Nara Narayan
| Nara Narayan | |
|---|---|
| Reign | 1540–1587 |
| Predecessor | Biswa Singha |
| Successor | Lakshminarayan |
| Dynasty | Koch dynasty |
| Father | Biswa Singha |
Naranarayan (Assamese: নৰনাৰায়ণ), (Bengali: নরনারায়ণ) (reign 1540–1587) was the last ruler of the undivided Koch kingdom of Kamata. He succeeded his father Biswa Singha. Under him the Koch kingdom reached its cultural and political zenith. Under his rule, and under the military command of his brother Chilarai, he was able to subjugate the entire Brahmaputra valley, including the Ahom kingdom; besides the Kachari, Tripura and Manipur kingdoms, as well as the Khyrem, Jaintia and others. This influence was halted when he faced Suleman Karranni of Bengal.
He introduced a silver coin, called the Narayani, that greatly influenced the numismatics of Assam. His gave Srimanta Sankardeva the first royal patronage to Ekasarana Dharma.
At the time of his father's death, Naranaryan and his step brother, Chilarai, were in Varanasi and another brother, Nara Singha, succeed the throne. Malladev, as he was then known, hastened back with Chilarai and with the help of their supporters among the courtier, took over the throne. Nara Singha was pursued, who escaped first to the Morung kingdom, and thence to Nepal and finally Kashmir.
Malladev ascended the throne in 1540, in the same year that his father had died, and acquired the title Narayan, which was to become the dynastic title of his succeeding kings. He issued coins, and his seal was made. He appointed his step-brother Chilarai (then known as Sukladhwaj) the yuvaraj (somewhat akin to "prime minister") and the commander-in-chief of the military.
The Koch kingdom was a tributary the eastern Ahom kingdom and soon after his ascension began preparing to throw off the vassalage. A border tiff at Sala, just above Kaliabar escalated in 1546 with three step-brothers forging ahead into the Ahom kingdom, to meet with their deaths. After a series of battles with varying fortunes, the Koch army was defeated by the Ahoms, then under Suklenmung (1539–1552) who personally led the military, at the Battle of Pichala in 1547. This was followed by a period of calm and preparation.
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