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.
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ARCHAEOLOGY+LANDSCAPE [1] ARCHAEOLOGY AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
