![Maharaja Siva Singha in his durbar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Maharaja_Siva_Singha_in_his_durbar.jpg)
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
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 ...
. Siva Singha was with his dying father at
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 ...
, who then proceeded to the capital
Rangpur where he ascended to the throne. He is noted is noted for his elaborate system of espionage. He had numerous temples erected and made large gifts of land to them. With his support
''Hinduism became the pre-dominant religion of the Ahoms". The king was also a patron of music and literature and music and himself composed
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
songs and learnt songs. His court poets like Ananta Acharyya composed the Ananda Lahari and Kavichandra, the Kam-Kumar Haran Haran and the Dharma puran at the instance of the king and his first chief queen
Phuleshwari
Phuleswari, also known as Pramateswari Devi, was the chief consort of an Ahom king Siva Singha of Ahom kingdom of what is now Assam who ruled the kingdom from 1722 to 1731 A.D. She was the first queen of Ahom kingdom to govern the kingdom dire ...
. During his reign also came the first Europeans to trade with Assam.
Reign
As per the wish of Swargadeo
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 ...
on his deathbed, he was succeeded by his eldest son Siba Singha (reigned 1714–1744). Siba Singha ascended the throne on the 20th day of Magh, and assumed the
Ahom name Sutanphaa. He gave up Rudra Singha's plan to organise a confederacy of the
raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
s of Hindustan and to invade
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
(
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
), but obeyed his father's injunction to become a disciple of Krishnaram Bhattacharjya (Nyayavagish), the
Shakta
Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...
priest from nearby
Nabadwip
Nabadwip (), also spelt Navadwip, anciently Nadia or Nudiya, is a heritage city in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is regarded as a holy place by Hindus, and is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Famous for Rass fest ...
in present-day
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
. He gave the management of the
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 ...
to Krishnaram, who came to be known as Parbatiya Gosain, as his residence was on top of the Nilachal hill. Siva Singha accepted him as the royal priest and made a large number of land grants to temples and Brahmin priests.
Dafla expedition
His long 30-year reign was peaceful. In January 1717 there was an expedition against 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 ...
s of the northern hills, who had again taken to raiding the plains people. After they had been reduced to submission, an embankment was constructed along the foot of the hills inhabited by them as protection against future raids.
Bar Rajas
Siba Singha was a staunch
Shakta
Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...
and was greatly influenced by the Brahmin priests and astrologers. In 1722 he was so alarmed by their prediction that his rule would shortly come to end, that he not only made many and lavish presents to various temples and the Brahmins, in hope of conciliating the gods and averting the calamity, but also endeavour to satisfy the alleged decree of fate by a subterfuge which greatly diminished his prestige in the eyes of his people. He declared his chief queen Phuleswari, who assumed the name Pramateswari Devi (one of the names of
Durga
Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around c ...
), and the title "Bar Raja" or chief king.
Queen Phuleswari minted coins in joint name of her and her husband where she used
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
legend, the first of its kind in Assam. Phuleswari was more under the influence of the Brahmins, particularly the Parvatiya Gosain, than the king had been. It is believed that this was instigated by Gosain and in her zeal for Sakta Hinduism she attempted to make
Shaktism
Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...
the State religion. With this objective, she ordered the
Vaishnava
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
gosains to worship the goddess Durga. She then forbade the worship of other deities and personally supervised the act of desecration of the Sonarijan camp. Learning that the Sudra Mahantas were strong
monotheists
Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford ...
, she held a
Durga
Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around c ...
puja in the capital Rangpur and forced
Moamoria
The Moamoria (also Matak) were the adherents of the egalitarian, proselytizing Mayamara Satra of 18th-century Assam, who initiated the Moamoria rebellion against the Ahom kingdom in the 18th century. The rebellion weakened the Ahom kingdom to su ...
and several other gosains to offer oblations to the goddess and smeared sacrificial blood on their foreheads. The Moamarias never forgave this insult to their spiritual leader and it became one of the prime reasons that they broke out in an open rebellion about half a century later, which came to be known as 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 ...
.
Phuleswari died in 1731. The king then married her sister
Dropadi, and made her the Bar Raja with the name Ambika. She died about 1738, and was succeeded by another wife named Enadari who took the name
Sarbeswari on becoming Bar Raja.
