What is Assam’s Charaideo Maidam?

What is Charaideo Maidam?

• Charaideo commonly known as ‘Pyramids of Assam’ was the original capital of the Ahom Kings.
• Charaideo remained the symbolic center of Ahom Kingdom even though the capital of the kingdom moved many times.
• It was built by Chaolung Sukhapa the founder of the dynasty in about 1229 CE.
• Location: Located at the foothills of Nagaland, it’s situated at a distance of around 30 KM from the historical Sivsagar town in Assam.
• Why is Charaideo known as ‘Pyramids of Assam’?
• It contains sacred burial grounds of Ahom kings and queens and is also the place of the ancestral Gods of the Ahoms.
• Some 42 tombs (Maidams) of Ahom kings and queens are present at Charaideo hillocks.
• Architecture: it comprises 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.

About Ahom Dynasty:

• It was founded by Chaolung Sukapha , who entered the Brahmaputra valley in 1228.
• They ruled Assam for six centuries.
• The Ahoms created a new state by taking over the older political system of the bhuiyans (landlords).
• The Ahom administration was a monarchial government with democratic and aristocratic values as well.
• Ahom society was divided into clans and with the expansion of the kingdom, the clans moved and took charge of the designated territory. 
• The Ahoms followed stringent travel policies to protect their motherland against the foreign invaders for inward travel.
• In the 17th century, the Ahom rule got weakened due to multiple Burmese invasions and internal conflicts.
• Ahom Kingdom was annexed by the British East India Company after the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826.

Q1) What is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

World Heritage Sites are cultural and/or natural sites considered to be of ‘Outstanding Universal Value’, which have been inscribed on the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.

Source: Centre to propose for nomination of ‘Charaideo Maidam’ as World Heritage Site: Assam CM