Integration and Unification of Assam During the Reign of Chaolung Siukapha

Dr B K Gohain

(He can be reached at dr.gohain@gmail.com)

At the time of the advent of Chaolung 10 to the then Kamrup (called Mung Pa Kam in Tai), the first group of people accosted in the Tipam areas was the Mataks. The Matak hero who assisted the royal army of Siukapha against the wild tribes in and around the present Patkai range (then called Doikaorong) was introduced and named by Thaomung Kangnan, the Deputy Prime Minister to the new Tai king Siukapha. Thaomung Kangnan praised profusely for his valor in the battles of the Tai (Ahom)s and named him the founder of Makhru (brinjal) family as he presented a bundle of freshly grown brinjals to the King in his courtyard. His descendants became famous as of Lan-makhru lineage of the Tai Ahoms. The importance of his contribution could be realized as Chaolung Siukapha, who believed in making friends and winning people had to take extreme steps of killing to conquer a section of the Kha (wild) people.

In the neighbourhood of Tipam, Charaideo etc, the Mataks (Phukhao Ankao) and the Borahis thrived with their kings, Kuntiraja (Badousa) and Thakumata, respectively. Their country lay to the south of Chairing and north in the track bounded by the rivers, Buri Dihing in the North, Disang in the South, Suffrai in the East and the Brahmaputra in the West. King Kuntiraja of the Mataks had his headquarters in present Tinsukia. Siu-Ka-Pha had to face a strong resistance from a section of the Mataks, whom he ultimately overcame by applying a two-fold policy of coercion and conciliation. Matak was the name given by Siu-Ka-Pha to the Phukhao or old Tais, and Matak means “powerful men”. In Ahom Buranjis, written in Tai Ahom language, the name Matak is found and not the word “Moran”. The Tai scholar Aimya Khang Gohain stated in his book “the Tai Buddhist communities of Assam’’ that the Tais who came here before the Ahoms were the Phukao which was none other than a branch of white Tai. We found corroboration of his statement in the Travel memoirs of the Chinese pilgrim Huen Tsang who observed that the easternmost part of Kamrup (Kamlupu) in the seventh century A.D. was peopled by Lao (White Tais).

The Assamese Buranjis are replete with the instances of interaction of Siu-Ka-Pha with the local people of Assam. We mention a few instances here. When he entered this country, he saw the lands covered with paddy fields and named it Mung Dun Sun Kham that is, the land of the golden crops. It is noteworthy that the name Ahom was given by the indigenous people of the eastern Assam with whom they (the Tais) interacted. Siu-Ka-Pha was a pacifist who always tried to conquer the hearts of the people and tried to avoid bloodshed. In Assam Buranji (SM), it is mentioned that Siu-Ka-Pha halted at a village of the Mataks at Dikhowmukh after crossing the Disang on the rafts. His men said to the Mataks of the village, “The Heavenly king has come. Better accept him as your king.” They said, “We will not accept him as king. We may, however, accept him as king if he can cut away a buffalo horn in one stroke and pull out a cane in one go.” The challenge was accepted. They boiled a buffalo horn overnight as well as cut away the roots of a cane plant. Next day, Siu-Ka-Pha cut the horn by one stroke; he also pulled out the cane plant in one go in presence of the Mataks. They accepted him as their king.

It is stated in Satsari Assam Buranji that when Siu-Ka-Pha was coming down the Buri Dihing and then went upstream the Dikhow and reached Dilihmukh, he found the areas devoid of habitation and full of jungles. Then he came across a local man and asked him about the local people. He replied that there were Kacharis in the south and Borahis and Mataks in the north. He took him along and then coming downstream the Dikhow, he saw many ghats( river crossing points) on the banks of the river. Then he sent his men to survey the areas on the pretext of buying the provisions. The Borahis, Mataks and Kacharis said that they were living in amity. His nobles and officers said, “We better catch the Mataks first. We may catch the others later.” Siu-Ka-Pha, however, replied, “If we fight with them, the people of both the sides will die. We have left our people in the places which we conquered for cultivation of paddy. We better send our emissaries to the local people asking them to come and meet us. We have come from the east. We want to be friends with them. They are the owners and the dwellers of this land. We are their guests. We want to know the land and the people.” His emissaries thus carried this message of peace to the local people, “Our king Siu-Ka-Pha is the great grandson of Lengdon (Indra), the Lord of heaven. As there is no king here, he has been sent down from the heaven by a golden ladder. So, he is seeing the lands around.”

