Nara Narayan

Maharaja Naranarayan (Bengali: মহারাজা নরনারায়ণ) was the third and 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. He introduced a silver coin, called the Narayani,^[1] that greatly influenced the numismatics of Assam. His patronage gave Srimanta Sankardeva the first royal patronage to Mahapuruxiya Dharma.

In 1581 Raghu Deva, the son of his brother Shukladhvaj became the de-facto ruler of the eastern part of his kingdom Koch Hajo, though under suzerainty of his uncle. After the death of Nara Narayan, he declared his independence.

Nara Narayan's son Lakshmi Narayan succeeded him after his death, but only inherited the western part of his kingdom Koch Bihar. On December 23, 1596 Man Singh I married Nara Narayan's daughter Kshamadevi^[2].

Nara Narayan was a noted patron of literature. During his reign, Purushottam Vidyavagish wrote the Prayogaratnamala, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar.

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