Sadiya is a town in

Tinsukia district Tinsukia district is one of the 34 administrative districts in the state of Assam, India. The district headquarters is located at Tinsukia city. The district occupies an area of 3790 km2. History 16th century The area of the present ...

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 ...

, in

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 ...

. It was the capital of the Chutia Kingdom but after the downfall of the kingdom, Prasengmung Borgohain was appointed as the Sadiya-khowa-Gohain of the Ahom kingdom. Extensive remains of buildings and fortifications built during the Chutia rule near Sadiya point to the importance of the region in the past. Historically Sadiya referred to the Chutiya kingdom which included at times the districts of Lakhimpur,

Dhemaji Dhemaji is a town and the headquarters of the Dhemaji district in the state of Assam, India. It is situated on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River and serves as an important administrative and commercial centre for the surrounding area. The ...

and

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 ...

. It is claimed to be the center of development of the eastern Assamese dialects, the inscription here are written in a Tai script. Its stands on a grassy plain, almost surrounded by forested

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

s, on the right bank of

Lohit River The Lohit River, whose name came from the Assamese word ''Lohit'' meaning 'blood', also known as the Zayul Chu by the Tibetans, Tilao by the Ahoms and Tellu by the Mishmis, is a river in China and India, which joins the Brahmaputra River in ...

which is locally (but erroneously) considered the main stream 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 ...

. The deepest point of the Brahmaputra River is located near this village. It is famous for a flower named ''satphul'' (the word means "blessing" or a "desert flower"), which is much like

Jasmine Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

. There are three possible routes from Sadiya to

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. The first route is through the valley of

Dihang 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, Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, and Jamu ...

or Tsang Po. The second one through the Dibang valley and the third route through the Lohit valley which leads to

Zayul Zayul County ()
KNAB, retrieved 5 July 2021. Shan state of Mongkawng and then finally reaches to

Yunnan 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 ...

Etymology

Historically, the region between the

and the

Dibang River Dibang River, also known as Talo in Idu, is an upstream tributary river of the Brahmaputra in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It originates and flows through the Mishmi Hills in the (Upper) Dibang Valley and Lower Dibang Valley dist ...

was known as ''Sadhayapura'' as per copper inscriptions. It is believed that ''Sadiya'' is a corrupted form of ''Sadhayapura''.

History

Early history

According to the Tai chronicles Sam Long Hpa, the first

Sawbwa Saopha (), also spelled Sawbwa, was the title used by hereditary rulers of Shan states in Upper Myanmar. Chaopha and Chao Fa were similar titles used by the hereditary Tai rulers in mainland Southeast Asia and the Ahom kingdom in India. Nam ...

of Mongkawng also called Mogaung with the capital in

Mogaung Mogaung ( ; ) is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. It is situated on the Mandalay-Myitkyina railway line. History Mogaung or Möng Kawng was the name and capital (royal seat) of a relatively major one of the petty Shan (ethnic Tai) princ ...

conquered Upper Assam (also known as '' Mong Wehsali Long'') in 1220 then under the rule of the Chutia kings. The king agreed to pay tribute and Sam Long Hpa marched back. Mong Mao-the detail map

Some sources identify Sam Long Hpa to be the younger brother 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 ...

(Sao Hkan Hpa) or

Si Kefa Si Kefa (1296-1369), known as Hsö Hkan Hpa in Tai and Thohanbwa in Burmese, was the ruler of Möng Mao from 1335 to 1369. He sacked the Burmese kingdoms of Sagaing and Pinya in 1364. Name At birth, Si Kefa was named ''Sao Yi'' or ''Hkun Yi K ...

. Based on inscription, it is assumed to be the capital of Chutiya king ''Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa'' of the early 15th-century. In 1524, the Mongkawng or Nora king Phukloimung attacked Sadiya from what is today

Myitkyina District Myitkyina District () is a Districts of Burma, district of the Kachin State in northern Burma, Burma (Myanmar). The capital lies at Myitkyina. It is the largest district in the country by land area. Townships The district contains the following ...

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 ...

but was defeated and pushed back.

Under Ahoms

After annexing the Chutia kingdom by

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 ...

