Guwahati: Assam’s Ahom dynasty heritage has moved another step closer to global recognition, with India formally submitting the Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Ensemble to Unesco for consideration for World Heritage status — two years after the Charaideo Moidams were inscribed on the World Heritage List.The ensemble was the political and cultural heart of the Ahom dynasty, which ruled the Brahmaputra Valley for six centuries, preserving its finest temples, palaces, tanks, and engineering marvels — including Rang Ghar, Asia’s oldest surviving amphitheatre, Talatal Ghar, and massive water reservoirs such as Joysagar and Sivasagar.Alongside the Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Ensemble, three other Indian properties have been added to Unesco’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites — the Colonial Penal Settlement of the Andaman Islands, Nicobarese Cultural Continuity in the Central Group of Nicobar Islands, and The Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati.Inclusion on the Tentative List is a mandatory step before a property can be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List.The Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Ensemble has been proposed for the UNESCO tag under criterion (iii)—bearing a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared—and criterion (iv)—being an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on X, said the move builds on the “landmark 2024 UNESCO recognition” of the Charaideo Moidams and together, the two sites tell the complete story of the Ahom dynasty — “where the dynasty rests, and where it ruled.”While Rangpur-Sivasagar represents the seat from which the dynasty ruled, Charaideo symbolises the resting place of Ahom royalty.The Charaideo Moidams are monumental burial mounds of Ahom royalty. Charaideo, the first capital of the Ahom kingdom, later became the sacred burial ground of its kings and members of the royal family.The Ahoms placed the remains of their royalty in underground burial chambers and constructed large earthen mounds over them. In 2024, Unesco inscribed “Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty” on the World Heritage List, making it Assam’s first cultural property to receive the distinction.Sarma said the submission was part of efforts to secure global recognition for Assam’s heritage and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support.
Talatal Ghar
Joysagar with Vishnu Dol
