Assam: Following the 400th birth anniversary of legendary Ahom General Lachit Barphukan, who crushed the Mughals, comes word that the Modi government has decided to nominate Assam’s Charaideo Maidams or Moidams of the Ahom kingdom for the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation this year.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Saturday that the central government has decided to nominate Assam’s Charaideo moidams burial sites for inclusion on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) list of World Heritage Sites.
“If selected, 90 royal burials at Charaideo will be the only cultural heritage site in the North East to receive the coveted status,” he tweeted. Assam’s nomination among 52 sites in India reflects our Adarniya PM’s love and respect for Assam’s and Northeast India’s rich cultural heritage.”
India’s nomination of Chariadeo Moidams for UNESCO World Heritage Site status reflects Hon PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s adoration for rich cultural heritage of Assam.
If selected, it’ll be NE’s only cultural heritage site to get the coveted tag.
Read more: https://t.co/MSK1v9eILM
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 9, 2023
The Charaideo moidams are royal burial grounds of the Ahom dynasty, which ruled over much of Assam and the North East between 1228 and 1826 AD. The tumuli in Charaideo, located around 30 kilometres from Sivasagar town in eastern Assam, are revered by many locals even today.
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A moidam is an Ahom royalty and aristocracy tumulus – a mound of earth raised over a grave. While Charaideo is home to only moidams of Ahom royals, other moidams of aristocrats and chiefs can be found in Eastern Assam, between the towns of Jorhat and Dibrugarh.
Inside these moidams were buried Ahom kings and queens. Unlike Hindus, who cremate their dead, the primary funerary method of the Ahoms, who descended from the Tai people, was burial. A moidam’s height is usually indicative of the power and stature of the person buried inside. However, with the exception of Gadhadhar Singha and Rudra Singha, the majority of moidams remain unidentified.
