Ahom kingdom - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Ahom Kingdom (1228–1826, called Kingdom of Assam in medieval times) was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam

Assam

Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...

that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

expansion in North-East India

North-East India

Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...

. It was able to establish its suzerainty

Suzerainty

Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...

over the Brahmaputra valley

Brahmaputra River

The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...

and had a profound effect on the political and social life in the region. The kingdom was established by Sukaphaa

Sukaphaa

Chaolung Sukaphaa , also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom. A Tai prince originally from Mong Mao, the kingdom he established in 1228 existed for nearly six hundred years and in the process unified the various tribal and non-tribal peoples of...

, a Tai

Tai peoples

The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including...

prince from Mong Mao

Mong Mao

Mong Mao or Mao kingdom was an ethnically Dai state that controlled several smaller Tai states or chieftainships along the frontier of what is now Myanmar and China in the Dehong region of Yunnan with a capital near the modern-day border town of Ruili...

, in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra river

Brahmaputra River

between the extant Sutiya kingdom in the north and the Kachari kingdom

Kachari Kingdom

The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...

in the south. The kingdom expanded north, south and the west in succession and evolved into a multi-ethnic polity, beginning especially under Suhungmung

Suhungmung

Suhungmung , was one of the most important Ahom kings, who ruled at the cusp of Assam's medieval history. His reign broke from the early Ahom rule and established a multi-ethnic polity in his kingdom. Under him the Ahom Kingdom expanded greatly for the first time since Sukaphaa, at the cost of...

Dihingia Raja in the 16th century. It made major advances under Susenghphaa

Susenghphaa

Susenghphaa , also Pratap Singha, was the 17th and one of the most prominent kings of the Ahom kingdom. As he was advanced in years when he became king, he is also called the Burha Raja...

Pratap Singha, under whom the administration was revamped and the first military and diplomatic contact with the Mughals were made. Mughal influence was completely removed from much of the Brahmaputra valley under Gadadhar Singha and the Ahom kingdom reached its zenith under his son, Rudra Singha. The kingdom became weaker with the rise of the Moamoria rebellion

Moamoria rebellion

The Moamoria rebellion was the 18th century conflict between the Morans, adherents of the Moamara Sattra, and the Ahom kings. This led to widespread popular discontent against the Ahom king and the nobles and to two periods in which the Ahom king lost control of the capital...

, and subsequently fell to a succession of Burmese invasions

Burmese invasion of Assam

The Burmese invasion of Assam denotes the period between 1817 and 1826 when the Ahom Kingdom in Assam was under the control of the Burmese rulers. This period, called the manor din by the Assamese and Chahi-Taret Khuntakpa in Manipuri, is remembered with horror. It was the climactic period of the...

. With the defeat of the Burmese after the First Anglo-Burmese War and the Treaty of Yandabo

Treaty of Yandabo

The Treaty of Yandabo was the peace treaty that ended the First Anglo-Burmese War. The treaty was signed on 24 February 1826, nearly two years after the war formally broke out on 5 March 1824, by General Sir Archibald Campbell on the British side, and by Governor of Legaing Maha Min Hla Kyaw Htin...

in 1826, control of the kingdom passed into British (East India Company

East India Company

The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

) hands.

Though it came to be called the Ahom kingdom in the colonial and subsequent times, it was largely multi-ethnic, with the ethnic Ahom people constituting less than 10% of the population toward the end. The Ahoms called their kingdom Mong Dun Shun Kham, while others called it Assam. The British-controlled province after 1838 and later the Indian state of Assam

Assam

Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...

came to be known by this name.

History

The Ahom kingdom was established in 1228 when Sukaphaa

Sukaphaa

entered the Brahmaputra valley. Sukaphaa did not battle any established kingdom and seem to have occupied a depopulated region on the south bank with the Burhidihing river in the north, the Dikhau river in the south and the Patkai mountains in the east. He befriended the local groups, the Barahi and the Marans, finally settled his capital at Charaideo

Charaideo

Charaideo was the first capital of the Ahom kingdom established by the first Ahom king Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1228. It is about 30 km from Sibsagar town off the Sibsagar-Simaluguri road.Though the capital of the Ahom kingdom moved many times, Charaideo remained the symbolic center...

and established the offices of the Dangarias—the Burhagohain

Burhagohain

Burhagohain was the first of the two original counsellors in the Ahom kingdom. He was selected by the Ahom king from members of the Ahom nobility , who was not eligible for the position of Ahom kingship. The other original counsellor is the Borgohain. Both the positions existed from the time of...

and the Borgohain

Borgohain

Borgohain was the second of the two original counsellors in the Ahom kingdom. He was selected by the Ahom king from members of the Ahom nobility , who was not eligible for the position of Ahom kingship. The other original counsellor is the Burhagohain. Both the positions existed from the time of...

