahmins who received the land were expected to perform rituals and teach — so it was also about spreading Brahminical culture. Lucas: Now, if today gave you a new angle on Bengal's ancient connections, you might appreciate that episodes like this stay ad-free because of listener support. If it was useful to you, consider buying me a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It really helps keep these conversations going. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to give back for all the deep dives. Lucas: So back to Bhaskaravarman — the other reason he's important is that his reign saw the spread of Buddhism in the region, even though he himself was probably a Hindu. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited Kamarupa around this time and wrote about it. Luna: Xuanzang was in Kamarupa? I thought he mostly stayed in the Gangetic plain. Lucas: He did travel widely. According to his records, he visited Kamarupa and met Bhaskaravarman. He describes the king as a generous patron of learning, though not personally a Buddhist. Xuanzang also notes that there were hundreds of Buddhist monasteries in the region, though many were in ruins — possibly from Shashanka's persecution. Lucas: So the alliance with Harsha wasn't just military — it was also ideological. Harsha was a patron of Buddhism, and Bhaskaravarman, by aligning with him, may have been signaling tolerance. The copper plates don't mention Buddhism, but the context suggests a careful balancing act. Luna: It's a reminder that ancient politics was as much about image as it was about power. Lucas: Absolutely. And the Nidhanpur plates are one of the few surviving documents that let us glimpse that world. They're a tangible link to a forgotten chapter in the history of Bengal and Assam — a moment when a small kingdom used diplomacy to survive against a powerful neighbor.