A History of Assam c11.92

c11.92

∗ Dimā means "big river," *di* or *dui* being the Kachāri word for "water" or "river," and *mā* their word for "great." This word was always used with special reference to the Dhansiri, on whose bank Dimāpur was situated. The southern Kachāris call themselves Dimāsā, a corruption of Dimā-fisā, or "sons of the great river." The Ahoms called the Dhansiri Nām-timā, *nām* being their own word for "river." Similarly until recently the Jaldhaka river in North Bengal was known as the Di-chhu, *di* being, as we have seen, the Kachāri, and *chhu* the Tibetan word for water. Dimāpur was called by the Ahoms Che-din-chi-pen (town-earth-burn-make) or the "brick town." They also sometimes called it Che-dima or the "town on the Dima." We have no record of the name which the Kachāris themselves gave it.