Assam was known in ancient times as:

In ancient times, Assam was known as "Pragjyotisha" (or Pragjyotishpura), and later as "Kamarupa".

About Pragjyotisha:

• The name "Pragjyotisha" is believed to mean "the city of eastern light" or "the place of eastern astronomy".
• It is mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
• In the Mahabharata, Bhagadatta, the king of Pragjyotisha, fought on the side of the Kauravas with a large force of elephants.
• According to legend, the kingdom was founded by Narakasura, a demon king, who was later killed by Krishna; Bhagadatta was his son.
• The city of Pragjyotishpura is identified with present-day Guwahati.

Kamarupa:

• In later times, from about the 4th century CE, the kingdom was called "Kamarupa".
• It is mentioned in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta as a frontier kingdom that paid tribute.
• It was ruled by several dynasties.
• The Kamakhya temple near Guwahati is an important Shakti peetha.

Later history of Assam:

• In the 13th century, the Ahoms, a Tai people from present-day Myanmar, led by Sukaphaa (Chaolung Sukapha), entered the Brahmaputra valley and founded the Ahom kingdom in 1228.
• The Ahoms ruled for about 600 years, until the British annexed Assam after the Treaty of Yandabo (1826).
• The Ahoms successfully resisted the Mughals; Lachit Borphukan defeated the Mughal army at the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.
• The name "Assam" is believed to have come from the word "Ahom" (or "Asama", meaning "unequalled").

Ancient names of other regions:

• Kalinga: Odisha.
• Vanga: southern and eastern Bengal.
• Anga: eastern Bihar (around Bhagalpur and Champa).
• Gauda: northern and western Bengal.
• Videha: north Bihar (Mithila).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kalinga was the ancient name of Odisha.
• ✗Vanga was the ancient name of eastern Bengal.
• ✗Anga was the ancient name of eastern Bihar.