Kareng Ghar (Talatal Ghar) of the Ahom Kings 25

Suremphaa (reign 1751–1769), or Rajeswar Singha, the fourth son of

Rudra Singha Sukhrungphaa (reigned 1696–1714), or Swargadeo Rudra Singha, was a Tungkhungia ahom king and 30th king of the Ahom kingdom under whom the kingdom reached its zenith of power and glory, he is considered as the most illustrious of the Ah ...

, became the

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of the Ahom kingdom after the death of his brother King

Pramatta Singha Sunenphaa () also, Pramatta Singha, was the king of Ahom Kingdom. He succeeded his elder brother Swargadeo Siva Singha, as the king of Ahom Kingdom. His reign of seven years was peaceful and prosperous. He constructed numerous buildings and t ...

. Rudra Singha's third son,

Mohanmala Maladev Gohain Mohanmala Maladev Gohain, Barjana Gohain or simply know as Mohanmala Gohain, was the third son of great Rudra Singha. He held the rank of Namrup Raja, he was the lawful third heir to the throne after Pramatta Singha according to his father's wish. ...

, was considered ineligible for kingship as his face was pitted with

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

marks. According to the norm established after Sulikphaa Lora Roja, an Ahom prince had to be free from any physical disability, defects or deformities to become a king. The new king was installed with the usual ceremonies. His first act was to exile his brother

as the Raja of Namrup. During his installation as king, there was a conflict of opinion about the location of the capital between the Deodhais (Ahom priests) and the Hindu astrologers, the former recommended Taimung and the latter Rangpur. The king took the advice of the Hindu astrologers and built his palace at Rangpur, but afterwards, he built another palace at Taimung. Both the buildings were of considerable size and were made of bricks. Rajeswar Singha was a devout

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

. He erected many temples and gifted much land to the Brahmins. Soon after his accession, he paid a long visit to

Gauhati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

to worship at the Kamakhya and other temples. He took ''sharan'' (meaning initiation in Assamese) from Nati Gosain, the relative of Parbatiya Gosain, the head priest of

Kamakhya Temple The Kamakhya Temple at Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam is one of the oldest and most revered centres of Tantric practices. The temple is the center of the ''Kulachara Tantra Marga'' and the site of the Ambubachi Mela, an annual festival t ...

. He gave Nati Gosain a temple at Pandunath. In 1759, Rajeshwar Singha gifted 64 Bighas of land to the Basudeb temple near Nalbari, where Doul Jatra and

Janmastami Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...

is celebrated annually, which was built by

Siba Singha Sutanphaa also Siva Singha was a king of Assam who reigned from 1714 to 1744 A.D. He was the eldest son of Rudra Singha. Siva Singha was with his dying father at Guwahati, who then proceeded to the capital Rangpur where he ascended to the th ...

. Rajeswar Singha also promoted the cause of the Saiva cult by constructing the Manikarnesvaar Temple (1755), making financial provision for the Sukreswar Temple (1759), and by constructing the Siddhesvara Temple at Sualkuchi (1764). Rajeswar Singha got the

Navagraha Navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( sa, नव "nine") and ''graha'' ( sa, ग्रह "planet, seizing, laying hold of, ...

temple built upon the Citrasala hill in

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

. Two doors of Kedera Shiva temple of

Hajo Hajo is a historic town set in the hills northwest of Guwahati, Assam, India. It is a meeting point of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims due to the various pilgrimage sites on the different hills of Hajo. To the Hindus, the Manikut Parbat of Hajo ...

were also constructed at the instance of king Rajeswar Singha. He was a great patron of learned men and encouraged them with gifts. Rajeswar Singha died in 1769 after being seriously ill for twenty days.

The reign

The king, though a capable administrator, preferred pleasures to the affairs of the state. The administration was looked after by Bakatial Gendhela

Borbarua Borboruah (Ahom language: ''Phu-Ke-Lung'') was one of the five (councillors) in the Ahom kingdom, a position created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha in 1621. The position included both executive and judicial powers, with jurisdiction of the A ...

, renamed Kirti Chandra Borbarua after the Manipur expedition (see below). Kirti Chandra was an overbearing person, disliked by the other nobles; there were attempts to assassinate him. He learned that the ''Chakaripheti Buranji'' in Numali

Borgohain Borgohain ( Ahom language: ''Chao Thao Lung'') was the second of the two original counselors in the Ahom kingdom. He was selected by the Ahom king from members of the Ahom nobility (''Satgharia Ahom''), who vowed not to fight for the position of A ...

's possession attributed a low and non-Ahom origin to him. To extinguish a future challenge to his position, he had all the Buranjis collected under the Swargadeo's orders and scrutinized for this reference. Many Buranji's were destroyed during this exercise. But, the people, in general, enjoyed peace and prosperity. There was internal order and immunity from external aggression. But, this prosperity had also brought in a lack of discipline, senior officers refused to go on active service and the overbearing Borbarua made the matter worse. The people were divided in sectarian lines influenced by priests and preachers. During his reign, in 1758 there was a conflict with the

Dafla The Nyishi community is the largest ethnic group in Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India. In Nyishi, ''Nyi'' refers to "a human" and the word ''shi'' denotes "highland".The Nyishis are mentioned as the Daflas in the contemporary Ahom docu ...

because of raids by them on the plains people near Ghiladhari. As a punishment forts were erected in the frontiers and the Daflas were prohibited from entering the plains. But later an agreement was made with the Daflas which allowed them to collect paddy and payment of cowries from the people living in along the foot of the hills on condition of their refraining from any acts of aggression. In July 1765, it was found necessary to take similar punitive measures against the Mikirs. The Ahom army entered the hills via Chapanala, and the Kopili and Jamuna rivers took the Mikirs by surprise. The defeated Mikirs then came with tributes and begged forgiveness. In November 1765, Rajeswar Singha sent an envoy to summon to his presence the Kachari King Sandhikari, but the latter refused to receive the messenger. On hearing this the king dispatched the army led by the

to Raha. This had the desired effect and the Kachari king came and made his submission. During this visit the Kachari king was accompanied by Raja Jai Singh of Manipur, who had taken shelter with him, owing to the invasion of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...

by the Burmese.