Dihingia Roja in 1524, this place came under the domain of the Ahoms and Prasengmung Borgohain was appointed as the governor of the territory or Sadiya Khowa Gohain in 1524. Domains of Sadiya Khowa Gohain included the rivers of Lohit, Kundil, Dibang, Dikhari and the places of Kankham, Bardeoliyagoan, Nangkoa and the hills of Doidam and Chandangiri. The Sadiya Khowa Gohain had to maintained relations with the

Adi Adi or ADI may refer to: Abbreviations * Acceptable daily intake, in health and medicine * Acting detective inspector, a type of police inspector * Africa Development Indicators, a compilation of data assembled by the World Bank * Alternating ...

, Mishmis and other hill tribes of the Sadiya frontier. The headquarters of the Sadiya Khowa Gohain was at Kaicheng Goan where he constructed tanks and buildings, whose authority was extended to the river of Dihang on the west and river Tingrai in the east. During the reign 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 ...

Miri Miri () is a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of , located northeast of Kuching and southwest of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second largest ...

villages who indulged in lawless activities were suppressed in 1665. Also a number of Miri villages were reduced by

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 ...

in 1683. In 1697, a great earthquake devastated Sadiya in which many hills were crumbled down. In 1799, the

Khamtis The Tai Khamti ( Khamti: ), also known as the Hkamti Shan (; ; ), or simply as Khamti, are a Tai ethnic group of India, China and Myanmar. The Tai-Khamti are followers of Theravada Buddhism. The Tai-Khamti have their own script for their ...

in league with the Phakials, Miris, Mishmis, Muluks, Khanghak, Pani Naras and Abors, created disturbance in Sadiya but were suppressed with harsh measures by

Purnananda Burhagohain Purnananda Burhagohain was the Burhagohain (elder councilman) as well as Prime Minister of the Ahom Kingdom from 1782 until his death in 1817. He was appointed as the Burhagohain in April 1782 after the death of his father Rajmantri Ghanashyam B ...

and were widely dispersed. Khamtis after their suppression in 1799 remained subdued for a time. In 1799, the

in league with the Phakials, Miris, Mishmis, Muluks, Khanghak, Pani Naras and Abors, created disturbance in Sadiya but were suppressed with harsh measures by

and were widely dispersed. Khamtis after their suppression in 1799 remained subdued for a time. During the Burmese invasion the Phakials which included Tai Khamti, Tai Khamyang, Tai Phakial, Tai Turung, Tai Aiton were asked by the

Burmese army The Myanmar Army (; ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar, and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southea ...

to return to

in Burma. The

in allegiance with Singphos, ousted the last Sadiya Khowa Gohain, Govinda Gohain in 1810–11. From 1811, the Khamti chief Chao Salan Gohain became the new Sadiya-Khowa Gohain and later assisted in the Burmese invasion of Assam and in 1835 when Chao Salan Gohain died, Chao Rang Pha succeeded the Sadiya-Khowa Gohainship till its annexation by the British in 1839. British after their occupation of Assam in 1825, found that the Sadiya tract was entirely under Khamti control.

British period

Sadiya was the extreme north-east frontier station of

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, in the Lakhimpur district of Eastern Bengal and Assam regions. On the opposite bank is a railway station that used to connect with the Assam-Bengal line of that era. Sadiya had been garrisoned by detachments of native infantry and military police, and was the base of a chain of outposts. There had a bazaar, to which the hill-men beyond the frontier— Mishmis, Abors, and

—used to bring down

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give lo ...

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

, and

musk Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. ' ...

, to barter for

cotton cloth Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ce ...

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

and metal goods. In 1943–44 there was a

United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(USAAF) field at Sadiya which hosted the 89th Fighter Squadron of the 80th Group, headquartered at Nagaghuli, now

Chabua Chabua ( or ) is a town and a town area committee in Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam, India. Chabua is situated in between Dibrugarh town and Tinsukia town on NH-37 from both the district towns, respectively. Its name derives from Ch ...

Air Base of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

. Sadiya today serves as one of the district headquarters for

Indian Red Cross Society The Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) is a voluntary humanitarian organization to protect human life and health based in India. It is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and shares the Fundamental Principles of the Inte ...

