Guwahati: Exciting news for Assam as Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty, has been inscribed by the World Heritage Committee on the World Heritage List.
This follows the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) recommendations that the property to be inscribed on the World Heritage List after evaluating the property on all grounds.
“ICOMOS recommends that Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty, India, be inscribed on the World Heritage List based on criteria (iii) and (iv),” the report states.
Criteria (iii) asserts that it bears a unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilization that is either living or has disappeared; while criteria (iv) states that it is an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history.
The Indian government nominated it as a cultural property due to its status as a royal sacred mound burial landscape of the Tai-Ahoms, who practiced this funerary tradition from the 13th to 19th centuries. It has the highest concentration and best-preserved examples of Tai-Ahom moidams in the Brahmaputra Valley, showcasing the complete architectural, landscaping, and spiritual expression of the Tai-Ahom belief system, and demonstrating the evolution of moidam architecture. It was included in the tentative list on April 15, 2023.
An ICOMOS technical evaluation mission visited the nominated property from October 5 to 11, 2023. A letter requesting further information about the cultural landscape was sent to the State Party on October 4, 2023, and additional information was received on February 19, 2024. The nominated property covers an area of 95.02 hectares and has a buffer zone of 754.511 hectares.
What Are Moidams
Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty are a sacred landscape in eastern Assam, with more than ninety burial mounds established by the Tai-Ahom over 600 years ago. The moidams of Charaideo contain the remains of the Tai-Ahom kings. They are set within a sculpted landscape that reflects Tai cosmologies, modifying the natural features of hills, forests, and water to create a sacred geography.
Ninety moidams are found within the Charaideo necropolis, situated on elevated land. The wider Charaideo landscape features rice terraces and tea plantations. The physical transformation of the scenic natural landscape into a dramatic sacred geography was achieved by clustering burial mounds of varied sizes. The design of the Tai-Ahom sacred landscape developed over 600 years. The nominated property therefore testifies to their religious beliefs, which are connected to nature, giving symbolic meaning to trees, plants, and water bodies. The nominated property is located within the Patkai Hills.
“The nominated property is well-maintained, and there are no adverse effects of development. The moidams are mostly undisturbed,” ICOMOS says.
No settlements, modern high-rises, electricity infrastructure, industries, or agriculture are within the nominated property. There is minimal threat of development or encroachment, and the nominated property is well protected. The visual integrity is well established. While moidams are found in other areas within the Brahmaputra Valley, this particular cluster is regarded as the most significant, and the continuing rituals in this landscape enhance its overall significance.
“The existing national and state protection laws are robust. No development is allowed to take place within the nominated property. A prohibited area of 100 meters surrounds the nominated property, and a regulated area of 200 meters surrounds the prohibited area,” ICOMOS says.
ICOMOS considers that the nominated property demonstrates 600 years of Tai-Ahom traditions at Charaideo. It believes that the nominated property is an exceptional example of a Tai-Ahom necropolis that represents tangibly their funerary traditions and associated cosmologies. ICOMOS considers that criteria (iii) and (iv) are demonstrated, but that criterion (v) is not demonstrated. Criterion (v) is that it is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land use, or sea use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change.
ICOMOS considers that the State Party has explained well the complex interplay of nature and culture in this landscape and how they combine to create a sacred place for the Tai-Ahoms. “However, the nominated property is focused on the necropolis and funerary traditions of the Tai-Ahoms, and relatively little is documented or included in the nomination concerning the relict landscape created by the traditions of six centuries of Tai-Ahom settlement. For these reasons, it considers that criterion (v) is not demonstrated,” ICOMOS says.
Property Conservation
ICOMOS considers that the state of conservation is generally good and that factors affecting the nominated property are heavy rainfall, soil erosion, and vegetation growth. The documentation, conservation, and monitoring of the nominated property are adequate, although some recommendations have been provided for continued work. The nominated property is well-maintained, and there are no adverse effects of development. Works are in place to prevent soil erosion and the growth of trees on the mounds.
“The archaeological remains of the moidams are evidence of the architecture, layout, and manifestations of the Tai-Ahom beliefs and traditions. The continuing ritual practices of Tai-Ahom at the property are also significant to this criterion. The property demonstrates 600 years of Tai-Ahom traditions at Charaideo. It considers that the nominated property is an exceptional example of a Tai-Ahom necropolis that represents tangibly their funerary traditions and associated cosmologies,” ICOMOS says in its report.
The agency says the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty is an outstanding example of a Tai-Ahom necropolis that represents tangibly the Tai-Ahom funerary traditions and associated cosmologies. For over 600 years, the Tai-Ahom sculpted this landscape according to their cosmological beliefs. The undulating topography was accentuated by excavating ditches and marking the troughs with moidams. “The natural vegetation was enhanced by planting sacred trees, and water bodies were added by channelizing streams to fill them. Together these features symbolize the Tai universe, and a heaven-earth continuum,” it says.
ICOMOS considers that, while the legal protection and management system are adequate, their effectiveness will rely on the coordination between the national and state heritage agencies. The State Party has implemented measures to ensure this coordination. Further development of the management system to include a sustainable tourism strategy and interpretation plan is needed, as well as further development of the research plan and implementation of a landscape approach to the management of the nominated property. Given the high degree of community engagement and support for the nomination, the implementation of the planned mechanisms for community participation is recommended.
Recommendations
It has been recommended to remove the boundary wall between the areas managed by the Assam Government’s Directorate of Archaeology (DOA) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI); implement and further develop the research plan in cooperation with academic partners; finalize the state-level protection of Ahom sites located within the buffer zone; develop a sustainable tourism strategy and interpretation plan; implement the proposed measures for community engagement and further develop mechanisms for formal community participation in the management structures; and further develop the landscape approach to the long-term management of the property, buffer zone, and wider setting.
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