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Gadadhar Singha or Supaatpha (1681–1696) who was
responsible for taking Guwahati back from the Mughals for
good, and establishing a strong rule of 'blood and iron'. It was
earlier, during the reign of Supangmung, also known as
Swargadeo Chakradhwaj Singha, that the famous General
Lachit Borphukan fought the Mughal forces, finally
defeating them in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671 during the
reign of Sunyatphaa, or Swargadeo Udayaditya Singha.
To the east of Rajmai is Attabarrie T.E. where Suhungmung
or Dihingia Raja, made a farm with a large pond which still
exists, its waters reflecting the Manager’s Bungalow on one end
and the Shiv Temple on the other. Suhungmung was the first
Ahom king to take a Hindu name – Swarga Narayan.
One of the most
important historical
monuments of the
Ahom Kingdom is
the Shiva Dol, a
temple dedicated to
Lord Shiva, situated
by a large tank called
Borpukhuri in Sivasagar town.The tank, covering 52 hectares,
is 27 feet deep, and its water level never fluctuates even during
the monsoons. It was made during the reign of Swargadeo
Shiva Singha at the command of his queen, Ambika
Konwari, in the 1730s.
The central tower of the Shiva Dol
is believed to be one of the tallest in
India at a height of 104 feet, and is
crowned with a pot-shaped dome of
pure gold. Two other temples,
Vishnu Dol (dedicated to Lord
Vishnu) and Devi Dol (dedicated to
Goddess Durga), situated on the
same bank
of the tank, were also built during
this time. All three were built in
the Shikhara or Ahom temple
architectural design.
Joysagar, believed to be one of the biggest man-made lakes
in the country, is spread over 318 acres bordering the town
of Rangpur (an erstwhile Ahom capital) 5 km away from
Sivasagar.This lake was built by Swargadeo Rudra Singha in
honour of his mother, Joymoti.
The Pond at Attabarrie T.E.
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