. In 1882 Francis Jack Needham was appointed Assistant Political Agent for the British authorities after having served in the region as an assistant Superintendent of Police since 1876. He finally retired from service in 1905 after spending his life exploring above 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 writing a treatise on the grammar of

, Singpho, and Khamti languages. He was awarded the Gill memorial medal in 1887 and made a fellow of The

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

in 1889. His main purpose in life was exploration partly in order to try and discover the source of the Brahmaputra river. His award of the Gill memorial Medal and F.R.G.S. was for penetrating into the Zayul Valley and into

from Assam.

Architecture and ruins

The entire area of Sadiya was a well developed city in the medieval times. The ruins like Bhismaknagar, Rukmininagar, Tamreswari temple, Pratima garh, Bura-buri temple built during the Chutia period.

Tamreswari (Kechai-Khati) Temple

This was the most notable among the temples built by Chutia kings. The temple was dedicated to Kechaikhati (literal meaning: ''eater-of-raw-flesh''), a primordial female tribal deity commonly found among other groups. The other name for Kechaikhaiti is Pishasi meaning "''The Elder Daughter''". Scholars assert that ''Kesaikhaiti'' is equivalent to the Tai-Khamti female deity ''Nang Hoo Toungh''. The deity Pishasi or Kechaikhaiti is considered to be the daughter of Gira-Girasi and the younger sister of Pishadema. The temple was taken care of by the tribal priest known as the Deoris and was worshipped by the Borgaya Khel of the Deoris. When the British visited the temple complex, the main temples has disappeared and only a small square structure remained. The wall and doors of the temple were well designed with beautiful works. There were two giant elephant sculptures with silver tusks at the main door of the complex. The walls were made without any mortar and instead used iron dowels and brackets. The whole temple was surrounded with brick walls and on the western wall there was a place for human sacrifice. Although the temple is now completely submerged under marshy lands due to silt deposition in 1959, previous studies show that the main statues of the temple were built of sandstone and granite. The stone inscription found in the temple reads: The inscription describes that the walls of the temple have been built by the son ''Mukta Dharmanarayan'' of the old king (name not specified) in the Saka year 1364 (1442 AD). Statue in Tamreswari Temple

The roof of the Tamreswari temple was originally sheeted with copper as mentioned in the ''Changrung Phukan Buranji'' (1711 AD), from which the name is derived. In 1848, when Dalton visited the site, he found a stone structure, but the copper roof was already removed. As per T. Block who visited the site in 1905, this square structure in the corner cannot have been the main building inside the complex and the brick wall evidently enclosed some sort of a grand temple in the center which has disappeared with time. According to S.F. Hannay, the temple complex was as near as possible square with the doorway to the west. There was a substantial brick wall, about 4.5 feet thick rising to the height of 8 feet, on the foundation of rudely cut blocks of sandstone. The entrance of the complex was on the west face, where there had been a stone enclosure and door. The ruins of the gateway which remains include the lintel carved on the edge in a chain of lotus flowers, some ornamented small pillars and an elephant statue. The three blocks forming the doorway, each of 7.5 feet long and 2 feet by 18 inches in girth, along with the blocks of the projecting wall, were reddish porphyritic granite of an adamantine hardness. There was another stone gateway at the southeast corner leading to the stream, in the bed of which are several carved and plain blocks of granite and sandstone. According to Debala Mitra(1956), the temple was originally Chaturayatana, i.e. having four shrines, built of sandstone and granite and located in the south-east section of the rectangular brick enclosure, prakara roughly measuring 208 ft by 130 ft. The compound wall was 4 feet wide and 8 feet tall and had a stone gateway on the eastern side. In the floods of 1959, due to deposit of silt in the banks of Paya river the structure was completely submerged in the waters.

