14 Travel


AHOM CULTURE IN ASSAM


N


ot just influencing language and culture, the Ahom dynasty from northeast India


added to every aspect of Assamese society, including religion, education, architecture, and the arts. Tey also developed strong trade links with neighbouring regions, Bengal,


including Bhutan, and the Naga


tribes. Te Ahom kings, who ruled for 600 years (1228-1826), established their primary capital on the south bank of the Brahmaputra in Upper Assam, with Sivasagar serving as a major capital from 1699 to 1788. Founded by Sukaphaa in 1228, the Ahoms


brought administrative, technological,


sophisticated and


military skills from Upper Burma/ Southern Yunnan. Te Ahom rulers maintained detailed historical records known as Te Buranjis (royal chronicles), written in Tai and later Assamese languages. Teir society produced a vibrant


economic and political relationship between Assam and the larger north Indian region, building and influencing the Hinduism and Tantric Shaivism prevalent in the former kingdom of Kamarupa with their own belief systems. Ancient Assam was ruled by


several kingdoms that included the Varmanas (Kamarupa kingdom, 350-650), Pala dynasty (900-1100), Salstambhas/Mlechchhas


(mid-7th


century to end of 10th century), and Kamarupa-Palas


(10th/12th


centuries). Te Ahom and Koch dynasties built on the lands ruled by these earlier dynasties, with each of the earlier kingdoms leaving behind traces of


their own architectural


influence and culture. However, none of these ancient temples have survived, however, echoes of


this


ancient past have been found in archaeological surveys and excavations undertaken in modern- day Assam. Pre-Ahom culture in Assam was


dominated by small tribal chiefdoms and nomadic cultivation, part of the Brahmaputra valley, which was divided into several small kingdoms and local authority. Tese Pre-Ahom groups followed animistic and indigenous


religions,


belief systems and culture, combining Tai practices with local Tibeto- Burman and Indo-Aryan elements. Te earliest known stone carvings


including


nature worship and veneration of the ancestors. It was not until the Ahom dynasty arrived that the Assam region developed into a centralised state based on the cultivation of rice, bringing with it


Assamese religious and cultural system. In the 13th century, under the first


Ahom king, the artistic styles and iconographical canons of the Brahmanic heartland continued to influence artists. Te Ahom civilisation brought a developed idea of a unified state by organising the various clans and creating the idea of a centralised monarchy and administration. Te early Ahoms followed their own Tai-Ahom religion (Phuralung), combining ancestor worship with animism, sitting alongside Buddhist and Daoist elements. Over time, the court and people increasingly adopted Vaishnavism and Shaivism, leading to a largely Hinduised society, but allowed for a syncretic culture in


ASIAN ART | MARCH 2026 | a mixed Tai-


and sculpture of Assam belong to the Gupta and post-Gupta period and are found in the Ganga and Yamuna river-deity images on the temple door-frame (5th/6th century) at Da- Parbatiya, Tezpur. Tezpur, known as Sonitpur in ancient times, was the capital of the Salastambha dynasty (7th-10th century), which eventually became part of the Ahom kingdom in the 16th century to become an important military, administrative, and cultural hub. Much of the temple sculpture of Assam mainly follows the Nagara


discovered by accident in 1967 during the construction of the Reserve Bank of India building. Te sculptures in the Ambari Archaeological Museum and the Assam State Museum mainly date to the Salastambha and Pala dynasties (circa 10th to 12th centuries) and feature the unique local style that blends eastern and northern Indian medieval art with earlier influences. Objects recovered from the site primarily depict the deities of the Brahmanical pantheon – Vishnu, Surya, and Nataraja. An important sculpture on display in the Assam State Museum is a 13th-century stone statue of Nataraja (Shiva as Lord of the Dance), the largest of its kind in Assam. In 2024, the moidams (homes for


spirits) of the Ahom dynasty officially joined the ranks of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Nestled in the foothills of


the Patkai Ranges in


eastern Assam, this royal necropolis serves as a profound testament to the Tai-Ahom people, who migrated to the region in the 13th century under the leadership of Prince Sukaphaa (1228-1268). Having established Charaideo as their first capital, the dynasty spent the next six centuries crafting a ‘sacred geography’


that


seamlessly integrated their funerary architecture with the natural landscape of forests and water that echoed earlier beliefs. Te burial mounds were created by


