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T
he ‘pukhuri’ at Rajmai, one of many man-made
tanks built during the reign of the mighty Ahoms,
is situated around 100 metres away from NH 37,
inside the boundary of Rajmai T.E. According to the
history of Assam, this enormous tank was built by Ahom
king Sudangpha around 1398 AD, in memory of his
mother. (‘Rajmao’ means ‘king’s mother’.) Later, the entire
area came to be known as ‘Rajmai’.
History says that King Sudangpha’s respect towards his
mother had increased manifold after he learned that his
mother, the youngest queen, had been exiled to a place
called Habung by King Tyao Khamti and the elder queen
on false accusations. The exiled queen died after giving
birth to a baby boy who was brought up by Brahmins at
Habung.The king died childless, and there being no other
prince to ascend the throne, the ministers traced the exiled
queen’s child and brought the 15-year-old to the capital,
Charaideo, where they pronounced him the next Ahom
king, Sudangpha. During his reign (1397 – 1407) he built
the Rajmai ‘pukhuri’ and Rajmai ‘Ali’ (road) to immortalize
his mother. Rajmai Ali connects Rajmai to Nitaipukhri
cutting across NH 37 and the Dehing River.
it is interesting to note that King Sudangpha
established his capital at Saragua, barely 10 km
away from Rajmai, where an out Division of
the estate existed till around the mid-1950s. it
was abandoned when a large part of the
plantation was washed away by the flood
waters of the Brahmaputra. A few graves
(maidams) of Ahom kings are preserved at
Saragua by the Archeological Department of
Assam. Saragua also has a bird sanctuary, a
known habitat for migratory birds, which is protected by
the Forest Department.
An amazing aspect of the Rajmai tank is that the water
level was maintained by a self-operating valve allowing
ingress of water through an underground canal connected
to the Brahmaputra. Unfortunately, this system has become
defunct now.
Measuring 220 yards in length and 190 yards in breadth, it
is probably the third largest historical tank in Sibsagar
district after the Sibsagar and Joysagar tanks. The water is
never used by local residents for any domestic purposes; it
is only used for religious rituals as the tank is revered by all.
The tank is a prominent aquatic ecosystem in which major
species of hydrophytic flora like water lilies, lotus and
hyacinths grow. it is also a habitat for some species of
aquatic birds such as fishing eagles and pelicans that feed
on the fish found in abundance in the pond, as no one is
allowed to fish there. Pani Dihing Bird Sanctuary which
was declared a wild Life Sanctuary in 1996 is situated only
10 km away from the tank.
This historical tank, an architectural marvel of the Ahom
era, is protected by the estate and every care is taken to
preserve the flora and life forms, and to maintain the
natural ecosystem.
~ Diganta Rajkhowa
Rajmai T.E.
The Historical Tank
at Rajmai
JULY 2015 45