"(I)t becomes clear that Biswa Singha's father was a Mech and mother was a Koch and both the tribes were "rude" and "impure", hence non-Aryan or non-Hinduised." (Nath 1989:17) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"The Koches 'who had a number of chiefs, at first independent, but who gradually united under the authority of one of themselves named Hajo, occupied Rangpur and Kamrup" (Nath 1989:17) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"[Hajo] had two daughters, Hira and Jira of whom Hira was married to Hariya, a member of the "impure tribe" called Mech."(Nath 1989:17) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"[Hajo] had two daughters, Hira and Jira of whom Hira was married to Hariya, a member of the "impure tribe" called Mech. Of them was born Bisu...it becomes clear that Biswa Singha's father was a Mech and mother was a Koch and both the tribes were "rude" and "impure", hence non-Aryan or non-Hinduised."(Nath 1989:17) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"Bisu, who might have fought Alauddin Hussain Shah or his government in Kamrup under the leadership of the Bhuyans and had a knowledge of their (the Bhuyans') military tactics..." (Nath 1989:22–23) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"...Dimarua, Panbari, Beltola, Rani, Moirapur, Borduar, Bholagram, Pantanduar, Chaigaon, Bogaduar, Bongaon, Baku, Luki, Hengerabari. Biswa Singha received the allegiance of these states including those of Darrang, Karaibari, Atiabari, Kamtabari, and Balrampur. The ruling family of these states till the annexation of the lower Brahmaputra valley to the British in 1826 were Koch, Mech or Garo and some of them claimed the continuity of their rule since centuries back" (Nath 1989:23–24) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"It is stated that Biswa Singha subjugated the Bar Bhuyan then the Saru Bhuyan and then the Bhuyan of Ouguri. After this he defeated the Daivajnya Chuti Bhuyan and thereafter Kusum Bhuyan, Dihala Bhuyan, Kalia Bhuyan and the Bhuyans of Jhargaon, Kabilash Bhuyan, the Bhuyans of Karnapur, Phulaguri, and Bijni, and finally Pratap Rai Bhuyan of Pandunath, Guwahati. The Gurucaritas also mention Gandhanva Rai, the Bhuyan of Banduka and Sriram Khan of Sajalagram." (Nath 1989:24) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"But it is interesting to note that neither in the Persian records, nor in the foreign accounts, nor in any of the dynastic epigraphs of the time, the Koches are mentioned as Rajvamsis. Even the Darrang Raj Vamsavali, which is a genealogical account of the Koch royal family, and which was written in the last quarter of the 18th century, does not refer to this term. Instead all these sources call them as Koches and/or Meches."(Nath 1989:5) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"It is interesting to note that Bisu, the founder of the dynasty and son of Haria Mandal, a chieftain of the Tibeto–Burman origin, discarded the tribal affinity of his father, but retained Koch identity of his mother (Bisu’s mother, Hira belonged to the Koch origin) adopted Hinduism and assumed the name Biswa Singha after his coronation (Barpujari 2007: 69–71; Gait 2008: 49–50)."(Roy 2020) Roy, Gautam Chandra (2020), "Negotiating with the Changing Landscape: The Case of the Rajbanshi Community", Political Weekly, 55 (39), archived from the original on 20 February 2022, retrieved 21 February 2022
(Sheikh 2012:252) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"The dynasty was Koch and the name of kingdom was Koch Bihar because the king himself and most of the population belonged to the Koch community" (Das 2004:559) Das, Jitendra Nath (2004). "The backwardness of the Rajbansis and the Rajbansi kshatriya movement (1891–1936)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 65: 559–563. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44144770.