. In the 1280s, these two offices were given independent regions of control, and the check and balance that these three main offices accorded each other was established.

The Ahoms brought with them the technology of wet rice cultivation that they shared with other groups. The peoples that took to the Ahom way of life and polity were incorporated into their fold in a process of Ahomization. As a result of this process the Barahi people, for instance, were completely subsumed, and some of other groups like some Nagas and the Maran peoples became Ahoms, thus enhancing the Ahom numbers significantly. This process of Ahomization was particularly significant till the 16th century, when under Suhungmung

Suhungmung

, the kingdom made large territorial expansions at the cost of the Sutiya and the Kachari

Kachari Kingdom

The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...

kingdoms.

The expansion was so large and so rapid that the Ahomization process could not keep pace and the Ahoms became a minority in their kingdom. This resulted in a change in the character of the kingdom and it became multi-ethnic and inclusive. Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

influences, which were first felt under Bamuni Konwar at the end of the 14th century, became significant. The Assamese language

Assamese language

Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...

entered the Ahom court and co-existed with the Tai language. The rapid expansion of the state was accompanied by the installation of a new high office, the Borpatrogohain

Borpatrogohain

Borpatrogohain was the third of the three great Gohains in the Ahom kingdom. This position was created by Suhungmung Dihingia Raja specially for an Ahom prince who grew up in a Naga chieftains house. This position was reserved for the descendant of the first Borpatrogohain, Kancheng, who was the...

, at par with the other two high offices and not without opposition from the them. Two special offices, the Sadiakhowa Gohain and the Marangikowa Gohain were created to oversee the regions won over from the Sutiya and the Kachari kingdoms respectively. The subjects of the kingdom were organized under the Paik system

Paik system

The Paik system was a type of corvee labor system on which the Ahom kingdom of medieval Assam was based. The origin of the word paik is unknown and it is believed that the system is based on the South-East Asian legacy the Ahoms brought with them in 1228. The mature structure was designed by Momai...

, initially based on the phoid or kinship relations, which formed the militia. The kingdom came under attack from Turkic and Afghan rulers of Bengal

Bengal

Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

, but it withstood them. On one occasion, the Ahoms under Tankham Borgohain pursued the invaders and reached the Karatoya river, and the Ahoms began to see themselves as the rightful heir of the erstwhile Kamarupa Kingdom.

The Ahom kingdom took many features of its mature form under Pratap Singha. The Paik system

Paik system

was reorganized under the professional khel system, replacing the kinship based phoid system. Under the same king, the offices of the Borphukan

Borphukan

Borphukan was one of the five patra mantris in the Ahom kingdom, a position that was created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha. The position included both executive and judicial powers, with jurisdiction of the Ahom kingdom west of Kaliabor river...

, and the Borbarua

Borbarua

Borbarua was one of the five patra mantris in the Ahom kingdom, a position created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha...

were established along with other smaller offices. No more major restructuring of the state structure was attempted till the end of the kingdom.

The kingdom came under repeated Mughal

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

attacks in the 17th century, and on one occasion in 1662, the Mughals under Mir Jumla occupied the capital, Garhgaon. The Mughals were unable to keep it, and in at the end of the Battle of Saraighat

Battle of Saraighat

The Battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 between the Mughal empire , and the Ahom Kingdom on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, now in Guwahati...

, the Ahoms not only fended off a major Mughal invasion, but extended their boundaries west, up to the Manas river

Manas River

The Manas River is a transboundary river in the Himalayan foothills between southern Bhutan and India.It is named after Manasa, the serpent god in Hindu mythology.It is the largest river system of Bhutan, among its four major river systems; the other three are Amo Chu or Torsa, Wong Chu or Raidak,...

. Following a period of confusion, the kingdom got itself the last set of kings, the Tungkhungia kings, established by Gadadhar Singha.