There are several instances of Siu-Ka-Pha patronizing the local persons in his sojourn to Assam. In Ahom Buranji, it is written that when Siu-Ka-Pha came down, he brought with him seven families headed by one Gam, one Lakhai, one Mungpeng, one Rabbi, one Hatai Thakur, one Ragam, and one Borkumar. He took them into favour and engaged them as pot-carriers, water-drawers, fowl keepers, physicians, and store keepers. All the Borahi families were stationed at Chilonimoria village. It is also written in the said Buranji that when the King Siu-Ka-Pha devastated the province of Chutiyas, he took with him a Kachari and put him in charge of the temple of Somdeo, the idol of God. He was named Somchiri. He had eight sons, namely, Khatmung, Paomung, Shaimung, Taphaimung, Nagie, Kukshai, Lukbak, and a young brother who committed crime on their sister. The seven brothers lynched him to death and fled away to Banrukia Gohain, and entreated him for giving shelter under his protection. The Gohain had compassion on them and promised them safety. They were named Bai-Lahan, and afterwards, Ishiri. Then they were made Khatowals, and termed Chetias. In the same Buranji, it was stated that when King Siu-Ka-Pha stopped in Tipam, he found a family of Tulachalanidhara. The name of the man was Mai-Mai-Khiarat. He was given the job of preparing royal robes. Later on, the family became Ahom and made Pator.

King Siu-Ka-Pha, after conquering the Chutiyas, Kacharis, Mataks, Borahis and Nagas, appointed three envoys (Katakis) – one Kamateshwar, one Chutiya of Matak origin, one Kachari of Naga origin and these Katakis were to realize tributes from the above tribes. He got homage and tributes from all.

One Mumun Matak came to offer tributes and expressed his willingness to remain with the king while the king was at Tipam. The king favoured him, and made him Mumun Pator. The king got an old man, and named him Thaomungtima. He was given in the charge of the Borgohain. He belonged to the Mao clan of the Tai Kolongia Ahoms. Siu-Ka-Pha brought with him a Tai Kolongia family when he came down to Assam. King Siu-Ka Pha brought with him a Matak family from Tipam. The family formerly used to supply the king with brinjal. With the help of the headman of the Matak family, the king’s soldiers advanced on conquering the Nagas. The Matak was liked very much. Afterwards, Kang-gnan Borgohain named him Lan Makkhru. The Matak descended from Phukhao family (a family which originated from seeds sown).

Siu-Ka-Pha brought with him seven families headed by one Gam, one Lakhai, one Mungpeng, one Rabbi, one Hatai Thakur, one Ragam, and one Borkumar. He took them into favour and engaged them as potterers, water-drawers, bowl keepers, physicians, and store keepers. All the Borahi families were stationed at Chilonimoria village.

There were seven families descended from a female slave of the king. The family separated into two. The king named the families Lukharakhun. The king took them with him and put one of them to death. Then the king stationed the families at a place behind the Dam (dead spirits) house. They had to offer sacrifices to Lengdon.

It is mentioned in Purani Assam-buranji and in the genealogy of the Buragohain clan that the first Buragohain lost his way coming from Namrup and crossing the Dilihi river and got hurt. He took shelter in the house of a Moran and stayed there and after some time, he married the daughter of the said Moran. A son was born. The Buragohain told his wife who he was and afterwards, his son became the Buragohain after his death.

