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Government Of Assam Department of Cultural Affairs Directorate of Archaeology

Infrastructure / Protection, Preservation of Charaideo Archaeological Site

  • The Charaideo Moidams enshrine the mortal remains of Ahom royalty—previously, those of the deceased, along with their paraphernalia, were buried, but after the 18th  century, the Ahom rulers adopted the Hindu method of cremating the dead, followed by entombing of the cremated bones and ashes in a Moidam later. The Ahoms venerate Moidams believing that one part of the deceased's spirit eternally resides in the Moidam that ensures the State's well-being. Symbolizing unique cultural ethos, this heritage site represents the technical genius of the creators who transformed and alleviated a natural landscape into the “Ahom Heaven”, and also an “Ancestral Spirit Forest”.  The Charaideo heritage site is one of the aspirants and contenders under the cultural heritage category in the current year cycle for evaluation of the World Heritage —the Moidams add a new burial typology to the list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.

    In view of the Outstanding Universal Value of the Charaideo Royal Ahom Moidams, the Government of Assam in its Budget Speech of 2019-20 made a provision of Rs. 25.00 Cr for protection, conservation and development of the Charaideo Moidams Archaeological Site which is under the protection of the  Directorate of Archaeology, Government of Assam. The Directorate of Archaeology prepared and submitted the DPR on Infrastructure/Protection, Preservation of Charaideo Maidams Archaeological Site, which received Administrative Approval of the Government of Assam on 25 February, 2020. The DPR is valid for a period of five years.

    As of now, there is no World Heritage Site under the cultural heritage category from the entire North East. In this context, the heritage site of “Moidams—the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty”, in Charaideo (Assam) is the first cultural heritage site nominated from the North East India to claim the tag of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site status. The site entered in Tentative List of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites on 15 April, 2014.

    Under the scope of the DPR, the Directorate of Archaeology, Assam has undertaken excavation, conservation and developmental works at the site. Excavation of three Moidams – 38, 77 & 90 – have been undertaken which also include scientifically exposing the dwarf peripheral wall around the Moidams. In field-session 2022-23, excavation of Moidam 78 has been conducted which has exposed the burial vault of the Moidam made of fired bricks and the associated artefacts which all have been thoroughly documented.

    The Directorate of Archaeology has also been simultaneously conserving the excavated Moidams as per the established archaeological norms, and creating an exhaustive database as reference points for future maintenance and conservation works. The artefacts recovered from excavation have been scientifically treated and the representative specimens are displayed in the Siu-ka-pha Archaeological Museum recently set up within the protected boundary of the Charaideo Moidams Archaeological Site.

    Apart from these works, developmental works are also going on which involve landscaping of the site with indigenous variety of plants, renovation of toilet blocks, upgrading of ticket counter, construction of rain shelters, providing the pathways including the one for the differently-abled, a common boundary wall covering the part of site under the protection of Archaeological Survey of India, drinking water facilities, signage, etc.

    Furthermore, the Directorate of Archaeology, Assam is conducting regular awareness programs in and around Charaideo to disseminate heritage education among the masses by outreach programmes and also by involving school and college students in various field visit programmes to the site.