
The Ahom (Pron: ) or Tai-Ahom (; ) is an ethnic group from the
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n states of
Assam
Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
and
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...
. The members of this group are admixed descendants of the
Tai people
Tai peoples are the populations who speak (or formerly spoke) the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai, Thai, Isan, Tai Yai (Shan), Lao, Tai Ahom, ...
who reached the
Brahmaputra valley of Assam in 1228 and the local indigenous people who joined them over the course of history.
Sukaphaa
Sukaphaa (), also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom kingdom, Ahom Ahom Dynasty, king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from prese ...
, the leader of the Tai group and his 9,000 followers established the
Ahom kingdom (1228–1826 CE), which controlled much of the Brahmaputra Valley in modern
Assam
Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
until 1826 when the Treaty Of Yandabo was signed.
The modern Ahom people and their culture are a
syncretism
Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the ...
of the original
Tai and their culture
and local
Tibeto-Burman
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people speak ...
people and their cultures they absorbed in Assam. The local people of different ethnic groups of Assam that took to the
Tai way of life and polity were incorporated into their fold which came to be known as Ahom as in the process known as
Ahomisation.
Many local ethnic groups that came in contact with the Tai settlers, including the
Borahis who were of Tibeto-Burman origin, were completely subsumed into the Ahom community; while members of other communities, based on their allegiance to the Ahom kingdom or the usefulness of their talents, too were accepted as Ahoms. Currently, they represent the largest Tai group in India, with a population of nearly 4.6 million in Assam. Ahom people are found mostly in
Upper Assam
Upper Assam is an administrative division of the state of Assam comprising the undivided Lakhimpur and Sivasagar (previously, Sibsagar) districts, of the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra valley. The other divisions are: Lower Assam, North Assa ...
in the districts of
Golaghat
Golaghat ( ''Gʊlaɡʱat'' ) one of the largest subdivisions of the Indian state of Assam, later elevated to the position of a full–fledged district headquarter on 5 October 1987, is a city and a municipality and the seat of administrativ ...
,
Jorhat
Jorhat ( /) is a major city in Upper Assam division, Upper Assam and among the fastest growing urban centres in the state of Assam in India.
Etymology
Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and ...
,
Sibsagar
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Sivasagar
, settlement_type = Metropolis
, image_skyline = Sivasagar.jpg
, image_alt = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, total_width = 270
, image_style ...
,
Charaideo,
Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh () is a city in the Indian state of Assam, located 435 kms east of the state capital Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of the Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Dibrugarh also serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kach ...
,
Tinsukia
Tinsukia (Pron: ˌtɪnˈsʊkiə) is an industrial city. It is situated north-east of Guwahati and away from the border with Arunachal Pradesh. Tinsukia serves as the headquarters of the Moran Autonomous Council, which is the governing counci ...
(south of Brahmaputra River); and in
Lakhimpur,
Sonitpur,
Bishwanath
Bishwanath () is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh.
History
One of the palaces of Gour Govinda, the last Hindu ruler of Sylhet, was situated in present-day Bishwanath. Its ruins are still intact and is locally referred ...
, and
Dhemaji (north) as well as some area of
Nagaon
Nagaon is a city and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Assam. It is situated east of Guwahati. With a population of 1,16,355 as per 2011 census it is an AMRUT City and 4th biggest city ...
,
Guwahati
Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...
.
Even though the already admixed group
["The Ahom kingdom’s establishment, traditionally dated at 1228, was done by a group migrating from the southeast, large numbers of whom were male army members, who would have taken local non-Tai speaking wives." ] Ahom made up a relatively small portion of the kingdom's population, they maintained their original
Ahom language
Ahom or Tai-Ahom (Ahom:𑜁𑜪𑜨 𑜄𑜩 𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨 or 𑜁𑜨𑜉𑜫 𑜄𑜩 𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨; ) is a dormant, Southwestern Tai language formerly spoken by the Ahom people. It's currently undergoing a revival and mainly used in r ...
and practised their traditional religion till the 17th century, when the Ahom court as well as the commoners adopted the
Assamese language
Assamese () or Asamiya ( ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, where it is an official language. It has long served as a ''lingua franca'' in parts of Northeast India."Axomiya is the major langu ...
.
History
Origins
The Tai speaking people came into prominence first in the
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
region, in China, from where they moved to mainland
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
in the middle of the 11th century after a long and fierce battle with the
Northern Han
The Northern Han ( zh, t=北漢, s=北汉, p=Běi Hàn) was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was founded by Liu Min (Emperor Shizu) as a continuation of the Later Ha ...
