Sutanphaa

As per the death bed injunction of Rudra Singha, he was succeeded by his eldest son Siva Singha (reigned 1714–1744). Siva Singha ascended the throne on the 20th day of Magh, and assumed the Ahom name Sutanphaa and the Hindu name of Siva Singha. He gave up Rudra Singha's plan to organize a confederacy of the rajas of Hindustan and to invade Bengal (Mughal Empire), but obeyed his father's injunction to become a disciple of Krishnaram Bhattacharjya (Nyayavagish), the Shakta priest from nearby Nabadwip in present-day West Bengal. He gave the management of the Kamakhya Temple to Krishnaram, who came to be known as Parbatiya Gosain, as his residence was on top of the Nilachal hill. Siva Singha accepted him as the royal priest and made a large number of land grants to temples and Brahmin priests.[1]

Siva Singha is said to have established such an elaborate system of espionage during his reign that he had accurate information of everything that was done or spoken in the kingdom.[2]

Bar Rajas

Ahom dynasty
List of Ahom kings 1 Sukaphaa 1228–1268 2 Suteuphaa 1268–1281 3 Subinphaa 1281–1293 4 Sukhaangphaa 1293–1332 5 Sukhrangpha 1332–1364 Interregnum 1364–1369 6 Sutuphaa 1369–1376 Interregnum 1376–1380 7 Tyao Khamti 1380–1389 Interregnum 1389–1397 8 Sudangphaa 1397–1407 9 Sujangphaa 1407–1422 10 Suphakphaa 1422–1439 11 Susenphaa 1439–1488 12 Suhenphaa 1488–1493 13 Supimphaa 1493–1497 14 Suhungmung 1497–1539 15 Suklenmung 1539–1552 16 Sukhaamphaa 1552–1603 17 Susenghphaa 1603–1641 18 Suramphaa 1641–1644 19 Sutingphaa 1644–1648 20 Sutamla 1648–1663 21 Supangmung 1663–1670 22 Sunyatphaa 1670–1672 23 Suklamphaa 1672–1674 24 Suhung 1674–1675 25 Gobar Roja 1675–1675 26 Sujinphaa 1675–1677 27 Sudoiphaa 1677–1679 28 Sulikphaa 1679–1681 29 Supatphaa 1681–1696 30 Sukhrungphaa 1696–1714 31 Sutanphaa 1714–1744 32 Sunenphaa 1744–1751 33 Suremphaa 1751–1769 34 Sunyeophaa 1769–1780 35 Suhitpangphaa 1780–1795 36 Suklingphaa 1795–1811 37 Sudingphaa 1811–1818 38 Purandar Singha 1818–1819 39 Sudingphaa 1819–1821 40 Jogeswar Singha 1821–1822 41 Purandar Singha 1833–1838

King Siva Singha and Queen Ambika riding in procession

Coin of Siva Singha and Phuleshwari in Persian script. The legends read: obverse: Shivsingh shwah chickah jad chu mahar vaham begum pramatheswari shwah; sipithi (mudran gadgaon ১৫ basar, tarikh ১৬৫১)

Siba Singha was a staunch Shakta and was greatly influenced by the Brahmin priests and astrologers. In 1722, his spiritual guides and astrologers predicted that his rule would shortly come to end in near future, due to the consequences of chatra-bhanga-yoga. That he not only made many lavish presents to various temples and the Brahmins, in hope of conciliating the gods and averting the calamity but also endeavor to satisfy the alleged decree of fate by a subterfuge that greatly diminished his prestige in the eyes of his people. Therefore at the suggestion of Parvatiya Gosain, consented to endow his chief queen Phuleshwari, a Nat Kalita by caste, with the supreme vest, who assumed the name Pramatheswari and the title of Bar Raja.[4]

Queen Phuleswari minted coins in the joint name of her and her husband where she used Persian legend, the first of its kind in Assam. Phuleswari was more under the influence of the Brahmins, particularly the Parvatiya Gosain than the king. It is believed that this was instigated by Gosain and in her zeal for Sakta Hinduism, she attempted to make Shaktism the State religion. With this objective, she ordered the Vaishnava Gosains to worship the goddess Durga. She then forbade the worship of other deities and personally supervised the act of desecration of the Sonarijan camp. Learning that the Sudra Mahantas were strong monotheists, she held a Durga puja in the capital Rangpur and forced Moamoria and several other Gosains to offer oblations to the goddess and smeared sacrificial blood on their foreheads. The Moamarias never forgave this insult to their spiritual leader and it became one of the prime reasons that they broke out in an open rebellion about half a century later, which came to be known as the Moamoria rebellion.[5]

