Skip to main content

Bir Chilarai | Biography, History & Achievements

 Sukladhvaja, popularly known as Bir Chilarai was a Commander-in-Chief and Dewan (Prime Minister) of the Koch kingdom during the reign of Maharaja Naranarayana, the emperor of Kamata-Kamarupa (1533-1587). He was the third son of Viswa Singha, the founder of the Koch dynasty.

Chilarai Divas Biography
Real Name Yuvaraj Sukladhvaja
Popular name Chilarai
Born 1510
Died 1571
Children Raghudev
Parents Biswa Singha (father);

Padmavati (mother)

Monarch Naranarayana
Succeeded by Viswa Singha
Profession Commander-in-chief of Koch army and Prime Minister
Allegiance Koch dynasty

Of the 18 sons of Viswa Singha, only four have left a stamp in the history of Assam and Coch Bihar, namely, Narasimha, Naranarayana, Chilarai, and Gosain Kamal, according to seniority in age. Before Viswa Singha’s death, the different sons for different functions were discharged based on some kind of lottery by which Naranarayana would succeed him as king, with Sukladhvaja as the Commander-in-Chief and Dewan (Prime Minister).

Early life

Bir Chilarai was born on a fine full moon day. He was the great patron of learning and arts, which is borne out by many appreciative references by contemporary scholars and poets to the patronage extended by them. Sankaradeva and Madhavdeva, (the great Vaisnava poets and religious reformers), Ram Saraswati (the translator-in-chief of the Mahabharata), Pitambara, and a few other 16th-century poets have gratefully acknowledged the patronage of Sukladhvaja and his elder brother Naranarayana.

Chilarai reflects not only the heritage and tradition of ancient Kamarupa but also the inner personality and special character traits of Chilarai. The white dress is symbolic of the victory flag of Assam culture. In the great battle of Kurukshetra, the then king of Kamarupa Bhagadatta, demonstrated the glory of Kamarupa, riding a white elephant and carrying a white flag in his hand. In the same manner, Chilarai also displayed the glory of Kamarapura, through his many conquests by riding his favorite white horse, with a white flag in hand.

History of Bir Chilarai

Chilarai also built a fort at Narayanpur to facilitate his military and administrative works. At that time he faced a sudden attack by the Ahom king, Suklengmung. As a retaliatory measure, Chilarai launched a massive attack on the Ahom kingdom some years later. The invasion of the Ahom kingdom by Chilarai in 1562 was the second invasion of the Ahom kingdom by the Koches, the first having been launched in 1546, during the reign of Ahom king Suklenmung. Gait states the following events relating to the hostilities with the Koches.

Read Also: Veer Sambudhan Phonglo History

Also Read: About Ahom kingdom kings list

In the course of a single military expedition (1562-1564), he conquered all the kingdoms of the then Eastern Region of India, without facing a single defeat. He led a combined Army of 600000 men, comprising 532000 land forces and two Naval Divisions, which by any standard was a great achievement in itself. Even the great Napoleon commanded an army of a little more or less the same strength, 250 years later, in 1812, when he invaded Russia but with total disaster. It was because of the invincible Chilarai that during the reign of Nara Narayana, neither the Afghans nor the Mughals succeeded in making any inroads into eastern India, beyond the Korotowa. Even the great 17th-century warrior-hero, Shivaji couldn’t win so many laurels as Chilarai did. Then, unlike many legendary heroes, Chilarai was a person of great versatility which most people are not aware of.

In the course of Chilarai’s second military expedition against ‘Asama’, as the huge Koch Army arrive at Amingaon, the Chutia came there and welcomed Naranarayana and Chilarai. Thereafter, the Koch army made rapid advances through the Darrang district and then marched into Tezpur. On the way, Chilarai riding his famous horse, crossed the Bhoroli adjacent to the existing Maha Bhairabi temple by a single jump just like the ‘kite’ over its prey. So he earned his name Chilarai because of his sudden, speedy movement in attacking enemies like the kite.