Chinese.
The Tai-Ahoms are traced to either
Mong Mao
Mong may refer to:
People
*A proposed original name for the Hmong people, based on the main group, the Mong community
*Bob Mong (), American journalist and academic administrator
*Henry Mong (), American surgeon and Presbyterian missionary
*Mong M ...
of
South China
South China ( zh, s=, p=Huá'nán, j=jyut6 naam4) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is ...
(present-day
Dehong
The Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in western Yunnan province, China. It is bordered by Baoshan to the east and Myanmar's Kachin State to the west. Its titular ethnic minorities are the Dai and Jingpo ...
,
Yunnan province
Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
of China) or to the
Hukawng Valley in
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
.
Sukaphaa
Sukaphaa (), also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom kingdom, Ahom Ahom Dynasty, king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from prese ...
, a Tai prince of
Mong Mao
Mong may refer to:
People
*A proposed original name for the Hmong people, based on the main group, the Mong community
*Bob Mong (), American journalist and academic administrator
*Henry Mong (), American surgeon and Presbyterian missionary
*Mong M ...
, and a band of followers reached Assam in 1228 with an intention of settling there. They came with a higher technology of wet-rice cultivation then extant and a tradition of writing, record keeping, and state formation. They settled in the region south of the
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...
and to the east of the
Dikhow River
The Dikhow River is a left tributary of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian state of Assam. It rises in the Zunheboto district in Nagaland, flows through the Sivasagar district of Assam and joins the Brahmaputra at Dikhowmukh.
References
...
; the Ahoms today are found concentrated in this region.
Sukaphaa
Sukaphaa (), also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom kingdom, Ahom Ahom Dynasty, king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from prese ...
, the leader of the Tai group and his 9,000 followers established the
Ahom kingdom (1228–1826 CE), which controlled much of the Bramhaputra valley until 1826.
Initial formation in Assam
In the initial phase, the band of followers of
Sukaphaa
Sukaphaa (), also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom kingdom, Ahom Ahom Dynasty, king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from prese ...
moved about for nearly thirty years and mixed with the local population. He moved from place to place, searching for a seat. He made peace with the Borahi and
Moran ethnic groups, and he and his mostly male followers married into them, creating an admixed population identified as Ahoms
and initiating the process of
Ahomisation. The Borahis, a Tibeto-Burman people, were completely subsumed into the Ahom fold, though the Moran maintained their independent ethnicity.
Sukaphaa
Sukaphaa (), also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom kingdom, Ahom Ahom Dynasty, king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from prese ...
established his capital at
Charaideo near present-day
Sivasagar
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Sivasagar
, settlement_type = Metropolis
, image_skyline = Sivasagar.jpg
, image_alt = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, total_width = 270
, image_style ...
in 1253 and began the task of state formation.
Ahomisation
The Ahoms held the belief that they were destined by a divine force to cultivate fallow land using their wet-rice farming methods and to assimilate stateless shifting cultivators into their society. They were also conscious of their numerical minority. As a result, the Ahom polity initially absorbed
Naga, Borahi and
Moran, and later large sections of the
Chutia and the
Dimasa-Kachari peoples. This process of
Ahomisation went on until the mid-16th century, when the Ahom society itself came under the direct
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
influence.
That many indigenous peoples were ceremonially adopted into Ahom clans are recorded in the chronicles. Since the Ahoms married liberally outside their own exogamous clans and since their own traditional religion resembled the religious practices of the indigenous peoples the assimilation under Ahomisation had little impediment.
Localisation and Loss
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the small Ahom community expanded their rule dramatically toward the west and they successfully saw off challenges from
Mughal
Mughal or Moghul may refer to:
Related to the Mughal Empire
* Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries
* Mughal dynasty
* Mughal emperors
* Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia
* Mughal architecture
* Mug ...
and other invaders, gaining them recognition in world history. The rapid expansion resulted in the Ahom people becoming a small minority in their own kingdom, of which they kept control. Eventually, the Ahom court, as well as the Ahom peasants took to
Ekasarana dharma
''Ekasarana Dharma'' () is a Vaishnavism#Later medieval period, Vaishnavite religion propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century in the Indian state of Assam. It reduced focus on Vedic ritualism and focuses on devotion (''bhak ...
,
Shaktism
Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman.
Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...
and
Saivism over the traditional Ahom religion;
["Not only at the Ahom court, but also among Ahom farmers, the Indian religion gained adherents: Saivism, Saktism, and Vaisnavism spread and largely replaced the old Tai Ahom religion. ] and adopted
Assamese over the
Ahom language
Ahom or Tai-Ahom (Ahom:𑜁𑜪𑜨 𑜄𑜩 𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨 or 𑜁𑜨𑜉𑜫 𑜄𑜩 𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨; ) is a dormant, Southwestern Tai language formerly spoken by the Ahom people. It's currently undergoing a revival and mainly used in r ...
for secular purposes.
The modern Ahom people and their culture are a
syncretism
Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the ...
of the original
Tai and their culture
and local
Tibeto-Burman
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people speak ...
peoples and their cultures they absorbed in Assam.
The everyday usage of Ahom language ceased completely by the early 19th-century. The loss of religions is also nearly complete, with only a few priestly families practising some aspects of it. While the written language (and ritualistic chants) survive in a vast number of written manuscripts, much of the spoken language is lost because the Ahom script does not mark tone and under-specifies vowel contrasts.
Revivalism
Though the first political organisation (All Assam Ahom Association) was created in 1893 it was in 1954 when Ahom connection to other Tai groups in Assam was formally established.
Society
''Ban-Mong'' Social system
The Tai-Ahom people's traditional social structure, called Ban-Mong, revolved around agriculture and centered on irrigation methods.
The ''Ban'' or ''Ban Na'' is a unit composed of families that settled by the side of the rivers. While many ''Bans'' together forms a ''Mong'' which refers state.
Ahom clans
Ahom clans, called ''phoid''s, formed socio-political entities. At the time of ingress into Assam, or soon thereafter, there were seven important clans, called ''Satghariya Ahoms'' (Ahoms of the Seven Houses). There were Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan to which the Chao-Pha (Sukaphaa) belonged; his two chief counselors
Burhagohain
The Burhagohain (Ahom language: ''Chao Phrung Mung'') was one of the three original counsellors (Burhagohain, Borgohain and Borpatragohain) in the Ahom kingdom. Selected by the Ahom king from among the members of the Ahom nobility (''Satgharia A ...
(''Chao-Phrung-Mung'') and
Borgohain
Borgohain (Ahom language: ''Chao Thao Lung'') was one of the two original counselors in the Ahom kingdom. He was selected by the Ahom king from members of the Ahom nobility (''Satgharia Ahom''), who vowed not to fight for the position of Ahom kin ...
(''Chao-Thao-Mung''); and three priestly clans: Bailung (''Mo-plang''), Deodhai (''Mo-sham''), Mohan (''Mo-hang'') and Siring.
Soon the ''Satghariya'' group was expanded—four additional clans began to be associated with nobility: Dihingia, Sandikoi, Lahon and Duarah.
In the 16th-century
Suhungmung
Suhungmung (), or Dihingia Roja was one of the most prominent Ahom Kings who ruled at the cusp of Assam's medieval history. His reign broke from the early Ahom rule and established a multi-ethnic polity in his kingdom. Under him the Ahom Ki ...
added another great counselor, the
Borpatrogohain and a new clan was established. Over time sub-clans began appearing. Thus during the Suhungmung's reign, the Chao-Pha's clan were divided into seven sub-clans—Saringiya, Tipamiya, Dihingiya, Samuguriya, Tungkhungiya, Parvatiya, and Namrupiya. Similarly, Burhagohain clan were divided into eight, Borgohain sixteen, Deodhai twelve, Mohan seven, and Bailung and Siring eight each. The rest of the
Ahom gentry belonged to clans such as ''Chaodangs'', ''Gharphalias'', ''Likchows'' etc. In general, the secular aristocratic clans, the priestly class, and the gentry clans did not intermarry.
Some clans admitted people from other ethnic groups as well. For example, Miri-Sandikoi and Moran-Patar were Sandikoi and Patar from the
Mising and
Moran communities, while the founders of Chetias and Lahons were from the
Chutia community. This was true even for the priestly clans: Naga-Bailung, Miri-Bailung and Nara-Bailung.
Literature
The Ahoms were literate with a writing system based on the
Ahom script
The Ahom script or Tai Ahom Script is an abugida that is used to write the Ahom language, a dormant Tai language undergoing revival spoken by the Ahom people till the late 18th-century, who established the Ahom kingdom and ruled the eastern pa ...
