To show how a frontier power of pre-modern South Asia defined its history and identity in different ways in changing political contexts, this article presents an analysis of the unusual asura lineage of three lesser-known dynasties between the seventh and twelfth centuries in succession: the Varmans, the Mlecchas and the Pālas, who sequentially all ruled Kāmarūpa, a historical region located in the present state of Assam. Examination of three distinct phases of genealogical claims enables us to understand the ways in which the peripheral rulers negotiated with dominant supra-regional discourses, challenged political tradition of their predecessors, and carved out their own space in a new world of regional sovereignty.

为了展示一个前现代南亚的边疆强国如何在不断变化的政治环境中以不同方式定义其历史和身份，本文分析了 7 至 12 世纪连续三个鲜为人知的王朝的不同寻常的阿苏拉血统： Varmans、Mlecchas 和 Pālas，他们依次统治着 Kāmarūpa，一个位于现在阿萨姆邦的历史地区。对谱系主张的三个不同阶段的考察使我们能够理解外围统治者如何与占主导地位的超区域话语进行谈判，挑战其前任的政治传统，并在区域主权的新世界中开辟自己的空间。