> Byline > The Rise of Ahom and their impact .  
Date of Publish: 2019-06-23
Submited By: Shivalika Patranabish
Contact: [email protected]

The Ahom or Tai-Ahom of Assam belong to the great 
Tai ethnic and linguistic family of South-East Asia. The 
original YUNUM of Southern China. They come to Assam 
and establish a tiny Kingdom in 1228 A.D in the 
easternmost part of India with CHARAIDEO as its capital 
in the district of SIVASAGAR.
A Shan Prince of Mong Mao has came to 
Assam after crossing the PATKAI Mountains and 
reached the Brahmaputra valley of Assam and the local people who joined them over 
the course of history.
The Ahom dynasty ruled the Ahom Kingdom in present-day Assam, 
India for nearly 598 years. The dynasty was established by 
CHAOLUNG SUKAPHAA, the frst Ahom King in medieval Assam, was 
the founder of Ahom Kingdom. He entered the Brahmaputra valley, 
crossing the rugged Patkai mountain range. He was accompanied by 
his three queens, two sons, several nobles and offcials and their 
families, and soldiers total more than nine thousand persons. The 
prince, Sukaphaa, defeated the Nagas on the way and fnally reached 
and stayed in a place called Namruk (now know as Namrup).
In the nearly 600 years 39 Swargadeo dynastic history, there are three progenitor 
kings. They are Sukaphaa, who established the kingdom, Suhungmung, who 
made the greatest territorial and political expansion of kingdom, and Supaathaa, 
who established the house of Tungkhugia kings that reigned the kingdom during 
its political and cultural zenith, as well as the period of decay and end.
The king could be appointed only with the concurrence of the patra mantris 
(council of ministers- Burhagohain, Borgohain and Borpatrogohain). During 
three periods in 14th century, the kingdom had no kings when acceptable 
candidates were not found. In 17th century a power struggle and the increasing 
number of claimants to the throne resulted in kings being deposed in quick 
succession, all of whom were executed after the new king was instated.
The Ahom kingdom was based on the PAIK System, (it was a 
type of corvee labor system on which the economy of the Ahom 
kingdom of medieval Assam depended). The frst coins were 
introduced by Suklenmung in 16th century, though the system 
of personal seraice under the Paik system persisted. In the 17th
century when the Ahom kingdom expanded to include erstwhile 
Koch and Mughal areas, it came into contant with their reaenue 
systems and adapted accordingly.
The Ahom king was called SWARGADEO and had DANGARIAS 
(also called gohains). The Ahom kingdom grew very rapidly and 
as such the process of Ahomization of the people joining it 
could not keep up. Infact it grew so fast, they had to create a 
third Gohain to oversee a new regions, Borpatrogohain, apart 
from the already present two great Gohains (Burahgohain and 
Borgohain). Over the time, many local tribes joined the 
kingdom become a multi ethnic and inclusive one. Hindu 
influences and sanskritization were welcome too and as a 
result, the Assamese language entered the Ahom kingdom.
The Ahom Army had various confrontation, the most signifcant ones were 
against the west, from Bengal Sultans and the Mughal Empire. It won decisive 
Victories against the forces let by Turbak in 1532, the Mughal Empire in the 
Battle of Saraighat in 1671, and the Final battle of Itakhuli in 1682.
Spanning there rule for over 600 years the Ahom dynasty, 
is well known for successfully resisting Mughal expansion. It 
also successfully maintained independent from British rule. 
The rule of this dynasty ended with the Burmese invasion of 
Assam and the subsequent annexation by the British East 
India Company following the treaty of Yandabo in 1826.

 

The Ahom played a vital role in the incarnation of our history which is still not known to many .

This article was to proach their contributions in our culture to certain levels.

 

 


SUBMITTED BY - Rajashri Tamuli.

Photo credit - Rajashri Tamuli 

Department of Mass communication , journalism and media studies .

Cotton University.

 

 

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