, which fell into disuse along with the language. The
Ahom script
The Ahom script or Tai Ahom Script is an abugida that is used to write the Ahom language, a dormant Tai language undergoing revival spoken by the Ahom people till the late 18th-century, who established the Ahom kingdom and ruled the eastern pa ...
evolved from an earlier script of the
Tai Nuea language
Tai Nuea or Tai Nüa (; ; , ), also called Dehong Tai (; , ) and Chinese Shan, is one of the languages spoken by the Dai people in China, especially in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in the southwest of Yunnan Province. It is ...
which developed further under the present
Chinese Government
The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...
. There exists today a large corpus of manuscripts in this script on history, society, astrology, rituals, etc. Ahom people used to write their chronicles known as ''
Buranji
Buranjis (Ahom language: ''ancient writings'') are a class of historical chronicles and manuscripts associated with the Ahom kingdom. There were written initially in the Ahom Language and later in the Assamese language as well. The Buranjis ar ...
''. The priestly classes (Mo'sam, Mo'hung, Mo'Plong) are the custodians of these manuscripts.
Calendar
The Ahom people used to use a
sexagenary cycle
The sexagenary cycle, also known as the gānzhī (干支) or stems-and-branches, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus amounting to a total of sixty years every cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...
known as ''Lak-Ni Tao-Si-Nga'' with its origins in the middle kingdoms (
Chung-Kuo). It has 12 months and an additional leap month with a ten days weekly cycle. The first month is called ''Duin-Shing'' which gregorian equivalent is
November
November is the eleventh and penultimate month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days. November was the ninth month of the calendar of Romulus . November retained its name (from the Latin ''novem'' meaning " ...
-
December
December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.
December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...
and the new year festival is known as ''Pi-Mau Tai''. It is still in vogue in
Chinese and
Tai people
Tai peoples are the populations who speak (or formerly spoke) the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai, Thai, Isan, Tai Yai (Shan), Lao, Tai Ahom, ...
. The events in
Buranji
Buranjis (Ahom language: ''ancient writings'') are a class of historical chronicles and manuscripts associated with the Ahom kingdom. There were written initially in the Ahom Language and later in the Assamese language as well. The Buranjis ar ...
was counted with ''Lak-ni''.
Culture
Festivals
Me-dam-me-phi
Me-dam-me-phi is the communal ancestor worship festival of Tai-Ahom. It's observed in the month of Duin-Ha (March–April)in the ancient
times but now it's celebrated in the 31st January.
Poi cheng ken
Poi cheng ken is the traditional spring festival of the Tai-Ahom people, celebrated during the Ahom month of Duin-Ha in the
Sexagenary cycle
The sexagenary cycle, also known as the gānzhī (干支) or stems-and-branches, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus amounting to a total of sixty years every cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...
.
The festival includes rituals such as washing, particularly bathing household cattle, honoring ancestors, and worshipping the insignia ''Chum Pha Rueng Sheng Mueang''.
The customs of Cheng Ken are documented in the ancient manuscript ''Khyek Lai Bet''.
As stated:
Housing
Like the rural
Thai people
Thai people, historically known as Siamese people, are an ethnic group native to Thailand. In a narrower and ethnic sense, the Thais are also a Tai peoples, Tai ethnic group dominant in Central Thailand, Central and Southern Thailand (Siam prope ...
of
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, the house rural Ahom families have been made of wood and bamboo, and two roofs are typically thatched.
Families' orchards and ploughed fields are situated near their house. Houses are built in a scattered fashion within bamboo groves.
At one time, the Ahom built their house on stilts called Rwan Huan
about two meters above ground level.
Culinary traditions
Food is one of the important variables of the culture of Tai-Ahom. Most Ahoms, particularly in rural areas, are
non-vegetarian
Non-vegetarian food (in Indian English sometimes shortened to non-veg food) contains meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, or the flesh of any other animal), and sometimes, Egg as food, eggs. The term is common in India, but not usual elsewhere. In ...
,
["Inspite of becoming Hindu, the Tai Ahoms have not given up their food
habits, i.e., taking pork, beef, chicken, and rice beer. Hence we find that even in the religious ceremonies pork and chicken are taken." ] still maintaining a traditional cuisine similar to other
Tai people
Tai peoples are the populations who speak (or formerly spoke) the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai, Thai, Isan, Tai Yai (Shan), Lao, Tai Ahom, ...
. Rice is a staple food. Typical dishes are pork, chicken, duck, slices of beef, frogs, many kinds of fishes, ''hukoti maas'' (dry preserved fish mixture), ''muga lota'' (cocoon seeds of endi and muga worms), and eggs of red ants.
