Sukhrungphaa
Encyclopedia
Sukhrungphaa or Rudra Singha, was a Tungkhungia king of the Ahom kingdom
under whom the kingdom reached its zenith of power and glory. Rudra Singha, known as Lai before he became the king, was the son of the previous Ahom king
Gadadhar Singha
. An illiterate (probably dyslexic), he is best known for building a coalition of rulers in the region and raising a vast composite army against the Mughal Empire
. He died on the eve of his march west from Guwahati
.
His father had to escape persecution by the previous Ahom king and his mother, Sati Joymati
, was killed in royal custody. He established his capital at Rangpur
.
(1706) and the Jaintia
kingdoms. His father had removed the last vestiges of the Mughal
rule in Assam, and he planned to extend his kingdom up to the Karatoya river, the traditional western boundary of the erstwhile Kamarupa kingdom. He began forming an alliance with different kingdoms and positioned himself at Guwahati
for the expedition with a large army and fleet, along with the troops from the Dimasa-Kacharis (14,000), the Jaintiyas (10,000) and the Daflas (600), when he died. The later kings did not follow up on his plans.
Rudra Singha reversed the persecution of the Vaishnava xatras during Gadadhar Singha's reign and reinstated the xatra preceptors, including Chaturbhujdeva the satradhikari of Mayamara xatra, in their former seats. But he forbade the sudra satradhikars from initiating brahmins and brahmins from vising sudra monasteries, under the influence of the gosain of Auniati xatra who was the royal perceptor.
. He introduced Mughal style dresses in the Ahom court. He encouraged the culture of local folk music and dance and appointed officers called Gayan Baruas. It is said that he was the first Ahom king to have the Bihu
celebrated in the courtyard of the palace and gave royal patronage to Bihu.
As he grew older, he felt more and more drawn towards Saktism and decided to become a sakta. However, he died before his initiation could be completed. He instructed his sons to invite the Bengali priest Krishna Ram Bhattacharyya and accept him as their religious guide.
, he dug the Joysagar tank, the world's largest man-made tank covering an area of 318 acres (1.3 km²) of land including its four banks. In 1703, he built the Rangnath (Shiva
) Temple near the Borduar or main gate way on the way from the Joysagar tank to the Talatal Ghar to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. In front of Rangnath Dol
, a pyramid-shaped temple was constructed in 1703-04 in order to perpetuate the memory of his mother Sati Joymati
, which was actually the maidam of Joymati. There are numerous other architectural monuments and structures credited to him including the Kareng Ghar (the royal palace at Rangpur) about four km west of Sibsagar
town, the Namdang stone bridge
of Gaurisagar, the Kharikatia Ali (ali means road in Assamese
) the road leading from Kharikatia to Titabor, Metaka Ali, etc. The Namdang bridge, a stone bridge 60 m long , 6.5 m wide and 1.7 m thick was built over the Namdang river in 1703, is one of the best examples of workmanship and engineering skill of the Ahom era. This bridge is on the National Highway no.37 and has been proudly providing service for the last 300 years.
Ahom kingdom
The Ahom Kingdom was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal expansion in North-East India...
under whom the kingdom reached its zenith of power and glory. Rudra Singha, known as Lai before he became the king, was the son of the previous Ahom king
Ahom Dynasty
The Ahom Dynasty ruled the Ahom Kingdom in present-day Assam for nearly 600 years. The dynasty was established by Sukaphaa, a Shan prince of Mong Mao who came to Assam after crossing the Patkai mountains...
Gadadhar Singha
Supaatphaa
Supaatpha , or Gadadhar Singha, established the rule of the Tungkhungia clan of the Ahom kings that ruled the Ahom kingdom till its climactic end. He was the son of Gobar Raja, a descendant of Suhungmung, and who had become the king for a mere 20 days...
. An illiterate (probably dyslexic), he is best known for building a coalition of rulers in the region and raising a vast composite army against the Mughal Empire
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...
. He died on the eve of his march west from Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
.
His father had to escape persecution by the previous Ahom king and his mother, Sati Joymati
Sati Joymati
Joymati was the wife of Ahom prince Gadapani. She is known as Sati Joymati because she endured torture and died at the hands of royalists under Sulikphaa , which enabled her husband to rise in revolt and become the king himself. Her son Rudra Singha had Joysagar dug at the spot where she was...
, was killed in royal custody. He established his capital at Rangpur
Rangpur (Ahom capital)
Rangpur, one of the capitals of the Ahom kingdom, was established by the Swargadeo Rudra Singha in 1707 . It is currently a part of the Sibsagar town. Many historical monuments of the Ahom era;the Kareng Ghar, Talatal Ghar, Rang Ghar are located here....
.
Political works
Though he was an illiterate himself, he had an expansive and progressive political vision, just as Akbar had. Rudra Singha subjugated the DimasaKachari 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...