The rule of Tungkhungia kings was marked by peace and achievements in the Arts and engineering constructions. The later phase of the rule was also marked by increasing social conflicts, leading to the Moamoria rebellion

Moamoria rebellion

. The rebels were able to capture and maintain power at the capital Rangpur for some years, but were finally removed with the help of the British under Captain Welsh. The following repression led to a large depopulation due to emigration as well as execution, but the conflicts were never resolved. A much weakened kingdom fell to repeated Burmese attacks and finally after the Treaty of Yandabo

Treaty of Yandabo

in 1826, the control of the kingdom passed into British hands.

Ahom economic system

The Ahom kingdom was based on the Paik system

Paik system

, a type of corvee

Corvée

Corvée is unfree labour, often unpaid, that is required of people of lower social standing and imposed on them by the state or a superior . The corvée was the earliest and most widespread form of taxation, which can be traced back to the beginning of civilization...

labor that is neither feudal nor Asiatic

Asiatic mode of production

The theory of the Asiatic mode of production was devised by Karl Marx around the early 1850s. The essence of the theory has been described as "[the] suggestion .....

. The Ahoms introduced wet rice cultivation in upper Assam that was largely a marshy and thinly populated land. With a superior technology of rice cultivation, as well as reclamation of land using dykes, embankments and irrigation systems, the Ahoms established the initial state structures. The first coins were introduced by Suklenmung

Suklenmung

Suklenmung was a king of the Ahom kingdom in medieval Assam. Since he established his capital at Garhgaon , he is also called the Garhgaiya roja in the Buranjis...

in the 16th century, though the system of personal service under the Paik system

Paik system

persisted. In the 17th century when the Ahom kingdom expanded to include erstwhile Koch

Koch Hajo

Koch Hajo was the eastern portion of the Kamata kingdom that splintered off under Raghudev Narayan in 1581 from the Kamata kingdom then under Nara Narayana in medieval Assam. The Sankosh river was fixed as the boundary between Koch Hajo and the western portion that came to be called Koch Bihar....

and Mughal

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

areas, it came into contact with their revenue systems and adapted accordingly.

Swargadeo and Patra Mantris

The Ahom kingdom was ruled by a king, called Swargadeo (Ahom language

Ahom language

The Ahom language is an extinct Tai language spoken by the Ahom people who ruled the Brahmaputra river valley in the Indian state of Assam between the 13th and the 18th centuries.- Other names :...

: Chao-Pha), who had to be a descendant of the first king Sukaphaa

Sukaphaa

. Succession was generally by primogeniture

Primogeniture

Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...

but occasionally the great Gohains (Dangarias) could elect another descendant of Sukaphaa from a different line or even depose an enthroned one.

Dangarias: Sukaphaa

Sukaphaa

had two great Gohains to aid him in administration: Burhagohain

Burhagohain

and the Borgohain

Borgohain

. In the 1280s, they were given independent territories, they were veritable sovereigns in their given territories called bilat or rajya. The Burhagohain's territory was between Sadiya and Gerelua river in the north bank of the Brahmaputra river and the Borgohain's territory was to the west up to the Burai river. They were given total command over the paiks that they controlled. These positions were generally filled from specific families. Princes who were eligible for the position of Swargadeo were not considered for these positions and vice versa. In the 16th century Suhungmung

Suhungmung

added a third Gohain, Borpatrogohain

Borpatrogohain

. The Borpatrogohain's territory was located between the territories of the other two Gohains.

Royal officers: Pratap Singha

Susenghphaa

Susenghphaa , also Pratap Singha, was the 17th and one of the most prominent kings of the Ahom kingdom. As he was advanced in years when he became king, he is also called the Burha Raja...

added two offices, Borbarua

Borbarua

Borbarua was one of the five patra mantris in the Ahom kingdom, a position created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha...

and Borphukan

Borphukan

, that were directly under the king. The Borbarua, who acted as the military as well as the judicial head, was in command of the region east of Kaliabor not under the command of the Dangarias. He could use only a section of the paiks at his command for his personal use (as opposed to the Dangariyas), the rest rendering service to the Ahom state. The Borphukan was in military and civil command over the region west of Kaliabor, and acted as the Swargadeo's viceroy in the west.

Patra Mantris: The five positions constituted the patra mantris (council of ministers). From the time of Supimphaa (1492–1497), one of the patra mantris was made the Rajmantri (prime minister, also Borpatro; Ahom language

Ahom language

The Ahom language is an extinct Tai language spoken by the Ahom people who ruled the Brahmaputra river valley in the Indian state of Assam between the 13th and the 18th centuries.- Other names :...