Certain insects are also popular foods for the Ahoms. ''Luk-Lao'' or ''Nam-Lao'' (rice beer, undiluted or diluted) are traditional drinks.
They consume "Khar" (a form of alkaline liquid extracted from the ashes of burned banana peels/bark), "Betgaaj" (tender cane shoots), and many other naturally grown herbs with medicinal properties. However beef for the general hindus and, pork for the Vaisnavites are avoided During
Siva Singha
Swargadeo Siva Singha ( – 14 December 1744), with Tai name Sutanphaa, was the 31st king of Assam from the Ahom dynasty who reigned from (1714 to 1744 A.D.) He was the eldest son of King Rudra Singha. Siva Singha was with his dying father at Guw ...
's reign, the people abandoned the free usage of meat and drinks.
Ahom food specialties resemble Thai cuisine. Like the Thais, the Ahoms prefer boiled food that have little spices and directly burnt fish, meat and vegetables like brinjal, tomato, etc.
Some of them are ''Thu–dam'' (black lentil), ''Khao–Moon'' (Rice Frumenty), ''Xandohguri'' (a powder made from dry roasted rice), ''ChewaKhao'' (steamed rice), ''
Chunga Chaul'' (sticky rice cooked in tender bamboo tubes), ''Til pitha'' (sesame rice rolls prepared from sticky rice powder), and ''Khao-tyek'' (rice flakes).
The process of preparation of this item was quite unknown to population other than the Ahoms and the Thais. Khao (unboiled soft rice prepared from a special variety of sticky rice with a unique technique), Tupula Khao (a kind of rice cooked and packed with a particular kind of plant leaf with good smell called 'tora pat' and preserved bamboo sauce are some of the favourite food
items of the Ahoms, which are similar to their traditional diet.
Wedding

''
Chaklong'' is the main marriage ritual among the twenty marriage rituals of Tai Ahom people. The name Cho Klong is derived from the Tai
Ahom language
Ahom or Tai-Ahom (Ahom:𑜁𑜪𑜨 𑜄𑜩 𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨 or 𑜁𑜨𑜉𑜫 𑜄𑜩 𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨; ) is a dormant, Southwestern Tai language formerly spoken by the Ahom people. It's currently undergoing a revival and mainly used in r ...
ho=to combine, klong=ritual The ritual is described in an ancient Tai Ahom script ''Lai Lit nang Hoon Pha''. 101 ban-phai-s (earthen lamps) or lights are lit. The bride offers the groom a ''heng-dan'' (sword) to protect her, their children, family, race and country. Sum of twenty rituals are performed in ahom wedding along with cho klong, including:
*Ju-ron
*Rik-Khwan
*Aap-Tang
ap=Bath, Tang=devineref name="Gogoi">
*Chow Ban
orshipping sun*Jon-ming
lessing given by Moloung priestsref name="Gogoi"/>
Religion
The majority of present-day Ahoms profess Hinduism as their religion, yet there's a movement aiming to rejuvenate the ancient Ahom faith. The Ahom religion started to decline since the days of
Jayadhwaj Singha
Sutamla (ruled 1648–1663) Jayadhwaj Singha was the 20th king of the Ahom kingdom. During his reign the Mughal viceroy at Bengal Mir Jumla II invaded and occupied his capital Garhgaon as a result of which he had to retreat to the Namrup a ...
, he was the first Ahom king to adopt
Ekasarana Dharma
''Ekasarana Dharma'' () is a Vaishnavism#Later medieval period, Vaishnavite religion propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century in the Indian state of Assam. It reduced focus on Vedic ritualism and focuses on devotion (''bhak ...
and to take initiation of the Auniati Mahanta. From Jayadhawaj Singha to
Rantadhwaj Singha all were followers of
Ekasarana Dharma
''Ekasarana Dharma'' () is a Vaishnavism#Later medieval period, Vaishnavite religion propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century in the Indian state of Assam. It reduced focus on Vedic ritualism and focuses on devotion (''bhak ...
. From
Gadadhar Singha
Swargadeo Gadadhar Singha (1681– February 1696), also known by Tai name Supatphaa, born Gadapani, was the twenty-ninth king of Ahom kingdom, who reigned from 1681 to 1696. He established the rule of Tungkhungia royal house of Ahom kings, whose ...
onwards the kings veered towards
Shaktism
Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman.
Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...
.