Bir Chilarai Divas

Chilarai Divas is an annual regional public holiday observed all over Assam. According to the Hindu calendar, it falls in Phagun Maah (February) of Purnima on the fine full moon day. These divas are celebrated on the birth anniversary of Bir Chilarai which was declared by the Government of Assam in 2005.

Top Questions

Q.1 Who was Bir Chilarai?

Ans:- Chilarai was the legendary Koch generalissimo, who held the position of Commander-in-Chief and Prime Minister during the reign of Maharaja Naranarayana.

Q.2 Why do we celebrate Chilarai divas?

Ans:- Chilarai Divas is an annual regional public holiday observed all over Assam. According to the Hindu calendar, it falls in Phagun Maah (February) of Purnima on the fine full moon day. These divas are celebrated on the birth anniversary of Bir Chilarai and were declared by the Government of Assam in 2005.

Q.3 Who was the founder of the Koch dynasty?

Ans:- Viswa Singha was the founder of the Koch dynasty.

Q.4 What was the real name of Chilarai?

Ans:- The real name of Chilarai was Sukladhvaja.

Q.5 When was Chilarai born?

Ans:- Born in 1510.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Telugu Numbers 1 to 100 Counting Chart

  Telugu language belongs to the Dravidian language family spoken by Telugu people. It is the official language of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India, with 75 million speakers as of 2011. I collected a counting chart of Telugu numbers from 0 to 100 with the numerals, written out in the Dravidian alphabet. Numbers Chart 1-100 on Amazon Telugu Numbers 1 to 100 English Telugu Numeral PRON. 0 ౦ sunna 1 ౧ okati 2 ౨ rendu 3 ౩ mudu 4 ౪ nalugu 5 ౫ ayidu 6 ౬ aru 7 ౭ edu 8 ౮ enimidi 9 ౯ tommidi 10 ౧౦ padi 11 ౧౧ padakondu 12 ౧౨ pannendu 13 ౧౩ padamudu 14 ౧౪ padhnalugu 15 ...

Assamese Counting Chart: Numbers 1 to 100

 How to count numbers in Assamese language belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family spoken in the Northeastern Indian state of Assam and other Northeastern states. It is spoken by over 25 million speakers as of 2011. These Assamese numbers are exactly similar to Bengali numbers in their written script using Bengali-Assamese script from 1100AD and pronunciations are somewhat relevant to listen. Assamese Counting Chart 1 to 100 Number Numeral Assamese Pronouncation 0 ০ শূণ্য xuino 1 ১ এক ek 2 ২ দুই dui 3 ৩ তিনি tini 4 ৪ চাৰি sari 5 ৫ পাঁচ pas 6 ৬ ছয় soy 7 ৭ সাত xat 8 ৮ আঠ ath 9 ৯ ন no 10 ১০ দহ doh 11 ১১ এঘাৰ egharo 12 ...

Learn Tamil Numbers 1 to 100

 The Tamil language belongs to the Dravidian language family natively spoken by the Tamil people. It is the official language of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with 70 million speakers as of 2011. Tamil Numbers 1 to 100 Learn Tamil Numbers 1 to 100 Here you can learn Tamil numbers from 1 to 100 with cardinal, pronunciation in English. Below the list of numbers in Tamil language with counting chart. Numerals Tamil PRON. 0 சுழியம் suliyam 1 ஒன்று onnu 2 இரண்டு rendu 3 மூன்று moonu 4 நான்கு nalu 5 ஐந்து anju 6 ஆறு aaru 7 ஏழு yelu 8 எட்டு ettu 9 ஒன்பது onbadhu 10 பத்து pathu 11 பதினொன்று pathi nonnu 12 பன்னிரண்டு pannandu 13 pathi monnu Tera 14 ...
This website uses Affiliate links:  Amazon.in. If you click on them and buy anything then I earn a commission.