"It is common to believe Biswa Singha's origin as son of Siva was nothing but creation of the Brahmans..The Brahmans needed royal patronage and the king wanted legitimacy which could be obtained through the universal religion to teach the people to be obedient, patient and submissive"(Sheikh 2012:250) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"So among the mass people the process of Hinduization was slower than in the folds of the royal family. With the embracing of Hinduism, they were left with a somewhat despised name 'Koch' and adopted the name Rajbansi, a Kshatriya status which means literally 'of royal race', confined predominantly within the cultivators and the respectable classes. The name Koch was used by the palanquin bearers. Thus Koch Behar was undergoing religious transformation and developing a caste hierarchy under an impact of Brahminical Hinduism though it was much slower in the lower strata of the society
"(Sheikh 2012:252) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
(Sheikh 2012:250):"(K)ing Biswa Singha with his tribal origin embraced Hinduism and claim Kshatriya status. He is also known as Bishu succeeded in establishing his authority, styling himself as Raja, he first claimed Rajbanshi Kshatriya status" Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"The process of sankritisation was further advanced by the advent of Srimanta Sankardeva, along with his two disciples Madhavdeva and Damodardev in the mid sixteenth century. They introduced neo-vaishnavite movement in Koch Behar"(Sheikh 2012:251) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"Naranarayan had to issue an edict by which the tribal form of religious practice prevalent among like Koches, Meches, and the Kacharis was recognised"(Sheikh 2012:252) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"So among the mass people, the process of Hinduization was slower than in the folds of the royal family"(Sheikh 2012:252) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"Democratic values and simplicity advocated by Sankardeva had profound influence on the heterogenous people of the Tista-Brahmaputra basin. So all communities including the Koch, Kalita, Kayastha, Chandal, Garo, Ahom, Bhutia, Miri, Muslim and even the brahmins had embraced Sankardeva’s Vaishnavism. Madhavadeva and Damodar Deva, the disciples of Sankardeva also touched the hearts of the heterogeneous communities through their religious teachings and
transformed the neo-Vaishnavism into a popular cult of the region."(Barman 2014:21) Barman, Rup Kumar (2014). State Formation, Legitimization and Cultural Change A Study of Koch Kingdom(PDF). Vol. 12. The NEHU Journal. pp. 17–35. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
"Satra and namaghar of the neo-Vaishnavism appeared as two
powerful institutions with capacity for social control. So Naranarayan and Chilarai encouraged the foundation of satras in Sub-Himalayan Bengal and Lower Assam to popularize Koch rule among the follower of Vaishnavism. They not only established close relations with Sankardeva but also became great patron of the neo-Vaishnavism. Lakshmi Narayan (1587-1637), Raghudeva Narayan (1581-1618), Parikshit Narayan (1603-1618), Bir Narayan (1627-32) and Prana Narayan (1632-1665A.D.) also continued the state’s support to the building of the satras in the kingdom "(Barman 2014:22) Barman, Rup Kumar (2014). State Formation, Legitimization and Cultural Change A Study of Koch Kingdom(PDF). Vol. 12. The NEHU Journal. pp. 17–35. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
The rulers could not antagonize the tribals as they needed the tribal support in warfare. Hence, when the worship of Lord Shiva solely with the Vedic rituals was opposed by the tribals, King Naranarayan had to allow traditional ways of worship with animal sacrifice, offering of country beer (chakat) and colourful tribal music and dances. The Kacharis, Meches, Koches and other tribes of northern side of the Gohain Kamal Ali (from Cooch Behar to Narayanpur) were allowed to maintain their own cultural form with their own priests and rituals"(Barman 2014:29) Barman, Rup Kumar (2014). State Formation, Legitimization and Cultural Change A Study of Koch Kingdom(PDF). Vol. 12. The NEHU Journal. pp. 17–35. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
"(I)t becomes clear that Biswa Singha's father was a Mech and mother was a Koch and both the tribes were "rude" and "impure", hence non-Aryan or non-Hinduised." (Nath 1989:17) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"The Koches 'who had a number of chiefs, at first independent, but who gradually united under the authority of one of themselves named Hajo, occupied Rangpur and Kamrup" (Nath 1989:17) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"[Hajo] had two daughters, Hira and Jira of whom Hira was married to Hariya, a member of the "impure tribe" called Mech."(Nath 1989:17) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"[Hajo] had two daughters, Hira and Jira of whom Hira was married to Hariya, a member of the "impure tribe" called Mech. Of them was born Bisu...it becomes clear that Biswa Singha's father was a Mech and mother was a Koch and both the tribes were "rude" and "impure", hence non-Aryan or non-Hinduised."(Nath 1989:17) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"Bisu, who might have fought Alauddin Hussain Shah or his government in Kamrup under the leadership of the Bhuyans and had a knowledge of their (the Bhuyans') military tactics..." (Nath 1989:22–23) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"...Dimarua, Panbari, Beltola, Rani, Moirapur, Borduar, Bholagram, Pantanduar, Chaigaon, Bogaduar, Bongaon, Baku, Luki, Hengerabari. Biswa Singha received the allegiance of these states including those of Darrang, Karaibari, Atiabari, Kamtabari, and Balrampur. The ruling family of these states till the annexation of the lower Brahmaputra valley to the British in 1826 were Koch, Mech or Garo and some of them claimed the continuity of their rule since centuries back" (Nath 1989:23–24) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"It is stated that Biswa Singha subjugated the Bar Bhuyan then the Saru Bhuyan and then the Bhuyan of Ouguri. After this he defeated the Daivajnya Chuti Bhuyan and thereafter Kusum Bhuyan, Dihala Bhuyan, Kalia Bhuyan and the Bhuyans of Jhargaon, Kabilash Bhuyan, the Bhuyans of Karnapur, Phulaguri, and Bijni, and finally Pratap Rai Bhuyan of Pandunath, Guwahati. The Gurucaritas also mention Gandhanva Rai, the Bhuyan of Banduka and Sriram Khan of Sajalagram." (Nath 1989:24) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"It is interesting to note that Bisu, the founder of the dynasty and son of Haria Mandal, a chieftain of the Tibeto–Burman origin, discarded the tribal affinity of his father, but retained Koch identity of his mother (Bisu’s mother, Hira belonged to the Koch origin) adopted Hinduism and assumed the name Biswa Singha after his coronation (Barpujari 2007: 69–71; Gait 2008: 49–50)."(Roy 2020) Roy, Gautam Chandra (2020), "Negotiating with the Changing Landscape: The Case of the Rajbanshi Community", Political Weekly, 55 (39), archived from the original on 20 February 2022, retrieved 21 February 2022
