Charaideo Maidams
#GS-01 Indian Heritage
For Prelims
Ahom Kingdom
- The Ahom kingdom was founded by a Tai prince from present-day Yunnan Province, China named Sukaphaa.
- It expanded drastically under the king Suhungmung during the 16th century.
- The Ahom kings ruled large parts of what is now known as Assam for nearly 600 years, starting from the early 13th century until the British annexed Assam in 1826.
- The Ahoms were engaged in a series of conflicts with the Mughals from 1615-1682, starting from the reign of Jahangir till the reign of Aurangzeb.
- Raja Ram Singh I of Jaipur was dispatched by Aurangzeb in 1669 to Ahom which eventually resulted in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.
Charaideo Maidams
- Charaideo was the original capital of the Ahom Kings built by Chaolung Sukhapa the founder of the dynasty in about 1229 CE.
- Though the capital of the Ahom kingdom moved many times, Charaideo maintained its status as the symbolic center.
- It is famous for its collection of maidams, tumuli or burial mounds of the Ahom kings and royalty.
- It not only contains the sacred burial grounds of Ahom kings and queens but is also the place of ancestral Gods of the Ahoms.
- 42 tombs (Maidams) of Ahom kings and queens at Charaideo hillocks have been compared to the Pyramids of Egypt.
Source “Ahom burial sites to vie for UNESCO tag”
For more updates, click here
