Joymoti Konwari was the wife of Ahom prince Gadapani (later Supatphaa). She died at the hands of the royalists under

Sulikphaa Ratnadhwaj Singha(), with Tai name Sulikphaa, was the 28th king of the Ahom Kingdom. He was only 14 years of age when Laluksola Borphukan, the Ahom viceroy of Guwahati and Lower Assam, raised him to the throne, after deposing the former king, Su ...

''Loraa Roja'' without disclosing her exiled husband Gadapani's whereabouts in the

Naga Hills The Naga Hills, reaching a height of around , lie prominently on the border of India and Myanmar. They are part of a complex mountain system, and the parts of the mountain ranges inside the States and territories of India, Indian states of Naga ...

, thereby enabling her husband to rise in revolt and assume kingship.

Biography

Joymoti was born in the middle of the 17th-century in Maduri to Laithepena

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 ...

and Chandradaru. She was married to Langi Gadapani Konwar, later an Ahom king, Supatphaa, who established the Tungkhungia line of kings. A few

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 ...

s mention her but not as Joymati but only as a nameless Gadapani’s wife. Most of what is known about her life is obtained from the ballads and folklore popular among the people of

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 ...

and not on actual evidence.

Legacy

Since the early 20th-century literary figures such as

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 ...

and

Lakshminath Bezbaruah Lakshminath Bezbarua (; 14 October 1864 - March 26,1938) was an Indian poet, novelist and playwright of modern Assamese literature. Commonly known as the father of the Assamese Short story, short story. He was one of the literary stalwarts of th ...

transformed the "ordinary story" of Joymati into a "fictional tale" of a female hero's moral victory against the male military might and as a representation of the Ahom glory. The story of Joymati attained a new fame when it was filmed in 1935 by Jyotiprasad Agarwala. By 1918, Joymoti came to be seen as a virtuous Hindu women with Kumudeswar Barthakur first bestowing the title of Sati upon Jaymati and publishing ''Jaymati Kahini'' (1918) in which she was represented as the embodiment of Hindu female chastity, devoted to her husband and dharma. This depiction of her by Barthakur was an effort to "Indianise" her character away from her Tai roots.

Memorials and monuments

Joysagar Tank

Joymoti and Gadadhar Singha's eldest son

Rudra Singha Swargadeo Rudra Singha (– 27 August 1714), with Tai name Sukhrungphaa, was the 30th Ahom king, reigning from 1696 to 1714 A.D . His father Gadadhar Singha freed Assam from the Mughal disturbances and internal conspiracies, thereby Rudra Sin ...

(

Sukhrungphaa Swargadeo Rudra Singha (– 27 August 1714), with Tai name Sukhrungphaa, was the 30th Ahom king, reigning from 1696 to 1714 A.D . His father Gadadhar Singha freed Assam from the Mughal disturbances and internal conspiracies, thereby Rudra Sin ...

, 1696–1714) succeeded his father. In honour of the memory of his mother Joymoti,

built the Joysagar Tank in 1697 at

Sibsagar {{Infobox settlement , name = Sivasagar , settlement_type = Metropolis , image_skyline = Sivasagar.jpg , image_alt = {{multiple image , border = infobox , total_width = 270 , image_style ...

. It is believed to be the biggest man-made lake in India, comprising an area covering of land, including its four banks, out of which is filled with fresh water. A 2 km-long earthen water pipeline once ran from the tank to the Rangpur Palace (Kareng Ghar), supplying water to the royal palace.

Fakuwa Dol

Rudra Singha also built the Fakuwa Dol in 1703–04, a pyramid-shaped temple constructed before the Rangnath (Shiva) Temple on the banks of the Joysagar Tank. It is said that Rudra Singha, once again to perpetuate the memory of his mother Soti Joymoti, constructed the temple and placed a golden idol of her within it. The circumference of the Dol was about , and its height from base to top was . There were eight brick pillars around the temple.

Joymoti Day

Sati Joymoti Divas, commemoration day of Joymoti, is held annually in Assam on 27 March.

Sati Joymoti Award

The State Government of Assam has instituted an annual award in the name of Joymoti, presented to women in recognition of excellence in their chosen fields of work.

Film and theatre

''Joymoti'' (1935 film) was the first Assamese language film, directed and produced by

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala Jyoti Prasad Agarwala (17 June 1903 – 17 January 1951) was a noted Indian playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker from Assam. He was deeply revered for his creative vision and output and is popularly called the ''Rupkonwar'' of Ass ...

. In 2006, Manju Borah released another film by the same name. The 19th-century Assamese writer

depicted her life in the drama ''Joymoti Kuwori''.

Notes

References

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External links

Joymoti Konwari: an epitome of ideal womanhood
– Dr Kathita Hatibaruah {{DEFAULTSORT:Joymoti, Soti Indian female royalty People of the Ahom kingdom People from Sivasagar Indian torture victims 17th-century Indian monarchs 17th-century Indian women 17th-century Indian people 1680 deaths Year of birth unknown Ahom kingdom