It is stated in Tai manuscripts that Chaolung Siukapha married Nang Toraseng, daughter of Sai Gohain of Tailung in Mung Khamjang. When he interacted with Kunti Raja, the king of the Matak-Morans, he married two princesses namely Gandheswari and Nageswari of Kunti Raja on the suggestion of the eldest princess of the Matak who married the Mohan priest. This fact is supported by the genealogy of the Mohan clan of the Tai Ahoms. There is, however, no mention of his marriage with a Barahi princess in any Tai manuscript. However, while the Tai Queen Toraseng had two sons, Siuteopha and Siutoupha, the Matak Princess had a son Siuhaopha. Siuteopha inherited the throne after Siukapha.

It is said in an Assamese Buranji that Siu-Ka-Pha allowed his Borahi queen to bring her brother as the royal cook. It is also said that the Borahi king gave Charaideo to Siu-Ka-Pha, and it used to house the gods of Borahis. The Borahis presented Siu-Ka-Pha with local vegetables and certain edible goods, to which the latter was not accustomed to. He liked the food and employed expert Borahi cooks, and thus, a new Ahom clan called Changmai originated. In fact, many Mataks and Borahis entered into the Ahom fold. There are reasons for this. Although the principal nobles who left their native country Mongkhu Monja (Jao) accompanying Siukapha brought their families as they left their country for good, a large number of soldiers was unmarried. These unwed soldiers married the local girls belonging to the Mataks, Borahis, Chutiyas, Kacharis etc. And in this process, the families of these girls were taken into the Ahom fold. Neo Ahoms helped Siu-Ka-Pha in his conquest. This was beginning of the common language and the common race – Assamese.

An important contribution of Siu-Ka-Pha to the Assamese race was the method of transplanting paddy as well as the introduction of glutinous rice (bara chawl). In the Upper Assam regions, the indigenous tribes practiced Ahu and Bao paddy by broadcasting on the lands. This was adopted by the Tais, while the local inhabitants were taught the practice of wet paddy cultivation with single buffalos and light plough by the Tais. Three large agricultural farms namely Gachikola, Engera and Barhat were developed with the active participation of the Mataks. The local tribes accepted the new method of cultivation of paddy and it gradually made them self-sufficient in food.

Siu-Ka-Pha, instead of introducing his mother tongue Tai on the vanquished people and turning Mung-Dun-Sun-Kham (Assam) into a Tai state, he took up the common language of the Morans, Chutiyas, Borahis, Kacharis, etc. which was nothing but Assamese. Siu-Ka-Pha’s patronage of the Assamese language paved the way for development of Assamese language and literature. The Tai language of the Ahoms was, however, used in the hand-written chronicles and in the religious and social functions of the Ahoms. This is not to indicate that the common Assamese language was not developed in the early part of the 13th century, when Siu-Ka-Pha entered here. This was exemplified by Madhav Kunduli’s Ramayana of the 14th century, the first Ramayana written in the Aryan language. But the greatness of Siu-Ka-Pha was that he patronized the local language.

Siu-Ka-Pha not only laid the foundation of a new kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley, but also introduced an efficient system of administration in line of the prevailing Tai administration of his fatherland. As was the Tai system at that time, Siu-Ka-Pha appointed a number of Governors over his conquered territories. The Tai concept of a Mung (Mong) for a region, a district, or a province was followed by him, and as such, we found Mong-Khamjang, Mong-Tipam, and others set up by Siu-Ka-Pha. In each such Mong, Siu-Ka-Pha appointed a Governor (Phukingmung). In line with the old Tai system of having ministers assisting the king in ruling the kingdom, Siu-Ka-Pha had Khao-Mung, Klinmanria and Kang-Nang as his ministers. They were called Pharangmung (Buragohain) and Thaolung (Borgohain), and these nobles constituted Siu-Ka-Pha’s council of ministers in the early stage of the State. The administration was a limited monarchy, with the ministers being in the next in hierarchy, and then the Governors of the respective provinces, and finally the nobles who accompanied Siu-Ka-Pha from his fatherland. Of course, none other than the royal family could occupy the throne of the Ahom kingdom, and it was seen that sometimes in the absence of a king, the ministers had to rule the kingdom in the interregnum.