Nilambar () or Nīlambara (reigned 1480–1498) was the last Khen ruler or ''Kamadeswar'' of the

Kamata kingdom The Kamata Kingdom ; in the eastern Sivalik Hills, emerged in western Kamarupa probably when Sandhya (ruler of Kamarupa), Sandhya, a ruler of Kamarupanagara, moved his capital west to Kamatapur sometime after 1257 CE. Since it originated in ...

in Western Assam and

North Bengal North Bengal ( , Uttar Banga) is a cross-border cultural–geographic region consisting of the north-western areas of Bangladesh as well as the northern part of the West Bengal state of India. Bounded to the east by the Jamuna and in the south ...

. He ruled from the city of Kamatapur (now called

Gosanimari Gosanimari (also known as ''Khalisa Gosanimari'') is both a village and an archaeological site in Dinhata I CD block, in the Dinhata subdivision of the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, north-eastern India. The name of this site was taken f ...

Rule

Nilambar was the son of Chakradhwaj (1460–1480) and assumed the throne on the death of his father. He was a successful warrior and is regarded as the most powerful king of his lineage. He expanded the kingdom to include the present districts of

Cooch Behar Cooch Behar (), also known as Koch Bihar, is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal and it stands on bank of the Torsa river. The city is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. During the British Raj, Cooch Behar was the seat of the ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

and northern

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. He also conquered the Undivided Kamrup and

Darrang Darrang () is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldoi. The district occupies an area of 1585 km2. Etymology The etymology of Darrang reflects its historical significance ...

districts of Assam and the eastern parts of

Dinajpur Dinajpur ( ) is a city and the district headquarters of Dinajpur district situated in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1786. It is located 413 km north-west of Dhaka. It is bounded on the north by Suihari, Katapara, Bangi ...

. Nilambar was interested in communication across the kingdom and invested in a road building program. One of the roads later formed part of the trunk route between

Rangpur Rangpur may refer to: Places In Bangladesh *Rangpur Division, one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. *Rangpur District, district of Bangladesh in Rangpur Division. *Rangpur, Bangladesh, metropolis and a major city in northern ...

and

Bogra Bogra (), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, officially Bogura, is a city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in North Bengal, Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in te ...

Defeat

Nilambar was defeated by the

Sultan of Bengal The Bengal Sultanate (Middle Bengali: , Classical Persian: ) was a Post-classical history, late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in the eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges- ...

Alauddin Husain Shah Ala-ud-din Husain Shah (; ; ) was an independent late medieval Sultan of the Bengal Sultanate, who founded the Hussain Shahi dynasty. He became the ruler of Bengal after assassinating the People of Ethiopia, Abyssinian Sultan, Shamsuddin Muzaff ...

, in 1498. Husain Shah invaded the Kamata kingdom with 24,000 infantry, cavalry and a war flotilla, defeated the Kamata forces and captured Kamatapur after a long siege. In the traditional account, the invasion was instigated by Sachipatra, a disgruntled Brahmin minister whose son had been killed by the king for licentious behavior. It is said that he escaped the battlefield alive and was never heard of again.

Cultural references

The fall of Nilambar is the subject of an epic poem written by Hitesvar Barbaruva. It is regarded as the most powerful and easy-flowing blank verse in Assamese.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nilambar of Kamata People from Assam 15th-century Indian monarchs Year of birth missing 1498 deaths