Expedition to Manipur

Later, Jai Singh of

made a personal appeal to Rajeswar Singha in his court to help him drive out the Burmese from his kingdom. Rajeswar Singha consulted his ministers and sent an army consisting of ''mul'' and ''dewal'' paiks in 1765 commanded by Haranath Senapati Phukan to Manipur directly over the hills south of

Charaideo 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 ...

to reinstate Jai Singh. But the jungle was extremely dense so the work of clearing a road was laborious and time-consuming. The troops suffered great hardship, lack of food and many died from raiding Naga tribesmen and snake bites. The king ordered the return of the army. This unsuccessful expedition came to be known as the ''Lotakota ron'' (War of the Creepers). In November 1768 an army of ten thousand soldiers led by

Keertichandra Borbarua Keertichandra Borbarua was the Prime Minister of Ahom Kingdom during the reign of Lakshmi Singha. He was a controversial person of Assam History. Though he was a capable statesman, burning the fake Buranjis was the controversial incident of his ...

was dispatched this time via Raha and the

Kachari kingdom The Dimasa Kingdom (also Kachari kingdom) was a late medieval/early modern kingdom in Assam, Northeast India ruled by Dimasa kings. The Dimasa kingdom and others (Kamata, Chutiya) that developed in the wake of the Kamarupa kingdom were exam ...

accompanied by Jai Singh. The Ahom army camped near Mirap river, where it remained until Jai Singh raised a force to drive out the usurper Kelemba, who have been placed on the throne as the King of

by the Burmese. Jai Singh on becoming the king in 1773 sent valuable gift to Rajeswar Singha and also gave his daughter

Kuranganayani Kuranganayani was a Manipuri princess and daughter of Jai Singh, she was married to Rajeswar Singha. She killed Moamoria The Moamoria (also Matak) were the adherents of the egalitarian, proselytizing Mayamara Satra of 18th-century Assam, who ...

in marriage. A number of Manipuri families who accompanied the princess were settled near the confluence of Desoi river at Magalu Khat about four miles west of the

Jorhat Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India. Etymology Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...

. Rajeswar Singha established the Magalus or Manipuris (Magalu was the old Assamese name for Manipuris; Khat meaning Estate in Assamese) here after marrying the princess of Manipur at Manaimaji village in 1768. Princess of

became the chief queen of Rajeswar Singha.

became a queen to the next Ahom king Lakshmi Singha and subsequently was forced into the seraglio of Ragh Neog, a rebel leader in the first phase of the

Moamoria rebellion The Moamoria rebellion (1769–1805) was the 18th century uprising in Ahom kingdom of present-day Assam that began as power struggle between the Moamorias (''Mataks''), the adherents of the Moamara Sattra, and the Ahom kings. This uprising ...

. She was instrumental in the conspiracy and the execution of Ragh Neog's assassination in 1770 which triggered the end of the first phase of the rebellion.

Other works

Like his father, Rajeswar Singha constructed many temples and renovated the palaces. Notable among his contribution is the present existing structure of the seven-storied palace of

Garhgaon Gargaon (Pron:/gɑ:ˈgɑ̃ʊ/) is a town in Assam, India and was the capital of the Ahom kingdom for many years. It was built by the Ahom king Suklenmung (Gargoyaan Rojaa) in 1540. It is said that the capital was built at the suggestion of ...

which was built around 1752. Rajeshwar Singha added three underground stories known as

Talatal Ghar The ''Talatal Ghar'' ) is an 18th century palace and military base located in Rangpur, from present-day Sivasagar, Assam, India. It is the largest of the monuments built by the Ahom dynasty. The visitors are only allowed to scout through ...

made of brick and an indigenous type of cement to the four-storied Kareng Ghar (or palace) at Rangpur. The Talatalghar had two secret tunnels connected to the Dikhow river and the Garhgaon Palace for use as an escape route in case of any enemy attack. The Borbheti Than which about 7 km from

town was built during his reign. His most notable contribution among temples of

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 ...

is the building of the unique Navagraha temple in

Administrative Works

The administrative works of Rajeshwar Singha are- Vashisthashramar Mandir, Monikarneswarar Mandir, Chitrachal Mandir,Naba Graha Mandir,Negheriting Debalaya,Har Gauri Dol, Sukreswar Mandir, Kamakhyar Nat Mandir, Dirgheswari Mandir,Kedar Mandir, Moglau Pukhuri, Sil Pukhuri, Gauhati, Ranurar Talatal Ghar, Nati Gosainr Dol, Rangpur Saru Rangghar, Garhgaon Talatal Ghar, Bahikhowa Bar Phukanar Ali, Luthuri Kath,Katiya Barua Ali, Deka Barbarua Ali

Notes

References