Why Charaideo Moidams’ Recognition As World Heritage Site Can Boost India's Act East Policy

The recognition of the Charaideo Moidams site in Assam as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has sparked hopes that it will be a major catalyst in New Delhi’s Act East Policy. Hopes are that there will be an increase in tourist footfall and the areas surrounding the site will see robust development. An expert speaks to ETV Bharat.

New Delhi: The recognition of the Charaideo Moidams in Assam as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the cultural category has the huge potential to boost people-to-people ties between India’s northeastern region and South East Asia, which is a key focus of New Delhi’s Act East Policy.

This recognition of the historic site in Assam’s Charaideo district has been given during the ongoing 46th conference of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi. Why this assumes significance is that the site will be a major tourist attraction for visitors from Southeast Asia, who have historical and cultural connections with the Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam for over six decades from 1228 to 1826 AD.

The Charaideo Moidams is the largest span of land that has the presence of a huge number of Moidams, the local term for the tomb, which was built during the reign of the Ahom kingdom. The Moidams of Charaideo are places where members of the Ahom royal family were buried.

The Ahom people belong to the Tai ethnic group, which is widespread across Southeast Asia. The Tai people have a shared cultural and linguistic heritage and their presence can be traced to modern-day Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and parts of southern China.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, noted educationist of Assam Dayananda Borgohain explained that the Ahom people were originally from a Tai kingdom called Muang Mao in present-day Yunnan province of China. “Apart from Muang Mao, there were 11 other Tai kingdoms in Yunnan,” Borgohain said. “These people were very erudite and civilised. However, because of this, they were a subject of envy among the Han majority people of China.”

He elaborated that Han rulers frequently carried out attacks against these Tai kingdoms. One such Han emperor, Chi Wang Ti, carried out a particularly violent attack that forced the Tai people to move out of Yunnan. “In one day, 470 scholars were killed,” Borgohain said. “Except for books on agriculture, all other books were burned.”

Following this, the people of the Tai kingdoms of Yunnan went to other places in Southeast Asia like Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, even in some other places in China and a small number in Taiwan. One such faction, under Sukaphaa, decided to move west from Yunnan to India.

“In 1214, Sukaphaa, along with 9,000 of his people started traversing towards the west,” Borgohain said. “In 14 years, they crossed 1,112 km and then entered Assam after crossing the Patkai hill range. The area he entered was known as Saumarpith then.”

Borgohain explained that Charaideo was not the first place that Sukaphaa zeroed in as the place to establish his kingdom, an aim he had come with. He traversed up and down the Brahmaputra before finding the mouth of the tributary river Dikhow. He then sailed up the river and landed in a place near the present Assam-Nagaland border.

“Sukaphaa then interacted with the local people in the area and never indulged in any conflict. Since he was establishing the kingdom, the local people advised him to choose Charaideo as his seat of power,” Borgohain said.

Charaideo is a hilly area and since Sukaphaa was from a hilly area in Yunnan, he decided to base his capital there and from thereon started the Ahom kingdom in 1228. Charaideo means “a prominent place on a hilltop”.

Charaideo was the first capital of the Ahom kingdom. It remained a symbolic and spiritual centre for the Ahom rulers, even after the capital was moved to other locations. The area around Charaideo became the royal burial ground, where many Ahom kings, queens, and nobles were interred.

The Moidams at Charaideo are large earthen mounds, resembling the pyramidal structures found in other ancient cultures. These mounds are typically built over an underground chamber where the deceased are buried, along with various offerings. The structures often feature brick or stone retaining walls and were originally adorned with decorative elements and stone sculptures.

The Ahoms practised elaborate burial rituals, reflecting their belief in life after death. The deceased were buried with a variety of grave goods, including weapons, ornaments and household items, intended to aid them in the afterlife. The construction of a Moidam was a significant event, involving complex rituals and the participation of many artisans and labourers. There are 29 Moidams of Ahom kings at the Charaideo Moidams site.

Borgohain said that the Tai-origin people of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia have strong cultural similarities with the Tai-Ahom people of Assam.

“That is why the declaration of the Charaideo Moidams as a UNESCO World Heritage Site will help in meeting the Act East Policy goal of boosting people-to-people ties between northeastern India and Southeast Asia,” he said. “Even people from Japan and China, who are of Buddhist origin, will be interested in visiting the site.”

The Ahoms are not of Buddhist origin, but have their own rituals and practices. They were originally nature worshippers. However, there are five other Tai groups in the Northeast, who are Buddhists. “This recognition by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will increase tourist footfall from not only Southeast and East Asia, but also from other parts of the world,” Borgohain said. “This will also help in the robust development of the areas around the site.”