The strategic location of Charaideo enabled the Tai-Ahoms to migrate and settle in the region. Aerial view of the royal burial grounds, moidoms © Directorate of Archaeology, Government of Assam


Most stone carvings to


survive in Assam are from the Ahom period


The 18th-century Rang Ghar was originally used as an amphitheatre serving as a venue for cultural activities for the court and the public in the Ahom period


style of architecture that first emerged around the 5th century during the Gupta empire (320-550) when it was rapidly gaining popularity in the homelands of much of northern India. It soon became a well-established and popular style throughout the medieval Gupta


temples were


period. usually


constructed on a raised platform or jagati. Ahom temples, particularly those dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu (like those of Sivadol and Devidol),


are consistently built on high, sturdy, artificial platforms following Gupta style, a structural feature that helped protect them from floods. Te distinct ornamental foliage and other features of Gupta sculpture are also clearly apparent in medieval temple sculptures of Assam. Te artists drew heavily on Hindu mythology to create their fluid and decorative reliefs for temple walls. Gupta architecture is known for its highly decorative


T-shaped


building an earth mound (ga- moidam) over a hollow vault constructed of brick, stone or earth (tak), and topped by a shrine (Chou Cha Li) at the centre of an octagonal wall (garh). Tis shape symbolises the Tai universe with the shrine at the top being the mungklang, a middle space symbolised as a golden ladder, establishing


a heaven-earth


continuum. Tese vaults house the earthly remains of monarchs and royalty alongside grave goods intended for the afterlife, ranging from daily necessities such as food to transport that could include horses and elephants. Evidence has also been found of monarchs being buried with attendants or queens. Tai-Ahom funerary rituals of me-dam-me-phi and tarpan were also carried out at the Charaideo necropolis. While burial mounds appear elsewhere in the Brahmaputra Valley, the 90 moidams at Charaideo are considered the definitive examples of this tradition. Even today, the site remains spiritually vibrant, serving as the backdrop for ancestral rituals that sustain the cultural


legacy of the Tai-Ahom


people. Today, the moidams are largely


doorways,


featuring multiple shakhas (door jambs) decorated with floral scrolls, figures, and the important river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna. Te Ambari archaeological ground


Figure of Ganga, Ambari, sandstone, pre-Ahom period, circa 13th century, Assam State Museum


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Nataraja, Ambari, sandstone, circa 13th/14th century, Assam State Museum


Figure of Vishnu, Ambari, granite, circa 13th/14th century, Assam State Museum


in Guwahati, the present-day state capital, is a significant historical site that has revealed evidence of an ancient pre-Ahom temple complex dating primarily between the 7th and 14th centuries. Tis complex is now recognised as a major archaeological zone from where large amounts of stone sculptures and specialised pottery that have been excavated indicate that it was an important centre of religious, artistic, and trade activity associated with the Kamarupa kingdom. Te site was


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intact, as is their rural landscape setting in which they sit, providing visual reminders of a culture that dominated Assam for over 600 years. Tese royal burial mounds and Ahom culture in general are well documented in Te Buranjis and provide invaluable details of the Tai- Ahom world view and daily life, including the funerary rituals and spiritual associations, as well as detailed accounts of the materials and labour required to construct the moidams. Started by King Sukapha (1229-68) in the first year of this reign, these manuscripts documented historical events, state policies, the royal lineage, as well as the construction of moidams. Tis rich cultural landscape of the


Ahom dynasty that overlaid the earlier Kamarupa kingdom is still very much visible in Assam today, allowing visitors to experience and gain some understanding of this vibrant and culturally complex society of the region.


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