Pragjyotishpura

Pragjyotishpura (IPA: [prāgˈʤjəʊtɪʃˌpʊərə]) or Pragjyotisapura, now deemed to be a region within modern Guwahati, was an ancient city and capital of the Varman dynasty (350 - 650 A.D).^[1] Though the earliest mention of Pragjyotisha in local sources come from the 7th century,^[2] the form was changed to Pragjyotishpura in the 9th century which describes it as the city of Naraka within Kamarupa.^[3] In Puranic text like the Ramayana, Pragjyotishpura is described as the fortress of Narakasura on mount Varaha located in the north-west of the Indian subcontinent in what is modern-day Punjab and Sindh.^[4]

^ Chaudhury, P. D. (2010). Archaeology in Assam: An Introduction. Directorate of Archaeology, Assam. p. 17.
^ "The earliest mention of the name of Pragjyotisha in the local sources has been found only in the 7th century onwards." (Boruah 2003:339)
^ "(T)he Pragjyotisha was, however, redefined in the Uttarbarbil and the Nowgong plates dated to the last quarter of the ninth century. Both record that Naraka, the conqueror of Kamarupa (jitakamarupa), used to live in a city (pura) named Pragjyotishpura in Kamarupa." (Shin 2018:39)
^ "These descriptions seem to indicate the possible affiliation of Bhagadatta and Vajradatta to the north-western India and locate Pragjyotisha in the region, especially the Punjab-Sind area. They also remind us about the Mahabharata's reference to Pragjyotishpura which describes it as the mythical citadel of Naraka, located on the Varaha Mountain in the west. Some scholars including M.C. Majumdar and K. V. Athavale, thus, placed Pragjyotisha in the north-western region"(Shin 2018:36)

[1] Chaudhury, P. D. (2010). Archaeology in Assam: An Introduction. Directorate of Archaeology, Assam. p. 17.

[2] "The earliest mention of the name of Pragjyotisha in the local sources has been found only in the 7th century onwards." (Boruah 2003:339)

[3] "(T)he Pragjyotisha was, however, redefined in the Uttarbarbil and the Nowgong plates dated to the last quarter of the ninth century. Both record that Naraka, the conqueror of Kamarupa (jitakamarupa), used to live in a city (pura) named Pragjyotishpura in Kamarupa." (Shin 2018:39)

[4] "These descriptions seem to indicate the possible affiliation of Bhagadatta and Vajradatta to the north-western India and locate Pragjyotisha in the region, especially the Punjab-Sind area. They also remind us about the Mahabharata's reference to Pragjyotishpura which describes it as the mythical citadel of Naraka, located on the Varaha Mountain in the west. Some scholars including M.C. Majumdar and K. V. Athavale, thus, placed Pragjyotisha in the north-western region"(Shin 2018:36)

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