Charaideo district

Charaideo district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. It was formally declared a new district of the state on 15 August 2015 by then Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi.[1] It has been carved out of Sivasagar district with Sonari as its administrative headquarter. It comes under Upper Assam division.[2][3][4]

Charaideo district

Charaideo
District
Country India
StateAssam
DivisionUpper Assam
HeadquartersSonari
Languages
 • OfficialAssamese
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationAS 33
Websitewww.charaideo.gov.in

Etymology

Charaideo was established by the first Ahom king Chaolung Sukaphaa.[5] The name Charaideo originated from Tai-Ahom word Che Rai Doi or Doi Che Rai which means the shining city on the hills.The Che-Rai-Doi Assamised into Charaideo or Charai-khorong.[6][7]

According to another view, the word Charaideo meant Lord Vishnu whose Vahana is the Garuda(Charai). This can indeed be true as Charaideo was a worship shrine for the local tribes like Moran, Borahi and Chutias.[8] The remains of a Varaha statue found in the area further hints to this view. As mentioned in Kasinath Tamuli Buranji, the Ahom kings later adopted the worship of Vishnu from the natives and included in their rituals.[9]

A statue of Lord Vishnu in Varaha form found in Sibsagar dating back to the 9th century.

History

Before the arrival of Sukaphaa the place was a place of worship for local tribes like Moran, Borahi and Chutias.[10]

The site of Charaideo was the capital of the Ahom kingdom established by the first Ahom king Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1253. The tumuli (Maidams) of Ahom kings and queens at Charaideo hillocks are comparable to the Pyramids of Egypt. The site has had some archaeological works but also has suffered from robbers.[11] There have been calls for the site to be UNESCO World Heritage listed.[12]

See also

References
  1. Assam gets five more districts
  2. Charaideo commonly known as pyramids of Assam
  3. reparations afoot for inauguration of Charaideo district at Sonari
  4. Palasbari incensed over choice of district HQ
  5. Gogoi, Padmeswar (1968). The Tai and the Tai kingdoms: with a fuller treatment of the Tai-Ahom kingdom in the Brahmaputra Valley. Dept. of Publication, Gauhati University. pp. 264 & 265.
  6. Gohain, Birendra Kr (1999). Origin of the Tai and Chao Lung Hsukapha: A Historical Perspective. Omsons Publications. pp. 72 & 73.
  7. Bezbaruah, Ranju; Banerjee, Dipankar; Research, Indian Council of Historical (2008). North-East India: interpreting the sources of its history. Indian Council of Historical Research. p. 117. ISBN 9788173052958.
  8. Bhuyan, Surjya Kumar, Satsari Buranji, 1960, p. 6
  9. Phukan, Kasinath Tamuli,Assam Buranji, 1906, p.19
  10. Bhuyan, Surjya Kumar, Satsari Buranji, 1960, p. 6
  11. Dutta, Pullock; Das, Ripunjoy (2003-03-01). "Bounty hunters beat ASI to tombs". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  12. Das, Ripunjoy (2006-01-19). "Saving Ahom kingdom - Local youths push for Unesco tag to protect Charaideo". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Retrieved 2007-12-06.

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