Ahom-era 'Maidams' India's sole nomination for UNESCO World Heritage Site: Himanta Sarma

The 'Maidams' or the mound burial system of the Ahom dynasty in Charaideo was first listed in the tentative list of UNESCO's World Heritage site in April 2014

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Saturday said that the Centre has nominated the Charaideo Maidam, the burial ground of the Ahom Dynasty (1228-1826) in Assam for the coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site (cultural site).

"There were 52 sites from across India seeking the UNESCO tag this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose the Charaideo Maidam as the only nomination for the tag. According to the procedure, a UNESCO team is likely to visit Charaideo by September and a decision is likely to be taken in March next year," Sarma told reporters in Guwahati.

Charaideo, now in eastern Assam, was the original capital of the Ahom Dynasty which ruled Assam for 600 years. At least 42 tombs (Maidams) of Ahom kings and queens at Charaideo hillock are compared to the pyramids of Egypt. They are a wonder, revealing excellent architecture and skills of the sculptors and masons of Assam in medieval days, said a document prepared by the state government.

Architecturally, it contains a massive underground vault with one or more chambers having domical superstructure and covered by a heap of earthen mound and externally it appears a hemispherical mound, said the document.

Sarma said PM Modi showed interest in the Chariadeo maidam during an exhibition organised by the Assam government in New Delhi in November to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Battle of Saraighat. "The Prime Minister stopped and stood for five minutes in front of a photo of the maidam during the exhibition. I mentioned it when I met him recently with a request to nominate Maidam for the UNESCO tag," Sarma said.

The BJP-led government in Assam has been pressing for spreading knowledge about the Ahom Dynasty in the rest of the country as the Ahoms defeated the Mughals in Assam. The government is also trying to preserve and promote the story of the Battle of Saraighat, in which Ahom commander Lachit Borphukan led the Ahom army in 1671 and defeated the Mughals near Guwahati. The government has taken up several measures in the past year to promote the story of Lachit Borphukan the way people know Chatrapati Shivaji.