Siva Singha
Swargadeo Siva Singha ( – 14 December 1744), with Tai name Sutanphaa, was the 31st king of Assam from the Ahom dynasty who reigned from (1714 to 1744 A.D.) He was the eldest son of King Rudra Singha. Siva Singha was with his dying father at Guw ...
made the
Shaktism
Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman.
Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...
the state religion,
Suremphaa
Suremphaa (reign 1751–1769), or Rajeswar Singha, the fourth son of Rudra Singha, became the king of the Ahom kingdom after the death of his brother King Pramatta Singha. Rudra Singha's third son, Mohanmala Gohain, was considered ineligible f ...
Rajeswar Singha (1751–1769) ordered
Sanskritisation
Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper c ...
. All funerals were to be practised under the Hindu cremation rites, conducted by a
Maithil Brahmin
Maithil Brahmins are the Indo-Aryan Hindu Brahmin community originating from the Mithila region and original inhabitants of Southern Nepal and bordering regions of India that comprises Madhesh Province & some areas of Koshi Province in Nepal ...
priest and a traditional priest. Nevertheless,
Me-Dam-Me-Phi is widely celebrated.
Language
The Ahoms today use the
Assamese language
Assamese () or Asamiya ( ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, where it is an official language. It has long served as a ''lingua franca'' in parts of Northeast India."Axomiya is the major langu ...
after the traditional language, the
Ahom language
Ahom or Tai-Ahom (Ahom:𑜁𑜪𑜨 𑜄𑜩 𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨 or 𑜁𑜨𑜉𑜫 𑜄𑜩 𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨; ) is a dormant, Southwestern Tai language formerly spoken by the Ahom people. It's currently undergoing a revival and mainly used in r ...
, fell into complete disuse. The Ahom language, a member of the
Tai branch of the
Kra–Dai languages
The Kra–Dai languages ( , also known as Tai–Kadai and Daic ), are a language family in mainland Southeast Asia, southern China, and northeastern India. All languages in the family are tonal language, tonal, including Thai language, Thai a ...
is now dead, with its tone system completely lost. Nevertheless, it is being revived by some Tai Ahom organisations.
From the latter part of the 20th century through the early 21st century, there has been a resurgence of interest among the Ahoms in their culture and language, resulting in heightened scholarly focus and efforts towards revival. The 1901 census of India enumerated approximately 179,000 people identifying as Ahom. The latest available census records slightly over 2 million Ahom individuals, however, estimates of the total number of people descended from the original Tai-Ahom settlers are as high as eight million.
The
Ahom script
The Ahom script or Tai Ahom Script is an abugida that is used to write the Ahom language, a dormant Tai language undergoing revival spoken by the Ahom people till the late 18th-century, who established the Ahom kingdom and ruled the eastern pa ...
also finds a place in the Unicode Consortium and the script declared the topmost in the
South-East Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Australian mainland, which is part of Oceania. Southeast Asia i ...
category.
Ahom people today
Ahom people today are categorised in the
other backward classes (OBC) caste category; there is longstanding discussion and demand for
Scheduled Tribe status. The term "ethnic Assamese" is now associated by the
Indian government
The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...
with the various
indigenous Assamese people.
According to Anthony Van Nostrand Diller, possibly eight million speakers of
Assamese can claim genetic descent from the Ahoms.
[ Historian ]Yasmin Saikia
Yasmin Saikia is the Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies and a professor of South Asian history at Arizona State University. She is the author of ''Fragmented Memories: Struggling to be Tai-Ahom in India'' (2004) and ''Women, War, and the Makin ...
contends that during pre-colonial eras, the Ahoms didn't constitute an ethnic community; instead, they formed a relatively inclusive social group. Any group entering the socio-economic framework of the Ahom state could acquire Ahom status, subject to the explicit approval of the king.
Notable people
Ahom Maharajas (Swargadeo)
*Sukaphaa
Sukaphaa (), also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom kingdom, Ahom Ahom Dynasty, king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from prese ...
– 1st Ahom Maharaja
* Suteuphaa – 2nd Ahom Maharaja
* Subinphaa – 3rd Ahom Maharaja
* Tyao Sukhangphaa – 4th Ahom Maharaja
* Sukhrangphaa – 5th Ahom Maharaja
*Sutuphaa
Sutuphaa was the king of the Ahom kingdom in late medieval India from 1369 CE to 1376 CE. He ruled after an interregnum and historians differ regarding his year of accession, with some saying his rule began in 1364. His reign was marked by conf ...