Bura-Buri (Gira-Girasi) Than

The Bura-Buri Than is another important temple built by the Chutia kings. It was dedicated to Primordial parents ''Gira-Girasi'' or ''Bura Buri'' (literal meaning: ''the-old-ones''), which were later sanskritised as ''

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

'' and '' Sakti''. The two deities are also known as Kundil Mama. The temple was looked upon after by tribal priest called the Deoris and was worshipped by the

Dibongia Dibongia is one of the major clans, into which the Deori tribe of India is divided. The other three major clans of are Tengaponiya Tengaponiya is one of the four main clans, into which the Deori tribe of India India, officially th ...

khel of the Deoris. Gira-Girasi or Bura-Buri are considered to be a wedded pair and are the parents of Pishasi or Kechaikhaiti and Pishadema. Although the structure has fallen due to natural calamities, the base still remains intact upon which a new temple has been built. The foundation is an octagonal shaped base made of stone with each edge spanning 3.4 meters in length. The temple was built using granite stone and fixed using iron dowels and brackets similar to the ones used in

Malinithan Malinithan is an archaeological site containing the ruins of an early medieval period temple on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is assumed to be built by the Chutia kings in the 13th-14 ...

and Tamreswari temple. The temple was surrounded by a wall built using bricks of 18–25 cm length and 12–17 cm breadth. Granite stones used in Bura-buri Temple

Bhismaknagar Fort

The Bhismaknagar Fort located in

Roing Roing is the district headquarter of Lower Dibang Valley district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is the last major township at the north-eastern frontier of India. Demographics As of 2011 India c ...

is an important monument built by Chutia kings with the walls of the fort spread over 10 km². The name is derived from

Bhishmaka Bhishmaka (), also called Hiranyaroman, is the king of Vidarbha In Hinduism. He is the father of Rukmini, the chief wife of Krishna and an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi. Legend Skanda Purana The Skanda Purana describes Bhishmaka to be a ...

Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the west Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati Division, Amrav ...

, the Hindu lineage created for the Chutias in the 16th-century Rukmimi-harana by

Srimanta Sankardeva Srimanta Sankardev (, ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of ...

. A brick with the name of the Chutiya king ''Lakshminarayan'' indicates that the fort was repaired during the early 15th-century. The Bhismaknagar central complex extended over an area of 1860 square meters and displays three halls, six ingresses and two extension rooms. There is also a 2 meters high stone wall inside the complex. The architecture of the fort displays medieval culture. While quarrying in the fort, enormous pieces of work of art like potteries, terracotta figurines, terracotta plaques and decorative tiles were recovered. Fabricated from the burnt bricks gave this fort an impressive and remarkable top view and thus explores the dexterity of people of ancient era. This fort can still be signified as an astonishing work of art. The city's area is 10 square km. It is surrounded by a wall 4.5 meters high and 6 meters wide made using granite stone (6–9 courses) and bricks on the east, west and south directions. In the north, the Mishmi hills provided a natural barrier. Although very less excavation has been carried out by the Arunachal government, preliminary excavations have revealed three tanks and two gates in the eastern and western directions. The Bhismaknagar central complex extended over an area of 1860 square meters and displays three halls, six ingresses and two extension rooms. There is also a 2 meters high stone wall inside the complex. The architecture of the fort displays the medieval culture. While quarrying the fort the enormous pieces of work of art like potteries, terracotta figurines, terracotta plaques and decorative tiles were preserved.

Rukmini Nagar

In the hills north of Roing lie scattered some old brick structures, mainly between the Chidu and Chimri villages situated at an altitude of about 305 m. The local people, the Idu Mishmi, were desirous of giving an Idu word to the name, and hence it came to be called Rukmini Nati (nati—the Idu word for bricks). An exploration-cum-excavation work, undertaken by the Research Department of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, to study the ruins, has thrown some light on the antiquities. In course of the progress of work, which continued from January 1973 to April 1974, excavation of two mounds at Chimri, II km from Roing, unearthed two rooms, 10x10 m and 10x12 m respectively built on a slope, at a distance of 14 m from each other. The contents dug out from inside the walls of the rooms were of river-borne materials, a fact which suggests that they were destroyed by floods. The potsherds resembling those of Bhismaknagar in shape, fabric and technique that were unearthed bear ample evidence to the extension to this area of the same culture as of Bhismaknagar. The other archaeological sites in this area are located (I) near Chidu Inspection Bungalow, (2) at Cheko Nati between Chidu and Chimri and (3) in the hills north of Chimri. No relics, however, could be found at the first two sites, although potsherds at Chidu and brick walls, steps, etc. at Cheko Nati were reported to have been seen earlier. The third site north of Chimri is situated at a high altitude of about 610 m. Not a single brick found there was in alignment, and everything seemed destroyed. The situation of all the four sites on a hilly terrain suitable for defence indicate that they are parts of a single complex representing a fort which extended from Chidu to Chimri. It is probable that the main centre of this complex was at Cheko Nati. Another archaeological site called Duku Limbo is on the left bank of the Dibang at'the foot of Elopa hill. The brickbats found at this site suggest that the Brismaknagar culture had extended to this point.

