Assam GK: Origin of the name -Assam

• The word 'Assam' is derived from the Sanskrit word Asoma meaning 'peerless' or 'unequalled'.
• The land whose bewitching picture is conjured by the name 'Assam’ is infact peerless, judged by her exquisite natural beauty richness and human wealth.
• Assam was known in the epic age as Pragiyotisa place of eastern astronomy.
• In Classical Sanskrit literature, Pragjyotisa is also called Kamrupa.
• A graphic account of geography of Pragjyotisa or Kamrupa is to be found in the Kalika Purana (10th century) and the Yogini Tantra (16th century) both of which dwell upon the religiogeographical history of medieval Assam.
• According to historian Raj Mohan Nath, an ancient race Chouthius settled in this part of India and they came to be known as Pragjuthis and this is how this part of India came to be known as Pragjyotishpura.
• Dr Banikanta Kakoti held forth the view that in Austric language Pragjyotishpura meant a wide hilly terrain.
• According to some other historians also the ancient name of Assam was Pragjyotishpura - the city of eastern light, which later changed to Kamrupa - the land where Kamdeva, the god of love was re-born.
• The modern name of the province, Assam, is of recent origin.
• It is connected, with the Ahoms who entered the Brahmaputra valley in the beginning of the 13 century. 
• They say that this was the term applied to them by the native tribes at the time of their invasion of the valley, and was an index of the awe and admiration with which the latter regarded the Ahom conqueror who conciliated them.
•  Dr. Banikanta Kakoti suggests that 'Asama', may be a later-day Sanskritization of an earlier form, 'Acham'.
• In Tai, the root 'cham' means 'to be vanquished'. With the Assamese prefix 'a', 'Asam' or 'Acham' would mean 'undefeated' 'victorious (History of Assamese Literature : Birinchi Kumar Barua).
•  Some scholars have stated that the word 'Assam denotes the unparalleled beauty of the State.
• Lord Baden Powell in his book Indian Village Community states that the Bodo community named this ancient land 'Sa-Sum', which with the passage of the time got translated into the model word 'Assam'.