5/5 Samik K. 11 months ago on Google
Charaideo
is
the
sacred
burial
ground
of
the
Ahom
monarchs.
Ahoms
traditionally
buried
their
dead.
The
tombs
of
the
Ahom
Kings
and
Queens
at
Charaideo
hillock
are
comparable
to
the
Pyramids
of
Egypt.
The
kings
and
queens
were
remains
were
preserved
here
with
great
customs
and
rituals.
Located
30
km
from
the
Sibsagar
town
towards
east
and
at
the
foothills
of
Nagaland,
and
was
the
burial
Ground
for
royal
members
and
nobles
for
long
380
years
from
1228
A.D.
to
1706
A.D.
The
place
is
huge
and
the
landscape
is
dotted
with
mounds
or
Maidams.
The
Maidams
are
the
burial
mounds
of
the
Ahom
kings,
queens,
and
nobles.
The
word
Maidam
is
derived
from
the
Thai
word
Phrang
mai-dam
or
mai-tam.
Phrang
mai
means
to
put
into
the
grave
or
to
bury,
and
dam
means
the
spirit
of
the
dead.
Though
Maidams
are
found
in
all
the
districts
of
Upper
Assam,
Charaideo,
the
first
capital
of
the
Ahoms
was
the
necropolis
of
almost
all
the
Ahom
Royals.
The
exterior
facade
of
the
Maidams
is
hemispherical
in
shape.
A
Maidam
consists
of
three
major
features:
a
massive
vault
or
chamber,
a
hemispherical
earthen
mound
covering
the
chamber
with
a
brick
structure
over
it
and
an
octagonal
boundary
wall
around
the
base
of
the
mound
having
an
arched
gateway
on
its
west.
As
per
the
description
by
ASI
at
the
site
:
“THESE
LOFTY
MAIDAMS
ARE
THE
BURIAL
MOUNDS
OF
THE
AHOM
KINGS
AND
NOBLES.
THE
AHOMS
FOLLOWED
A
UNIQUE
MORTUARY
PRACTICE
TO
BURY
THEIR
DEAD
KINGS
AND
NOBLES
IN
COFFIN
AND
AN
EARTHEN
MOUND
OF
PYRAMIDAL
SHAPE
WAS
RAISED
OVER
IT.
THESE
MAIDANS
ARE
HEMISPHERICAL
IN
SHAPES
AND
VARY
IN
SIZES
DEPENDING
UPON
THE
POWER
AND
STATUS
OF
THE
BURIED
INDIVIDUAL
THE
HEMISPHERICAL
MOUND
IS
USUALLY
BOUNDED
BY
AN
OCTAGONAL
ENCLOSURE
WALL
WITH
AN
ENTRANCE
ON
THE
WESTERN
SIDE
AND
AT
THE
TOP
OF
THE
MOUND
GENERALLY
OCCURS
A
BRICK
BUILT
STRUCTURE
SOME
OF
THE
BIG
MADAMS
ARE
ASSOCIATED
WITH
GADADHAR
SINGHA
(AD
1681
-
C6
)RUDRA
SINGHA
(AD
1696
-
1714)
SUPERINTENDENT
ARCHEOLOGIST
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SURVEY
OF
INDIA
“
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