Tezu Fort

An old Mud Fort in the Tindolong area, six km from

Tezu Tezu is a census town and the headquarters of Lohit district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is the fifth largest town in Arunachal Pradesh and one of its most developed. Tezu is one of the 60 constituencies of Legislative Assembl ...

, was explored in 1972. It falls on the main road from Sadiya to Tezu. The area of the fort, enclosed by earthen ramparts—365.76 m X 350.52 m, is square in shape. The rampart is eight ft high, and equally broad at the top with sloping sides. On both the -inner and outer sides of the rampart run two ditches about 6 m wide. There is a prominent mound, circular in shape (diameter 30.48 m approximately) and about 3 m in height, almost at the centre of the enclosure. The mound appears to be a cavalier for lookout purposes. Some potsherds found at this site are too fragmentary to bear any conclusive evidence. It may, however, be assumed that the Mud Fort linked by the route from Bhismaknagar to

Parshuram Kund Parshuram Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage site in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is situated on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit River and about 48 km from Tezu in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, ...

was probably associated with the early culture that flourished in and around Sadiya and Bhismaknagar. The complex seems to represent a defensive mud-fort or redoubt of a modest dimension unlike the fortified city of Bhismakanagara. It was suitable for a small band of soldiers to maintain vigilance against the enemies from their hide-outs inside jungle especially in guerilla warfare, the normal practice in the region. Scarp and counter-scarp provided by the rampart and ditches immensely strengthened the defence in the topography of the country. Strategic considerations are palpable from the situation of the fort on principal route from Sadiya and

Bhismaknagar Bhismaknagar is an archeological site in Indian state of 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 I ...

to Parshuram Kund facing the Lohit river, perhaps to keep watch on the enemy from its left bank around

Chowkham Chowkham is a Tehsil in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Lohit is the name of the district that contains Tehsil Chowkham. Chowkham is located 20 km towards West of District headquarters Tezu. It is 286 km from State capital Itan ...

and hence the position of the mound meant for this purpose nearer the river. The fort has been assigned roughly to a period about the 14th–15th century.

Geography

Sadiya is located at . It has an average elevation of . It is the only area of Assam where the newly described subspecies of hoolock gibbon, which is known as Mishmi Hills hoolock ''H. h. mishmiensis'' occurs..

Politics

Sadiya is part of

Lakhimpur (Lok Sabha constituency) Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam state in north-eastern India. Assembly segments Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments: Current assembly segments Pre ...

. Name of the assembly constituency is 126-Sadiya LAC. Sadiya is one of the three Sub-Divisions of

Tinsukia District Tinsukia district is one of the 34 administrative districts in the state of Assam, India. The district headquarters is located at Tinsukia city. The district occupies an area of 3790 km2. History 16th century The area of the present ...

. Chapakhowa is the centre of Sadiya. Sadiya is located under Tinsukia district of Assam and a legislative constituency contains 126 members of the legislative assembly. The only town under Sadiya assembly constituency is Chapakhowa town, with 10305 number of total population. According to 2011 census, Schedule Caste (SC) living in Sadiya is 2974 of which 1516 are male and 1458 are female and Schedule Tribe (ST) residing in Sadiya is 25167 of which 12908 are male and 12259 are female.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Citation , last=Bhattacharjee , first=J. B. , contribution=The Kachari (Dimasa) state formation , editor-last=Barpujari , editor-first=H. K. , title=The Comprehensive History of Assam , volume=2 , pages=391–397 , publisher=Assam Publication Board , place=Guwahati , year=1992 Cities and towns in Tinsukia district Needham, Francis Jack Tinsukia Villages in Lower Dibang Valley district Archaeological sites in Arunachal Pradesh