Assam awaits world heritage tag for burial mounds of Ahom royals
Of all the ‘Moidams’, nearly 90 have been preserved well and are the best representations of the burial system sometimes referred to as ‘Pyramids of Assam’
Guwahati: Ninety mound-shaped burial grounds or ‘Moidams’ of royals from the Ahom dynasty of Assam could become India’s newest UNESCO world heritage site later this month.
The 46th ordinary session of the UN body’s world heritage committee will be held in New Delhi from July 21 to 31, and the ‘Moidams’ located at Charaideo district in Assam, which is the only entry from India, is expected to get the world heritage tag at that event.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the advisory body of UNESCO, has recommended ‘Moidams’ to be included in the world heritage list for its exceptional and unique cultural tradition and architectural or technological ensemble or landscape.
At present, there are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Assam -- the Kaziranga National Park, which is home to the world’s largest habitat of the endangered one-horned rhinos, and the Manas National Park, a biodiversity hotspot located on the border with Bhutan that has “spectacular scenery and natural landscape”.
“The world heritage tag, if it comes, will be a big moment for Assam. Tourists from other parts of India and abroad, who come to Assam, visit either Kaziranga or Kamakhya, a sacred Hindu temple located in Guwahati. But they aren’t aware of Assam’s history or the Ahom dynasty. The UNESCO tag will hopefully change that,” said Arup Kumar Dutta, author of ‘The Ahoms: A Reimagined History’.
He added that there should be adequate publicity about the ‘Moidams’ once the UNESCO tag is given, which in turn would give a boost to the state’s tourism industry and also highlight Assam’s culture and history to those outside the northeast region.
“I am sure the tag will bring about broader awareness about other historical sites in the state, especially the ones in Sivasagar district, like Talatal Ghar, Rang Ghar, Shiva Doul etc,” said Dutta, a Padma Shri awardee.
Birendra Kumar Gohain, who has written several books on the Ahoms and is considered an authority on the dynasty and their traditions, said that the UNESCO tag will lead to better conservation efforts of the historically and architecturally important ‘Moidams’.
“We all hope that the Moidams get the tag. But once that happens, our authorities should ensure there is proper publicity and tourists who come to see the UNESCO site also visit other historical places in Assam. The food habits and culture of other Assamese communities will also get highlighted,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with Egypt’s pyramids, Gohain said that while the burial monuments of the Pharaohs and other royalty were mainly focused above the ground, the Ahom ‘Moidams’ were intricate structures located underneath the dome-shaped earthen mounds.
History
Chaolung Sukaphaa, a Shan (Tai) prince from Mong Mao in Yunan of southern China who came to Assam after crossing the Patkai Mountains via Myanmar and established the Ahom kingdom in 1228, kings, queens and royal family members were buried at Charaideo, the first Ahom capital located around 28 km from Sivasagar.
Of the 386 ‘Moidams’ explored so far, 39 are believed to be of Ahom kings who ruled Assam for nearly 600 years till the Burmese invasion of the region and subsequent annexation by the British East India Company after signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. Of all the Moidams, nearly 90 have been preserved well and are the best representations of the burial system sometimes referred to as the ‘Pyramids of Assam’.
“A Moidam (also spelt Maidam) is a tumulus —a mound of earth or stones over a grave. While the moidams at Charaideo housed graves of the Ahom royals, there is a record that even other Ahoms, including soldiers used to get buried in moidams of smaller dimensions. They are spread all across the region where Ahoms ruled in Assam,” said Dutta.
The Ahoms were great record keepers and details of their history are found in ‘buranjis’, which chronicled their rule and important events. The practice of burying the deceased in Moidams, which in Tai language means ‘place where the dead are worshipped’, started in Assam’s Charaideo with Sukaphaa also finds mention in one such ‘buranji’.
“It is mentioned that after Sukapha’s death, his eldest son made the king’s ‘Moidam’ on the foothills of Charaideo hills and prayed to the gods. This is clearly written in ‘buranji’ and is the only evidence that the first Ahom king was buried in Charaideo,” said Gohain.
While the practice was new to Assam, it is believed to have been a continuation of the tradition the Shans followed in regions of China and Myanmar where they lived. The act of burial at Moidams, which started with Sukaphaa, continued for the next six centuries and all Ahom kings, their queens and family members continued to be buried in the mound-shaped burial grounds.
“The practice of building a mausoleum for the dead king was part of the practice followed by Shans in Mong Mao and they continued it after coming to Assam. This can be known as Moidams were constructed right after Sukapha’s death. So, we can say that it was part of their tradition and not something new which they did after arriving in Assam,” said Dutta.
“During the course of their 600-year rule, the Ahoms gradually gave up their language and religion, but some of their rituals, including the practice of constructing Moidams and the wedding practices continued as per their old tradition,” he added.
Though the Moidams, which are shaped like a hemisphere covered in grass with an octagonal structure on top, were sealed after putting the body of the king and other royals, there was an officer who was appointed to take care of their maintenance and beautification.
While the Ahom capital shifted later to other places, kings, queens, and other royals continued to be buried in Moidams at Charaideo. During the course of their rule, a few later kings took to Hinduism. But even those kings had their Moidams at Charaideo with ashes from their cremation (as per Hindu practice) buried according to Tai rituals.
“The Moidams were elaborate structures which had a foundation of stones and had several layers with chambers holding all things, including food that the king or other royals would require in their afterlife. There were specific measurements for the size, shape and other requirements. Details of the same are found in a ‘buranji’ of Changlung Phukan, a chief engineer during Ahom rule,” said Gohain.
Apart from things of daily use and clothing of the kings and queens, they also contained treasures in the form of gold, silver, coins, ornaments and other valuables, which were buried in the Moidams.
At present, there are no world heritage sites in the cultural category in northeast India, and if the Charaideo Maidoms get the UNESCO nod, it will be the first such kind in the category.