India

Moidams

WHS Score 2.06 Votes 6 Average 2.58

Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty comprises the remains of a royal necropolis.

The more than 90 burial mounds were built by the Tai-Ahom, who migrated to Charaideo in the 13th century from the Northeast. They used the natural, hilly topography to create a sacred landscape.

Community Perspective: Tamas has provided a full overview of the site's history and visiting situation from early 2024. Be aware that there are still two entrances as the site is split between two parties, as Els reported in November 2024., and that payment for the part managed by the ASI can be done online only. Furthermore, don't miss the other (uninscribed) Ahom monuments in nearby Sivsagar and Garhgaon, as they are much more impressive.

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Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty (ID: 1711)
Country
India
Status
Inscribed 2024 Site history
History of Moidams
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iii
  • iv
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Natural landscape: Glaciation
  • Secular structure: Burial
Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
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Connections of Moidams
Geography
  • Brahmaputra Basin
    The entire area is within the Brahmaputra Valley. The Charaideo Moidams are located relatively close to the Disang River which flows into the Brahmaputra.
Trivia
History
  • Located in a Former Capital
    "the Tai-Ahom kingdom, which had its capital at Charaideo from the 13th to the 19th centuries" (AB ev)
  • Historical Food Remains
    "They contain the remains of kings and other royals together with grave goods such as food, horses and elephants, and sometimes queens and servants." (AB ev)
Architecture
  • Brick architecture
    "The changes over time from wood to brick and stone construction, and two types of “Ga-Moidam” are illustrated at the nominated property" (AB ev)
  • Octagons
    "Each moidam (or maidam) is an earthen mound (Ga-Moidam) covered in vegetation, topped by a small shrine (Dole or Chou Cha Li) within a low octagonal wall (Garh)." (Ab Ev)
  • Earth Architecture
    "Each moidam (or maidam) is an earthen mound (Ga-Moidam) covered in vegetation, topped by a small shrine (Dole or Chou Cha Li) within a low octagonal wall (Garh)." (Ab Ev)
World Heritage Process
  • Cultural landscape not recognized
    "ICOMOS consulted the State Party about whether the nominated property should be evaluated as a cultural landscape. ICOMOS considers that the presence of the Tai-Ahom for six centuries has contributed to the cultural, historical and spiritual richness of the site, and that the natural landscape was selected and modified for this purpose. (...)the State Party was not in favour of this possibility because of the specific architectural characteristics, the lack of a seamless integration with the natural environment, and the relatively modest size of the nominated property." (Ab Ev)
  • WHC locations
    Delhi 2024
Religion and Belief
  • Horse Burials
    Horses were buried with the rulers as grave goods (AB ev)
  • Ancestor Worship
    "Tai-Ahom spirituality is oriented around ancestor worship" (AB ev)
  • Sacred Forests or Groves
    "The Tai-Ahom created moidams ("home-for-spirit") that work with the natural features of hills, forests, and water, creating a sacred geography by accentuating the natural topography. Sacred trees were planted and water bodies were created." - AB Evaluation
Human Activity
Constructions
  • Dynastic Burial Places
    "The moidams of Charaideo contain the remains of the Tai-Ahom kings" (AB ev)
  • Tumuli
    "royal burial mounds or "moidams" ("home"-for-spirit")" - "The moidams (...) are created by providing an earth cover over a hollow vault constructed of brick, stone, or earth. The vaults contain the buried or cremated remains of kings and other royal individuals together with grave goods." (Ab Ev)
  • Necropolises
    "Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty are a royal mound burial necropolis established by the Tai-Ahom in northeastern India. Ninety moidams are found within the Charaideo necropolis, sited on elevated land." - AB Evaluation
Timeline
  • Built in the 13th century
    "...the Tai-Ahoms that practiced this funerary tradition from the 13th to 19th centuries" (AB ev)
Science and Technology
  • Archaeological potential
    "A small number of moidams (Moidams C002, C038, C077, C078 and C090) have been subject to scientific study and intervention, including archaeological excavations and/or conservation. Overall, there is considerable potential for further archaeological research within the nominated property and wider setting." (Ab Ev)
WHS Names
News

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Recent Visitors
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Community Reviews

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First published: 03/02/25.

