The Surma valley, a rice and orange country of its own between the Khasi and Tripura hills, whose political place is a real puzzle: its land grants from earlier centuries were made by kings who called themselves lords of Srihatta, Kamarupa in origin, and the Senas of Bengal claim the approach from the west.
No source we opened names who rules there on 1 January 1200.
Who he is
- Name
- not named for 1200
- Title
- Rulers of Srihatta (Sylhet) in "Southern Kamarupa"
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- English Wikipedia (Boruah 2011) lists four names, undated: Kharabana, Gokuladeva, Narayana and Kesavadeva. Their order and dates are not given.
- Confidence
- low
English Wikipedia, Kamarupa. The famous story of Gour Govinda and Shah Jalal (Sylhet, 1303 on the tradition) is later.
Overlord
Kamarupa nominally; the Sena kings claim the approach (board).
What it holds
- Srihatta (Sylhet) and the Surma valley
Allies and rivals
Kamarupa, the Senas, the Tripuri hills to the south and the Khasi and Jaintia hills to the north.
How things stand that morning
Held by a local lord or lords whose names are not pinned; contested by claim between Kamarupa and the Senas.
Wealth
Rice, oranges, fish, betel, haor lands; the route between Bengal and Kamarupa.
Military
Local retinues; no numbers.
Threats
- Sena or Kamarupa pressure
- Tripuri and Khasi hill raiders
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- about 1303 on later traditionShah Jalal and the fall of Gour Govinda; later than this game.Depends on: Later. Stopped by: Not applicable.
Places of note
- Sylhet: Srihatta.
Where the sources disagree
- The campaign board entry the-srihatta-approach: "Sena of Bengal, contested". Agreed as contested; the campaign board does not decide who holds.
Evidence: Four undated names in a modern table.
"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.
On the map: The ground is drawn as the province Sylhet: Srihatta and the Surma valley.
Primary sources for Kamarupa
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Inscriptions of Bengal, vol. 3, Various (the Sena kings' chanceries), edited by N. G. Majumdar (copper plates of the 10th to early 13th centuries; edited 1929). The one-volume edition of the Sena copper plates, the main documentary evidence for Bengal around 1200. Read online
- Epigraphia Indica: inscriptions of the Chandelas, Paramaras, Gahadavalas, Chaulukyas, Senas and Eastern Gangas, Various (edited for the Archaeological Survey of India by J. Burgess, E. Hultzsch, F. Kielhorn, Sten Konow, F. W. Thomas and successors) (inscriptions of the 1180s to 1210s; the series ran from 1892). The main record series for the Hindu kingdoms of northern India around 1200. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.