MAKING THE MOIDAMS OF AHOM DYNASTY A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTY | ASSAM Somi Chatterjee LA82
Moidams (mound-burials) in their ancestor spirit forest articulate the sacred transcendental landscapes of the Tai-Ahom dynasty. Its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List unfolds challenges—and solutions—in the coexistence of customary and contemporary management of sacred burial landscapes.
Moidams–the mound-burial system of the Ahom Dynasty—introduce a unique typology of burial architecture, planning, and associated rituals to the UNESCO World Heritage (WH) List. Each moidam is a hillock-like mound covering a vault that contains a grave and is situated in the Ancestor Spirit Forest. Built between the 13th and 19th CE, there are about 391 moidams in Assam, of which 90 are best-preserved. Royal ones, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Department of Archaeology, Government of Assam (DA), were inscribed on the UNESCO WH List in 2024.
CURRENT ISSUE LA82
| editorial
ARCHAEOLOGY+LANDSCAPE [1] ARCHAEOLOGY AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