(1706) and the Jaintia
Jaintia Kingdom
The Jaintia Kingdom extended from the east of the Shillong Plateau of present-day Meghalaya in north-east India, into the plains to the south, and north to the Barak River valley in Assam, India...
kingdoms. His father had removed the last vestiges of the 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...
rule in Assam, and he planned to extend his kingdom up to the Karatoya river, the traditional western boundary of the erstwhile Kamarupa kingdom. He began forming an alliance with different kingdoms and positioned himself at Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
for the expedition with a large army and fleet, along with the troops from the Dimasa-Kacharis (14,000), the Jaintiyas (10,000) and the Daflas (600), when he died. The later kings did not follow up on his plans.
Rudra Singha reversed the persecution of the Vaishnava xatras during Gadadhar Singha's reign and reinstated the xatra preceptors, including Chaturbhujdeva the satradhikari of Mayamara xatra, in their former seats. But he forbade the sudra satradhikars from initiating brahmins and brahmins from vising sudra monasteries, under the influence of the gosain of Auniati xatra who was the royal perceptor.
Administrative works
He encouraged exchanges with other kingdoms and sent ambassadors to other royal houses in various parts of India. He created khels or official positions specifically for diplomacy, like Khaund, Kotoki, Bairagi, Doloi, Kakoti. He sent men to Delhi to learn music and Brahman boys to Gurukuls for Vedic and Sanskrit studies. He brought architects from outside for constructing the palace and other buildings in the new capital city, RangpurRangpur (Ahom capital)
Rangpur, one of the capitals of the Ahom kingdom, was established by the Swargadeo Rudra Singha in 1707 . It is currently a part of the Sibsagar town. Many historical monuments of the Ahom era;the Kareng Ghar, Talatal Ghar, Rang Ghar are located here....
. He introduced Mughal style dresses in the Ahom court. He encouraged the culture of local folk music and dance and appointed officers called Gayan Baruas. It is said that he was the first Ahom king to have the Bihu
Bihu
Bihu denotes a set of three different cultural festivals of Assam and celebrated by the Assamese diaspora around the world. Though they owe their origins to ancient rites and practices they have taken definite urban features and have become popular festivals in urban and commercialized milieus in...
celebrated in the courtyard of the palace and gave royal patronage to Bihu.
As he grew older, he felt more and more drawn towards Saktism and decided to become a sakta. However, he died before his initiation could be completed. He instructed his sons to invite the Bengali priest Krishna Ram Bhattacharyya and accept him as their religious guide.
Civil works
In honour of the memory of his mother Sati JoymatiSati Joymati
Joymati was the wife of Ahom prince Gadapani. She is known as Sati Joymati because she endured torture and died at the hands of royalists under Sulikphaa , which enabled her husband to rise in revolt and become the king himself. Her son Rudra Singha had Joysagar dug at the spot where she was...
, he dug the Joysagar tank, the world's largest man-made tank covering an area of 318 acres (1.3 km²) of land including its four banks. In 1703, he built the Rangnath (Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
) Temple near the Borduar or main gate way on the way from the Joysagar tank to the Talatal Ghar to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. In front of Rangnath Dol
Rangnath Dol
Ahom king Swargadeo Rudra Singha dug the Joysagar tank, the world's largest man-made tank covering an area of including its four banks in memory of his mother Sati Joymati. On its bank in 1703 he built the Rangnath Dol, a temple near the Borduar or main gateway on way from the Joysagar tank to...
, a pyramid-shaped temple was constructed in 1703-04 in order to perpetuate the memory of his mother Sati Joymati
Sati Joymati
Joymati was the wife of Ahom prince Gadapani. She is known as Sati Joymati because she endured torture and died at the hands of royalists under Sulikphaa , which enabled her husband to rise in revolt and become the king himself. Her son Rudra Singha had Joysagar dug at the spot where she was...
, which was actually the maidam of Joymati. There are numerous other architectural monuments and structures credited to him including the Kareng Ghar (the royal palace at Rangpur) about four km west of Sibsagar
Sibsagar
Sivasagar is a town in the Sibsagar district in the state of Assam in India, about north east of Guwahati....
town, the Namdang stone bridge
Namdang Stone Bridge
The Namdang Stone Bridge is historic bridge located a few kilometers away from Sibsagar town in Assam, India. It was constructed in 1703 by craftmen brought from Bengal during the reign of Ahom king Rudra Singha. The bridge is 60 m long , 6.5 m wide and 1.7 m high . It runs over the Namdang...
of Gaurisagar, the Kharikatia Ali (ali means road in Assamese
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...
) the road leading from Kharikatia to Titabor, Metaka Ali, etc. The Namdang bridge, a stone bridge 60 m long , 6.5 m wide and 1.7 m thick was built over the Namdang river in 1703, is one of the best examples of workmanship and engineering skill of the Ahom era. This bridge is on the National Highway no.37 and has been proudly providing service for the last 300 years.