Charaideo or Che-Rai-Doi (Literally: ''the shining city on the hills'' in

Ahom language The Ahom language or Tai-Ahom language is a dead language, that was spoken by the Ahom people, that is undergoing a revival. Ahom is an important language in Tai studies. It was relatively free of both Mon-Khmer and Indo-Aryan influences and has ...

) is a town in

Charaideo district Charaideo or Che-Rai-Doi (Literally: ''the shining city on the hills'' in Ahom language) is a town in Charaideo district, Assam, India and was also the first capital of the Ahom kingdom established by the first Ahom king Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur t ...

, India and was also the first capital of the Ahom kingdom established by the first Ahom king Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1253. Even though the capital moved to other places over the course of the 600 years of rule, Charaideo remained the symbol of Ahom power. It is now known for its collection of ''

maidam A maidam is a tumulus of the royalty and aristocracy of the medieval Ahom Kingdom (1228–1826) in Assam. The royal are found exclusively at Charaideo; whereas other are found scattered in the region between Jorhat and Dibrugarh towns. Structur ...

s'',

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...

or burial mounds of the Ahom kings and Ahom royalty. It is about 30 km from

Sivasagar Sivasagar (Pron: or ) ("the sea of Shiva"), is a city in and headquarters of the Sivasagar district, Assam. Sivasagar is situated about 360 kilometers (224 mi) northeast of Guwahati. It is well known for its Ahom palaces and monuments. Si ...

town located in Charaideo district.

Etymology

Charaideo (also Ahom: ''Che-Rai-Doi''; ''Charai-khorong''), the permanent settlement of the first Ahom king Chaolung Sukaphaa, was earlier called ''Che-Tam-Doi-Phi'' (literally ''City-Hill-God'') meaning "city of the sacred hill". The name Charaideo originated from

Tai-Ahom The Ahom (Pron: ), or Tai-Ahom is an ethnic group from the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The members of this group are admixed descendants of the Tai people who reached the Brahmaputra valley of Assam in 1228 and the local indi ...

word ''Che Rai Doi'' or ''Doi Che Rai'' which means ''the shining city on the hills''The Che-Rai-Doi Assamised into Charaideo or Charai-khorong. According to Tai-Bailung-Mohong

Buranji Buranjis ( Ahom language: ''ancient writings'') are a class of historical chronicles and manuscripts associated with the Ahom kingdom written initially in Ahom Language and later in Assamese language as well. The Buranjis are an example of hist ...

(a manuscript in Tai), Sukaphaa was buried in his capital city Che-Rai-Doi.

History

Before the arrival of Sukaphaa the place was a place of worship for local tribes like Moran, Borahi. Though the capital of the Ahom kingdom moved many times, Charaideo remained the symbolic center. It contains sacred burial grounds of Ahom kings and queens and is also the place of ancestral Gods of the Ahoms. The Ahom kings and Queens were buried after extensive and long royal burial rituals. The tombs Maidam of Ahom kings and queens at Charaideo hillocks resemble the shape of the pyramids and are objects of wonder revealing the excellent architecture and skill of the sculptors and masons of Assam of the medieval days. The actual number of Maidam were more than 150 but only 30 Maidams are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and Assam State Archaeology Department, and the remaining Maidams are unprotected. Most of these unprotected Maidams are encroached by people and getting damaged. The biggest unprotected Maidam is the Bali Maidam near Nimonagarh. This Maidam is called Bali Maidam, because while British plundered it, they got obstruction from excess sands (Bali) in the surrounding of the Maidam.

Notes

References

* https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/north-east/dna-samples-throw-light-on-thai-ahom-link-226801 Capitals of Ahom kingdom Archaeological sites in Assam Former populated places in India Former capital cities in India Cities and towns in Charaideo district Charaideo district 1228 establishments in Asia 13th-century establishments in India Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century Ahom kingdom Tourism in Assam {{Assam-geo-stub

Etymology

History

See also

Notes

References