Located 28 km away from Sivasagar, Charaideo was once the capital of Ahom dynasty. It was built by Chaolung Sukhapa, the founder of the Ahom dynasty. Charaideo is derived from word Che-Rai-Doi means the ‘Shining city on the hills’ in Ahom language. Even though the capital moved to other places over the course of the 600 years of rule, Charaideo remained the symbol of Ahom power.

According to another legend, the word Charaideo means Lord Vishnu whose Vahana is the Garuda. Charaideo was a worship shrine for the local tribes like Moran, Borahi and Chutias. The remains of a Varaha statue found in the area further hints to this story. As mentioned in Kasinath Tamuli Buranji, the Ahom kings later adopted the worship of Vishnu from the natives and included in their rituals.

Charaideo

The main attraction of Charaideo is its burial vaults (or maidams) of the king and members of the Ahom dynasty. These vaults, built of stones and bricks, are in ruins today. According to Tai-Bailung-Mohong Buranji (a manuscript in Tai), Sukaphaa was buried in his capital city Che-Rai-Doi. The collection of maidams, tumuli or burial mounds of the Ahom kings and Ahom royalty are worth to see.

Comparable to the pyramids of Egypt, the maidams are actually burial grounds of Ahom Kings and Queens. They are substances of wonder seen through the brilliant architecture and expertise of the arts men and masons of Assam of the medieval era.