– 6th Ahom Maharaja
* Tyao Khamthi – 7th Ahom Maharaja
* Sudangphaa (Bamuni Konwar) – 8th Ahom Maharaja
* Sujangphaa – 9th Ahom Maharaja
* Suphakphaa – 10th Ahom Maharaja
* Susenphaa – 11th Ahom Maharaja
* Suhenphaa – 12th Ahom Maharaja
*Supimphaa
Supimphaa was the king of Ahom kingdom from 1493 CE to 1497 CE. In order to exact revenge on the murderers of his father Suhenphaa, he unleashed a reign of terror among people of both high and low ranks alike.
Due to some minor fault, he even ...
– 13th Ahom Maharaja
* Suhungmung (Swarganarayan) – 14th Ahom Maharaja
* Suklenmung (Garhgayan Raja) – 15th Ahom Maharaja
* Sukhamphaa (Khura Raja) – 16th Ahom Maharaja
* Susengphaa (Pratap Singha) – 17th Ahom Maharaja
* Suramphaa (Jayaditya Singha) – 18th Ahom Maharaja
* Sutingphaa (Noriya Raja) – 19th Ahom Maharaja
* Sutamla (Jayadhwaj Singha) – 20th Ahom Maharaja
* Supangmung (Chakradhwaj Singha) – 21st Ahom Maharaja
* Sunyatphaa (Udayaditya Singha) – 22nd Ahom Maharaja
* Suklamphaa (Ramadhwaj Singha) – 23rd Ahom Maharaja
* Suhung – 24th Ahom Maharaja
* Gobar Raja – 25th Ahom Maharaja
* Sujinphaa (Arjun Konwar) – 26th Ahom Maharaja
*Sudoiphaa
Sudoiphaa or Tej Singha was the king of Ahom kingdom from 1677 CE to 1679 CE. After deposing king Sujinphaa, Atan Burhagohain, the Prime-Minister of Ahom Kingdom, installed Sudoiphaa in the throne. Sudoiphaa's reign witnessed the end of the ...
– 27th Ahom Maharaja
* Sulikphaa (Ratnadhwaj Singha) – 28th Ahom Maharaja
* Supatphaa (Gadadhar Singha) – 29th Ahom Maharaja
* Sukhrungphaa (Rudra Singha) – 30th Ahom Maharaja
* Sutanphaa (Siba Singha) – 31st Ahom Maharaja
* Sunenphaa (Pramatta Singha) – 32nd Ahom Maharaja
* Suremphaa (Rajeswar Singha) – 33rd Ahom Maharaja
* Sunyeophaa (Lakshmi Singha) – 34th Ahom Maharaja
* Suhitpangphaa (Gaurinath Singha) – 35th Ahom Maharaja
* Suklingphaa (Kamaleswar Singha) – 36th Ahom Maharaja
* Sudingphaa (Chandrakanta Singha) – 37th Ahom Maharaja
*Purandar Singha
Purandar Singha ( 1818–19; 1833–1838) was the last king of the Ahom kingdom in Assam. He was installed as king twice. The first time, he was installed by Ruchinath Burhagohain in 1818 CE, after the latter deposed Chandrakanta Singh ...
– 38th Ahom Maharaja
* Jogeswar Singha – 39th Ahom Maharaja
Accomplished Figures
* Krishna Kanta Handique – Sanskrit scholar, indologist
Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies.
The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...
, philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
educationist
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education also fol ...
, recipient of Padma Shri
The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
and Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
* Ganesh Gogoi – Legendary poet
*Paran Barbarooah – Film producer and successful industrialist; great-great-great-grandson of Jogeswar Singha (39th Ahom Maharaja)
*Hiteswar Saikia
Hiteswar Saikia (3 October 1934 – 22 April 1996) was an Indian politician who served as the 10th chief minister of Assam for two terms, firstly from 28 February 1983 to 23 December 1985 and then from 30 June 1991 to 22 April 1996. He was th ...
– 10th Chief Minister of Assam
The chief minister of Assam, an Indian state, is the head of the Government of Assam. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is the state's ''de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following e ...
*Pandit Sashi Chandra Barbarooah – Writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
and Vaishnav scholar; great-great-grandson of Jogeswar Singha (39th Ahom Maharaja)
*Tarun Gogoi
Tarun Gogoi (1 April 1936 – 23 November 2020) was an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 13th Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He was the longest serving Chief Minister of Assam. He was a member of the Indian National Con ...