"But it is interesting to note that neither in the Persian records, nor in the foreign accounts, nor in any of the dynastic epigraphs of the time, the Koches are mentioned as Rajvamsis. Even the Darrang Raj Vamsavali, which is a genealogical account of the Koch royal family, and which was written in the last quarter of the 18th century, does not refer to this term. Instead all these sources call them as Koches and/or Meches."(Nath 1989:5) Nath, D. (1989), History of the Koch Kingdom, c. 1515–1615, Mittal Publications, ISBN8170991099, archived from the original on 3 May 2023, retrieved 15 September 2020
"Democratic values and simplicity advocated by Sankardeva had profound influence on the heterogenous people of the Tista-Brahmaputra basin. So all communities including the Koch, Kalita, Kayastha, Chandal, Garo, Ahom, Bhutia, Miri, Muslim and even the brahmins had embraced Sankardeva’s Vaishnavism. Madhavadeva and Damodar Deva, the disciples of Sankardeva also touched the hearts of the heterogeneous communities through their religious teachings and
transformed the neo-Vaishnavism into a popular cult of the region."(Barman 2014:21) Barman, Rup Kumar (2014). State Formation, Legitimization and Cultural Change A Study of Koch Kingdom(PDF). Vol. 12. The NEHU Journal. pp. 17–35. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
"Satra and namaghar of the neo-Vaishnavism appeared as two
powerful institutions with capacity for social control. So Naranarayan and Chilarai encouraged the foundation of satras in Sub-Himalayan Bengal and Lower Assam to popularize Koch rule among the follower of Vaishnavism. They not only established close relations with Sankardeva but also became great patron of the neo-Vaishnavism. Lakshmi Narayan (1587-1637), Raghudeva Narayan (1581-1618), Parikshit Narayan (1603-1618), Bir Narayan (1627-32) and Prana Narayan (1632-1665A.D.) also continued the state’s support to the building of the satras in the kingdom "(Barman 2014:22) Barman, Rup Kumar (2014). State Formation, Legitimization and Cultural Change A Study of Koch Kingdom(PDF). Vol. 12. The NEHU Journal. pp. 17–35. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
The rulers could not antagonize the tribals as they needed the tribal support in warfare. Hence, when the worship of Lord Shiva solely with the Vedic rituals was opposed by the tribals, King Naranarayan had to allow traditional ways of worship with animal sacrifice, offering of country beer (chakat) and colourful tribal music and dances. The Kacharis, Meches, Koches and other tribes of northern side of the Gohain Kamal Ali (from Cooch Behar to Narayanpur) were allowed to maintain their own cultural form with their own priests and rituals"(Barman 2014:29) Barman, Rup Kumar (2014). State Formation, Legitimization and Cultural Change A Study of Koch Kingdom(PDF). Vol. 12. The NEHU Journal. pp. 17–35. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
(Sheikh 2012:252) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"The dynasty was Koch and the name of kingdom was Koch Bihar because the king himself and most of the population belonged to the Koch community" (Das 2004:559) Das, Jitendra Nath (2004). "The backwardness of the Rajbansis and the Rajbansi kshatriya movement (1891–1936)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 65: 559–563. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44144770.
"It is common to believe Biswa Singha's origin as son of Siva was nothing but creation of the Brahmans..The Brahmans needed royal patronage and the king wanted legitimacy which could be obtained through the universal religion to teach the people to be obedient, patient and submissive"(Sheikh 2012:250) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"So among the mass people the process of Hinduization was slower than in the folds of the royal family. With the embracing of Hinduism, they were left with a somewhat despised name 'Koch' and adopted the name Rajbansi, a Kshatriya status which means literally 'of royal race', confined predominantly within the cultivators and the respectable classes. The name Koch was used by the palanquin bearers. Thus Koch Behar was undergoing religious transformation and developing a caste hierarchy under an impact of Brahminical Hinduism though it was much slower in the lower strata of the society
"(Sheikh 2012:252) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
(Sheikh 2012:250):"(K)ing Biswa Singha with his tribal origin embraced Hinduism and claim Kshatriya status. He is also known as Bishu succeeded in establishing his authority, styling himself as Raja, he first claimed Rajbanshi Kshatriya status" Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"The process of sankritisation was further advanced by the advent of Srimanta Sankardeva, along with his two disciples Madhavdeva and Damodardev in the mid sixteenth century. They introduced neo-vaishnavite movement in Koch Behar"(Sheikh 2012:251) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"Naranarayan had to issue an edict by which the tribal form of religious practice prevalent among like Koches, Meches, and the Kacharis was recognised"(Sheikh 2012:252) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
"So among the mass people, the process of Hinduization was slower than in the folds of the royal family"(Sheikh 2012:252) Sheikh, Amiruzzaman (2012). "The 16th century Koch kingdom: Evolving patterns of sankritization". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 73: 249–254. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44156212.