: Shenglung) who enjoyed additional powers and the service of a thousand additional paiks from the Jakaichuk village.

Other officials

The Borbarua

Borbarua

Borbarua was one of the five patra mantris in the Ahom kingdom, a position created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha...

and the Borphukan

Borphukan

had military and judicial responsibilities, and they were aided by two separate councils (sora) of Phukans. The Borphukan's sora sat at Guwahati and the Borbarua's sora at the capital. Superintending officers were called Baruas. Among the officers the highest in rank were the Phukans. Six of them formed the council of the Borbarua

Borbarua

Borbarua was one of the five patra mantris in the Ahom kingdom, a position created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha...

, but each had also his separate duties. The Naubaicha Phukan, who had an allotment of thousand men managed the royal boats, the Bhitarual Phukan, the Na Phukan, the Dihingia Phukan, the Deka Phukan and the Neog Phukan formed the council of Phukan. The Borphukan

Borphukan

also had a similar council of six subordinate Phukans whom he was bound to consult in all matters of importance, this council included Pani Phukan, who commanded six thousand paiks, Deka Phukan who commanded four thousand paiks, the Dihingia Phukan, Nek Phukan and two Sutiya Phukans.

The Baruas of whom there were twenty or more included Bhandari Barua or treasurer; the Duliya Barua, who was in charge of the royal palanquins; the Chaudang Barua who superintended executions; Khanikar Barua was the chief artificer; Sonadar Barua was the mint master and chief jeweler; the Bez Barua was the physician to the Royal family, Hati Barua, Ghora Barua, etc.
Other official included twelve Rajkhowas, and a number of Katakis, Kakatis and Dolais. The Rajkhowas were governors of given territories and commanders of three thousand paiks. They were arbitrator who settled local disputes and supervised public works. The Katakis were envoys who dealt with foreign countries and hill tribes. The Kakatis were writers of official documents, and the Dolais expounded astrology and determined auspicious time and dates for any important event and undertaking.

Governors

Members of the royal families ruled certain areas, and they were called Raja.

Charing Raja, the heir apparent to the Swargadeo, administered the tracts around Joypur on the right bank of the Burhidihing river.
Tipam Raja is the second in line.
Namrup Raja is the third in line

Members of the royal families who occupy lower positions are given regions called mels, and were called meldangia or melkhowa raja. Meldangia gohains were princes of an even lesser grade, of which there were two: Majumelia gohain and Sarumelia gohain.

Royal ladies were given individual mels, and by the time of Rajeshwar Singha, there were twelve of them. The most important of these was the Raidangia mel given to the chief queen.

Forward governors, who were military commanders, ruled and administered forward territories. The officers were usually filled from the families that were eligible for the three great Gohains.

Sadiya Khowa Gohain based in Sadiya, administered the regions that were acquired after the conquest of the Sutiya kingdom in 1523.
Marangi khowa Gohain administered the region that were contiguous to the Naga groups west of the Dhansiri river.
Solal Gohain administered a great part of Nagaon
Nagaon
Nagaon , is a medium sized city and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is situated east of Guwahati. An older spelling of the name is Nowgong.It is one of the fastest growing cities of the northeast.-History:...

and a portion of Chariduar after the headquarters of the Borphukan
Borphukan
Borphukan was one of the five patra mantris in the Ahom kingdom, a position that was created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha. The position included both executive and judicial powers, with jurisdiction of the Ahom kingdom west of Kaliabor river...

was transferred to Gauhati.
Kajalimukhiya Gohain served under the Borphukan, administered Kajalimukh and maintained relations with Jaintia and Dimarua.
Jagiyal Gohain served under Borbarua, administered Jagi at Nagoan and maintained relations with seven tribal chiefs, called Sat Raja.

Lesser governors were called Rajkhowas, and some of them were:

Bacha
Darrang
Solaguri
Abhaypur

The dependent kings or vassals were also called Raja. Except for the Raja of Rani, all paid an annual tribute. These Rajas were required to meet the needs for resources and paiks when the need arose, as during the time of war.

