Ahom
The
Ahoms ruled parts of present-day
Assam (in
India) for nearly 600 years: from
1228 to
1826. Historical documents do not call the kingdom "Ahom". They call it "Asam" (or Assam), and the subjects of this kingdom "Assamese" or "Asamiya". After the advent of the British, the meanings of these categories changed. "Ahom" as a term appears in the
Buranjis to denote the collection of civil and military officers under the Ahom king, all of which were non-hereditary offices.
In early
13th century,
Sukaphaa, a
Shan (
Mong Mao) prince began his journey with about 9000 followers. He crossed the
Patkai hills, fought and defeated the
Nagas and reached the
Brahmaputra valley in
1228. He moved from place to place, searching for a seat. He decided not to attack the
Morans and
Borahis but befriend them instead. His followers, much depleted from the original 9000, married into the Borahi and the Mataks. He finally established his capital at
Chariadeo near present-day
Sibsagar in
1253 and began the task of state formation.
The Ahom kingdom then consolidated its powers for the next 300 years or so. The first major expansion was at the cost of the
Chutiya kingdom, which was annexed in
1522 under Suhungmung. The expansion was not just a success of Ahom military prowess, but also a result of changes in the Ahom social and political outlook. For example, Suhungmung was the first Ahom king to adopt a Hindu name: Swarga Narayan. The Chutiya region was placed under the
Sadiyakhowa Gohain a new position that was created. In
1536 the
Kacharis were uprooted from their capital at
Dimapur. Thus by the middle of the
16th century, the Ahoms were in control over eastern Assam. In early
17th century, the Ahoms came into conflict with the
Mughals over the control of
Koch Hajo. In the battle of Itakhuli in
1682 the Mughals were finally removed and the Ahoms got control over most of the Brahmaputra valley.
Their power declined in later half of the
18th century. The capital city was taken for a short period during the
Moamoria rebellion. In the first part of the
19th century, the
Burmese army invaded their kingdom who set up a puppet Ahom king. The Burmese were defeated by the
British in the
First Anglo-Burmese War resulting in the
Treaty of Yandaboo in
1826, which paved the way for the British to convert the Ahom kingdom into a principality and which marked the end of the Ahom rule.
The Tai Ahoms who came into
Assam followed their traditional religion and spoke the
Tai language. They were a very small group numerically and after the first generation, the group was a mixture of the Tai and the local population. Over time the Ahom state adopted the
Assamese language and kings and other high officials converted to
Hinduism. Except for some special offices (the king and the
raj mantris), other positions are open to members of all tribes and religion. They kept good records, and are known for their chronicles, called
Buranjis.
One of its greatest achievements was the stemming of
Mughal expansionism. In the celebrated
battle of Saraighat, the Ahom general
Lachit Borphukan defeated the Mughal forces on the outskirts of present day
Guwahati in
1671.
The Ahom kings were called
Swargadeos, and they did not necessarily rule from a single line. The kings were often selected from a small number of families, which were descendents of the first Ahom king. The selection was done by the two
patro montris (the
Bura-Gohain and
Bor-Gohain). Later, three more offices was added to the
patro montris (
Borpatro-Gohain,
Borborua and
Borphukan). In times of long disputes, the
patro montris ruled the country, which contributed to the long reign of Ahom kings. It also lead to much palace intrigues in the 17th and the 18th centuries contributing to the instability and finally the end of the Ahom kingdom.
*
Ahom Dynasty*
The Tai-Ahom connection by Yasmin Saikia in
Gateway to the East, June
2005.