Art and literature
Siva singha imitated the example of his father; Siva Singh his subjects became his children, oppression was of art and unknown; strangers were received with hospitality. Foreign musicians were invited into his country to instruct his own and the Monarch became the author of a large collection of pious songs.
Siba Singha erected numerous temples and gave away land for the support of the Brahmins and temples with all the generosity. Siva Singha was a great patron of literature and music. It was during his reign that Sakta Hinduism became the predominant religion 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 ...
.His reign was also considered as the golden era of Assamese manuscript, many notable manuscript were written one of its
Hastividyarnava which received royal patronage.
Administrative and public works
Siva Singha is said to have established such an elaborate system of espionage during his reign that he had accurate information of everything that was done or even spoken in all parts of his kingdom.
During Siba Singha's reign, the chief public works were the construction of Dhai Ali and the tanks and temples at Gaurisagar,
Sibsagar
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. S ...
and Kalugaon. About south west of Sivasagar town by the side of what is now National Highway-37, Bar Raja Phuleswari Konwari, the first wife of king Siva Singha built three temples –
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
Dol,
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
Dol and Devi Dol – on the bank of a big tank covering an area of including the banks. This big tank was dedicated in the name of 'Gauri' or '
Durga
Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around c ...
', thus it is known as Gaurisagar tank and the entire place is now known as Gaurisagar. She also had dug the Borpatra tank at Kalugaon beside the historical Jerenga Pathar in memory of her brother who happened to be a Borpatra Gohain during her regime. On the north-eastern side of that tank, two temples, namely Bishnu Dol and Jagadhatri Dol were constructed on the bank of the tank named as Lakshmisagar Pukhuri. It was during his second wife Bar Raja Ambika's rule the Sibsagar tank, Bar Pukhuri, situated within the heart of Sivasagar town was dug. On its banks three temples were built in 1734 – the
Sivadol
Siva dol (meaning the temple of the Lord Shiva) is a group of structures comprising three Hindu temples of Sivadol, Vishnudol (meaning temple of the Lord Vishnu) and Devidol (means temple of the Goddess Devi Durga in the local Assamese language) ...
, the
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
Dol and the Devi Dol.
Many temples were also constructed by Swargadeo Siba Singha in Kamrup including Shripur Dewaloy (a
Devi temple), Ballilecha Shri Shri Kali Dewaloy (a
Kali
Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...
temple), Jaypal Than, Basudev Dewaloy; all located in present
Nalbari
Nalbari (Pron: nɔ:lˈbɑ:rɪ) is a town and a municipal board in Nalbari district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Assam. Nalbari town is also the headquarters of Nalbari district, Nalbari District. The town is one of ma ...
district. In
Sualkuchi he built the Sidheswar Dewaloy, a
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
temple. And in
Dergaon (
Golaghat district) he also constructed Burhi Goshani Than.
At Aswaklanta, North Guwahati on the bank of the river Brahmaputra in 1720, Siva Singha built two big temples dedicated to Lord
Janardana and Lord
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
.
Siva Singha had the land surveyed in
Kamrup and
Bakata
Bakata was the capital of the Ahom kingdom (present-day Assam, Northeast India) established by the Ahom king Suhungmung. Since this capital was by the Dihing river, Suhungmung is also known as the ''Dihingia Raja''. The next king, Suklenmung, ...
. The register, or Pera Kagaz, based on this survey of Kamrup was still used at the time of the
British occupation
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
. This contained a list of all occupied lands, except homesteads with their areas, and particularly of all rent free estates.
It was recorded that in 1739, four Europeans, whose names appear to have been Bill, Godwin, Lister, and Mill, visited King Siva Singha at
Rangpur. The king met them at the principal gate of the city where, it is said, they did him homage by falling prostrate at his feet.
Death
Siva Singha died in 1744 and
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 ...
, the second 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 ...
ascended the throne.
See also
*
Ahom dynasty
*
Ahom kingdom
*
BorRojaPhuleswari Konwari
Notes
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutanphaa
Ahom kingdom
Ahom kings
1744 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Hindu monarchs