Chilarai Shukladhwaj ( ; 1510 – 1571 AD ) , or more popularly Chilarai ( ) ( , ) , was the younger brother of Nara Narayan , the king of the Kamata kingdom in the 16th century . He was Nara Narayan ' s commander - in - chief and he got his name Chilarai because his movement as a general was as fast as a " chila " ( kite ) . Chilarai is known to have descended from the powerful founder of the Koch dynasty of Kamatapur , Viswa Simha . By his valour , he played a significant role in expanding the empire of his elder brother , Maharaja Nara Narayan . His valour ensured Koch supremacy over the Bhutia , Kachari kingdom and the Ahoms though several battles were fought between the Koches and Ahoms with countable victories for both sides . Biography . Chilarai was the third son of Maharaja Viswa Singha ( 1523 - 1554 A . D . ) . His mother Padmavati was from the country called Gaur . Chilarai was instrumental in giving Srimanta Sankardev protection and shelter , as well as marrying his niece Kamalapriya ( alias Bhubaneswari ) . It was only due to his Royal Patronage that Sankaradev was able to establish the Ek Saran Naam Dharma in Assam and bring about his cultural renaissance . His son and grandson were responsible for breaking away of Koch Hajo from the parent kingdom . Shukladhwaj also named Chilarai which means ' Kite Prince ' was perhaps the greatest general that Indian history ignored . A master military strategist , he was the commander of elder brother and Koch king Naranarayan ' s army . Chilarai ' s valour ensured Koch supremacy over the Bhutia , Kachari kingdom ( of Hadimba , now dimapur ) and the Ahoms ( though several battles were fought between the Koches and Ahoms with countable victories for both sides ) . In June 1563 the Koches under the command of Chilarai managed to occupy the capital of Ahom , Gargaon . Several Kings namely the then Raja of Manipur and the Khasi chief ( Viryyavanta ) submitted to the Koch army . The Jaintia Raja and Rajas of Tippera ( Tripura ) and Sylhet were also vanquished and put to death by Chilarai and his army . It must be mentioned that Chilarai never committed brutalities on unarmed common people and even those kings who offer their surrender were treated with utmost respect . Only those kings and soldiers who refused to surrender were treated with strong hands . But the brothers never annexed conquered territories nor oppressed the people . They only collected tributes from the vanquished kings . Even enemy - prisoners were kindly treated and given land - grants to settle ” . Chilarai also adopted guerrilla warfare successfully - even before Shivaji Maharaja of Maratha empire did . The duo ( Chilarai and Naranarayan ) turned towards Bengal but due to unforeseen circumstances Chilarai was captured by the Afghan Sultan Sulaiman Karrani while Naranarayan retreated to his capital . Much of the Koch kingdom was captured by the Afghans thereafter . However Chilarai and Nara Narayan later rebuilt the Kamakhya temple that the Sultan ' s army had destroyed . They also patronized the great Vaishnavite movement of Sankardev . Chilarai died in 1577 of small pox on the bank of Ganges . Bir Chilarai Divas . The birth anniversary of Mahabir Chilarai is organized by Government of Assam annually from 2005 . The Government also declares this day as state holiday . Bir Chilarai Award . The awards instituted by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs , Government of Assam in 2005 which comprise a shawl , a citation and a cheque of Rs . 1 lakh