Jon Opol

Moidams

Moidams (Inscribed)

Moidams by Jon Opol

Definitely not the most spectacular display from the glorious Ahom dynasty and best combined with visits to other archaeological sites around the city of Sibsagar/Sivasagar. As mentioned in the other reviews, the necropolis are divided into 2 sites - Assam State and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) thus separate fees. Each cost 250 rupees for foreigners and 20 for locals. There's a new visitor center at the Assam State controlled gate which has some information board that details the origin of the burial mounds, maps, and some info-graphics of the interiors which I think would be helpful how to tackle the site and to learn more about the history of the place. I wasn't asked for ticket at this point. The Charaideo poster photo of the mound with a restored arch gate and accessible interior (mound 38) can be found on the Assam State area. I look like a local and this was everybody's obsession by the amount of locals asking me where is that mound located and how to get there, equally confused as well with the separate entrances. I suggest visiting this site first if you come early especially on weekends when the site gets more local visitors and escape to the ASI area for peace and quiet. I visited on the month of January when was an unusual tiger sighting in the area so I ventured to the outer reaches of Assam State site, I was followed by guards who didnt want me go as far as …

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First published: 07/12/24.

Els Slots

Moidams

Moidams (Inscribed)

Moidams by Els Slots

The Moidams in Chairadeo, in the way they are presented at the moment, are a meagre testimony to the culture of Assam’s Ahom Dynasty. These rulers, originally coming from what is now Yunnan in China, left this region with monumental brick buildings of which many still stand. But “we” got a series of unexcavated tumuli that wouldn’t be out of place in Korea or Bahrain. Most of them are fairly small. On-site information is almost nonexistent: maybe 4 information panels with about 2 sentences written on each, and the tumuli are signposted as Maidam 32, Maidam 33, etc only. According to the AB evaluation, there should be elements of ancestor worship, sacred use of the surrounding landscape and small shrines on the top of the mounds. But most tumuli that I came across lacked those.

It is also weird that the management of the site (which is “just” one contiguous field of tumuli) is split between the ASI (national level) and the Assam Directorate of Archaeology. This means two entrances right next to each other, two entrance fees (250rs and 10rs) and a low stone wall to demarcate the two zones. At inscription, they promised that the wall “will soon be removed” and that they would work toward “joint management”. As of late November 2024, this clearly hasn’t happened yet.

At the ASI side, work is still ongoing to make the interior of one large tumulus accessible to the public. At the Assam State side, they have already …

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First published: 12/02/24.

Szucs Tamas

Moidams

Moidams (Inscribed)

Moidams by Szucs Tamas

Assam - and the whole of north-east India - is not only now a fairly remote corner of the subcontinent, it always has been. None of the great Indian empires reached here - neither Asoka nor the great Mughals conquered this region. From the 13th century until the beginning of the British Raj in 1828, the Ahom dynasty ruled over large and small parts of the tea belt.Traditionally and culturally the Ahoms are member of the Great Tai (Tai-Yai) group of peoples. In the year 1215 CE, the Ahoms migrated from Mong-Mao or Mong-Mao-Lung (present Dehong Dai Jingpho autonomous prefecture of South-Western Yunan province of Peoples Republic of China). They entered into the Upper Assam region of the Brahmaputra valley through Patkai Hills under the leadership of Mao-Shang prince, named Chau-lung Siu-ka-pha. He became the first king or Chao-pha or Swargadeo (Lord of the heaven) of the Ahom Dynasty, who established the first Ahom capital at Cherai-doi or Charaideo. By the end of the 17th century, the Ahoms had expanded their kingdom over the length and breadth of the Brahmaputra valley in their long 600 years of power, Chau-lung Siu-ka-pha’s able and intelligent successors like Suhungmung (CE 1497-1539), Suklengmung (CE 1539-1552), Pratap Singha (1603-1641), Gadadhar Singha (CE 1681-1696), Rudra Singha (CE 1696-1714), Shiva Singha (CE1714-1744), Pramatta Singha (CE 1744- 1751), Rajeswar Singha (CE 1751-1769), built a strong state in the Brahmaputra valley by defending it from the Islamic rullers including the mighty Mughals and the provincial rullers, which provided this …

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