– 13th Chief Minister of Assam
The chief minister of Assam, an Indian state, is the head of the Government of Assam. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is the state's ''de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following e ...
*Hiteswar Barbarooah – Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
and Sonnet Poet
*Surendranath Burhagohain – Deputy Minister
Deputy minister is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. A deputy minister is positioned in some way "under" a minister, who is a full member of Cabinet, in charge of a particular sta ...
in India’s first cabinet post-independence
* Gomdhar Konwar – Ahom prince and early freedom fighter
A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion.
Termi ...
* Devanand Konwar – Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of Tripura
Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
, Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
, and West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
* Kushal Konwar – Freedom fighter
A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion.
Termi ...
, martyred during the Quit India Movement
*Prerana Barbarooah - National Award-winning film director and writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
*Gaurav Gogoi
Gaurav Gogoi (born 4 September 1982) is an Indian politician and social worker of Indian National Congress from Assam who is serving as the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha since 2024. He is currently representing the Jorhat Lok Sabha ...
– Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...
*Lachit Borphukan
Lachit Borphukan (24 November 1622 – 25 April 1672) was an army general, primarily known for commanding the Ahom Army and the victory in the naval Battle of Saraighat (1671) that thwarted an invasion by the vastly superior Mughal Forces unde ...
– Commander of the Ahom Army, victor of the Battle of Saraighat (1671)
*Homen Borgohain
Homen Borgohain (7 December 1932 – 12 May 2021) was an Assamese author and journalist. He was awarded the 1978 Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese language for his novel ''Pita Putra''. He was also the President of Assam Sahitya Sabha from 2 ...
– Writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
and journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
*Momai Tamuli Barbaruah – Eminent administrator and general
*Jahnu Barua
Jahnu Barua (born 1952) is an Indian film director. He has written and directed a number of Assamese language, Assamese and Hindi films. Some of his notable films are ''Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai'' (1987), ''Firingoti'' (1992), ''Xagoroloi B ...
– Acclaimed film director
*Kanseng Borpatragohain – Prominent Ahom noble
*Kaliabhumora Borphukan – Military leader and administrator
*Padmanath Gohain Baruah
Padmanath Gohain Baruah (1871–1946) was the first president of Asam Sahitya Sabha and a prominent name in the early part of modern Assamese literature. He was a novelist, poet, dramatist of excellence, analyst and a thought provoking writer. C ...
– First president of Asam Sahitya Sabha
The Asam Sahitya Sabha (; ) is a non Government, non profit, literary organisation of Assam. It was founded in December 1917 in Assam, India to promote the culture of Assam and Assamese literature. A branch of the organisation named ''Singapor ...
* Jatindra Nath Duwara – Noted poet and author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
* Dip Gogoi – Politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
from Assam
* Lila Gogoi – Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
and author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
*Ranjan Gogoi
Ranjan Gogoi (born 18 November 1954) is an Indian retired jurist and advocate who served as the 46th Chief Justice of India from 2018 to 2019. He is currently a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Member of the Rajya Sabha, having been List of n ...
– 46th Chief Justice of India
The chief justice of India (CJI) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India and the highest-ranking officer of the Indian judiciary. The Constitution of India grants power to the President of India to appoint, as recommended by the outg ...
* Hiren Gohain – Scholar
A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...
and political commentator
A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...
* Akhil Gogoi – Social activist
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...
and politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
See also
* Ahom Dynasty
* Ahom history
* All Tai Ahom Students Union
* Assamese people
The Assamese people are a socio- ethnic linguistic identity that has been described at various times as nationalistic or micro-nationalistic. This group is often associated with the Assamese language, the easternmost Indo-Aryan language, an ...
* Hengdang
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* Phukon, G. (1998). ''State of Tai culture among the Ahoms''. ssam, India? G. Phukon.
*
External links
*
*
The Tai-Ahom connection
by Yasmin Saikia
Yasmin Saikia is the Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies and a professor of South Asian history at Arizona State University. She is the author of ''Fragmented Memories: Struggling to be Tai-Ahom in India'' (2004) and ''Women, War, and the Makin ...
i
Gateway to the East
June 2005.
several references are made to a Tai Ahom kingdom in this translation of an important Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
historical source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahom People
Assamese nationalism
Tai history
Tai peoples
Social groups of Assam
Ahom kingdom
Ethnic groups in Northeast India
Tribes of Assam
Ethnic groups in South Asia
Ethnic groups in India