CHARAIDEO MAIDAMS
1. Context
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Central government has decided to put forth the name of Assam’s Charaideo moidams burial sites for addition to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites list.
2. About Charaideo maidams
- Charaideo commonly known as ‘Pyramids of Assam’ was the original capital of the Ahom Kings.
- Charaideo remained the symbolic center of the Ahom Kingdom even though the capital of the kingdom moved many times.
- It was built by Chaolung Sukhapa the founder of the dynasty in about 1229 CE.
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3. Location
- Located at the foothills of Nagaland, it’s situated at a distance of around 30 KM from the historical Sivsagar town in Assam.
- It contains sacred burial grounds of Ahom kings and queens and is also the place of the ancestral Gods of the Ahoms.
- Some 42 tombs (Maidams) of Ahom kings and queens are present at Charaideo hillocks.
4. Architecture
It comprises a massive underground vault with one or more chambers having domical superstructure and covered by a heap of the earthen mound and externally it appears a hemispherical mound.
5. Importance of Charaideo
- The word Charaideo has been derived from these Tai Ahom words, Che-Rai-Doi. "Che" means city or town, "Rai" means "to shine" and "Doi" means hill. In short, Charaideo means, "a shining town situated on a hilltop."
- The nomination of the Charaideo Maidams has attained significance at a time when the country is celebrating the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Barphukan, who was the legendary general from the Ahom Kingdom who fought the Mughals in 1671.
- There is currently no World Heritage Site in the category of cultural heritage in the northeast.
- The maidams is one of the 52 sites across the country seeking the World Heritage Site tag.
- Currently, the Maidams are managed by the Archaeological Survey of India and the State Department of Archaeology under the Ancient Monuments and Sites Remains Act 1958, and under the Assam Ancient Monuments and Records Act 1959.
6. About Ahom Dynasty
- The Ahom Dynasty, a late medieval kingdom, was established in Assam's Brahmaputra Valley in 1228. Chaolung Sukaphaa, the first King of the Ahom Kingdom, crossed the Patkai mountainous region to reach the Brahmaputra valley and laid the foundations of the Ahom Dynasty.
- Charaideo, more than 400 km east of Guwahati, was the first capital of the Ahom dynasty founded by Chao Lung Sukaphaa in 1253.
- The rule of this dynasty ended with the Burmese invasion of Assam and the subsequent annexation by the British East India Company following the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. The British emperor took charge of the state and thus began the colonial era of Assam.
For Prelims & Mains
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For Prelims: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Heritage Sites list, Pyramids of Assam, Charaideo maidams, Ahom Kingdom, Lachit Barphukan, Brahmaputra Valley, Chaolung Sukaphaa and Brahmaputra valley.
For Mains: 1. What is a World Heritage site and how is a place declared as one? Explain the importance of Charaideo maidams.
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Source: The Indian Express