Darrang Raja ruled the later-day Darrang district, and were the descendants of Sundar Narayan, a great-grandson of Chilarai
Chilarai
Shukladhwaj , or more popularly Chilarai , was the younger brother of Nara Narayana, the king of the Kamata kingdom in the 16th century. He was Nara Narayana's commander-in-chief, and he got his name Chilarai because his movement as a general was as fast as a chila .Chilarai is known to have...

of the Koch dynasty
Koch dynasty
The Koch dynasty of Assam and Bengal, named after the Koch tribe, emerged as the dominant ruling house in the Kamata kingdom in 1515 after the fall of the Khen dynasty in 1498...
Rani
Beltola ruled the tracts southwest of Guwahati, and were the descendants of Gaj Narayan, a grandson of Chilarai
Chilarai
Shukladhwaj , or more popularly Chilarai , was the younger brother of Nara Narayana, the king of the Kamata kingdom in the 16th century. He was Nara Narayana's commander-in-chief, and he got his name Chilarai because his movement as a general was as fast as a chila .Chilarai is known to have...

of the Koch dynasty
Koch dynasty
The Koch dynasty of Assam and Bengal, named after the Koch tribe, emerged as the dominant ruling house in the Kamata kingdom in 1515 after the fall of the Khen dynasty in 1498...
Luki
Barduar
Dimarua
Tapakuchi

Paik officials

The Ahom kingdom was dependent on the Paik system

Paik system

, a form of corvee labor. Every common subject was a paik, and four paiks formed a got. At any time of the year, one of the paiks in the got rendered direct service to the king, as the others in his got tended to his fields. The Paik system was administered by the Paik officials: Bora was in charge of 20 paiks, a Saikia of 100 and a Hazarika of 1000.

Land survey

Gadadhar Singha became acquainted with the land measurement system of Mughals during the time he was hiding in Kamrup, before he succeeded to the throne. As soon as the wars with Mughals were over he issued orders for the introduction of a similar system throughout his dominions. Surveyors were imported from Koch Behar and Bengal for the work. It was commenced in Sibsagar and was pushed on vigorously, but it was not completed until after his death. Nowgaon was next surveyed; and the settlement which followed was supervised by Rudra Singha himself. According to historians, the method of survey included measuring the four sides of each field with a nal, or bamboo pole of 12 feet (3.7 m) length and calculating the area, the unit was the "lucha" or 144 square feet (13.4 m²) and 14400 sq ft (1,337.8 m²). is one "Bigha

Bigha

The bigha is a unit of measurement of area of a land, commonly used in Nepal, Bangladesh and in a few states of India including Uttaranchal, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc. The precise size of a bigha appears to vary considerably...

". Four 'bigha' makes one 'Pura'. A similar land measurement system is still being followed in modern Assam.

Classes of people

Subinphaa, the third Ahom king, dilineated the Satgharia Ahom ("Ahom of the seven houses") aristocracy: the royal family, the Burhagohain

Burhagohain

and the Borgohain

Borgohain

families, and four priestly lineages—the Deodhai, the Mohan, the Bailung and the Chiring. This set was expanded later. The king could belong to only the first family whereas the Burhagohain and the Borgohain only to the second and the third families. Most of the Borphukans belonged to the Sutiya ethnic group, whereas the Borbaruas belonged to the Moran, Kachari, Chiring and Khamti groups. Later on Naga, Mising and Nara (Mogaung

Mogaung

Mogaung is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. It is situated on the Mandalay-Myitkyina railway line.-External links:* Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.* Maplandia.com...

) oracles became a part of the Bailung group. The extended nobility consisted of the landed aristocracy and the spiritual class that did not pay any form of tax.

The apaikan chamua was the gentry that were freed from the khels and paid only money-tax. The paikan chamua consisted of artisans, the literati and skilled people that did non-manual work and rendered service as tax. The kanri paik rendered manual labor. The lowest were the licchous, bandi-beti and other serfs and bondsmen. There was some degree of movement between the classes. Momai Tamuli Borbarua

Momai Tamuli Borbarua

Momai Tamuli was the Governor of upper Assam as also commander-in-chief of the army in the Ahom kingdom. He was the first Borbarua, a new office created during the rule of the Ahom king Prataap Singha. He rose from a humble position as a bondsman to the office of the Borbarua, which was a combined...

rose from a bondsman through the ranks to become the first Borbarua

Borbarua

Borbarua was one of the five patra mantris in the Ahom kingdom, a position created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha...

under Prataap Singha.

History

Ahom economic system

Swargadeo and Patra Mantris

Other officials

Governors

Paik officials

Land survey

Classes of people

See also