The Ahom kingdom and the North-East
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
The Ahoms ruled Assam for almost six hundred years and stopped the Mughals at Saraighat; Manipur, Tripura and the Koch kingdom flourished nearby.
1228–1826
How it was ruled
Sukaphaa founded the Ahom kingdom in 1228. Ministers and nobles advised the king, and every adult man served the state for part of the year under the paik system.
How people lived
The Ahoms kept detailed chronicles (buranjis); Vaishnavism spread through Sankardev's satras; royal burial mounds (moidams) were built at Charaideo.
What people did
Wet-rice farming, silk (muga and eri), boat-building and soldiering.
What people ate
Rice, fish, greens, bamboo shoots and rice beer.
Trade
Trade with Bengal, Bhutan, Tibet and Burma along the Brahmaputra and mountain passes.
Region by region
- Assam: The Ahom capitals Charaideo, Garhgaon and Rangpur; the Moidams of Charaideo (a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2024).
- Manipur: The Meitei kingdom, with its royal chronicle the Cheitharol Kumbaba.
- Tripura: The Manikya kings, whose history is told in the Rajmala.
- West Bengal and Assam: The Koch kingdom under Naranarayan and his general Chilarai in the 16th century.
Key events
- 1228: Sukaphaa founds the Ahom kingdom
- 1671: Lachit Borphukan defeats the Mughal fleet at Saraighat
- 1826: Treaty of Yandabo after the Burmese invasions; the British take Assam
Legacy
Lachit Diwas (24 November), Sattriya dance, the satras of Majuli, and the moidams.