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Maidam
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How it came to be
The moidams are the royal necropolis of the Tai-Ahom at Charaideo, in the foothills of the Patkai Ranges in eastern Assam. In the 13th century the Tai migrated from Mong-Mao under Siu-ka-pha (Sukaphaa), who made Charaideo his first permanent capital; conventional chronology dates its founding to 1253. The capital later moved many times, but the tombs of kings, queens and nobles continued to be built here.
For about 600 years the Tai-Ahom raised mounds that worked with the hills, forests and water to form a sacred geography. More than ninety moidams of different sizes lie within the property: hollow vaults of brick, stone or earth holding royal remains with grave goods such as food, horses and elephants. The early vaults were built of timber, later replaced by brick and stone.
Many moidams were dug up and looted, notably under the Mughal general Mir Jumla in the 17th century and by the British after 1826. Ancestral rites such as Me-Dam-Me-Phi are still performed at Charaideo. The site was inscribed as a World Heritage site on 26 July 2024.
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