Phuleshwari in 1731 died while giving birth.[6]

Bar Raja Ambika in court, sitting on her lap the Tipam Raja

The king then married her sister Draupadi, and made her the Bar Raja, after which she assumed the name of Ambika. Ambika had constructed the famous Sivasagar Siva doul, at her patronage, the famous manuscript on elephantry Hastividyarnava was composed. She died in 1738. Then Siva Singha then married Endari or Akari-Gabharu, whom he made the Bar Raja, with the name of Sarbeswari.[7] The two successors of Phuleshwari, Ambika and Sarbeswri wielded the same authority and power as her, but were however not as energetic as their predecessor in patronizing Saktism.[8]

Siva Singha with his Army

It was during his reign that Hinduism became the predominant religion among Ahoms, and those who persisted in holding old tribal beliefs and customs came to be regarded as a separate degraded class.[9]

He made numerous temples and made large-number of land grants to Brahmanas, so that out of 48 copper plates recording land grants by all Ahom kings 19 of them belonged to him. He made an attempt to use Saktism as an counterforce against the growing power of Vaisnava Satras. Alongside he made support, provisions of Paiks, and land grants to the Brahman Satras as well. [10]

Siva dol, one of the tallest Shiva temple of India

Aswaklanta Temple

During Siba Singha's reign, the chief public works were the construction of Dhai Ali and the tanks and temples at Gaurisagar, Sibsagar and Kalugaon. About 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Sivasagar town by the side of what is now National Highway-37, Bar Raja Phuleswari Konwari, the first wife of king Siva Singha built three temples – Shiva Dol, Vishnu Dol and Devi Dol – on the bank of a big tank covering an area of 293 acres (1.19 km²) including the banks. This big tank was dedicated in the name of 'Gauri' or 'Durga', thus it is known as Gaurisagar tank and the entire place is now known as Gaurisagar. She also had dug the Borpatra tank at Kalugaon beside the historical Jerenga Pathar in memory of her brother who happened to be a Borpatra Gohain during her regime. On the north-eastern side of that tank, two temples, namely Bishnu Dol and Jagadhatri Dol were constructed on the bank of the tank named as Lakshmisagar Pukhuri. It was during his second wife Bar Raja Ambika's rule the 129 acres (0.52 km²) Sibsagar tank, Bar Pukhuri, situated within the heart of Sivasagar town was dug. On its banks three temples were built in 1734 – the Sivadol , the Vishnu Dol and the Devi Dol. Many temples were also constructed by Swargadeo Siva Singha in Kamrup including at Aswaklanta, North Guwahati on the bank of the river Brahmaputra in 1720, Siva Singha built two big temples dedicated to Lord Janardana and Lord Vishnu.

Siva Singha had the land surveyed in Kamrup and Bakata. The register, or Pera Kagaz, based on this survey of Kamrup was still used at the time of the British occupation. This contained a list of all occupied lands, except homesteads with their areas, and particularly of all rent free estates.

Gaurisagar Borphukhuri

It was recorded that in 1739, four Europeans, whose names appear to have been Bill, Godwin, Lister, and Mill, visited King Siva Singha at Rangpur. The king met them at the principal gate of the city where, it is said, they did him homage by falling prostrate at his feet.

Art and literature

Copper plate inscription mentioning the supply of Paiks

Siva Singha was a great patron of literature and music. His reign is considered the golden era of Assamese manuscripts, many notable manuscripts were written one of which was the Hastividyarnava which received royal patronage. Foreign musicians were invited into his country to instruct his own and the Monarch became the author of a large collection of pious songs.[11] Siba Singha erected numerous temples and gave away land for the support of the Brahmins and temples with all generosity. His court poets like Ananta Acharyya composed the Ananda Lahari and Kavichandra, the Kam-Kumar Haran Haran and the Dharma Puran at the instance of the king and his first chief queen Phuleshwari.

According to Tungkhungia Buranji, Siva Singha died on Friday, the tenth of Aghon, 1666 Saka (14 December, 1744). His son Tipam Raja, his four brothers, and the nobles tended to him on his deathbed. He was succeeded by Charing Raja, who assumed the name of Pramatta Singha and the Ahom name of Sunenphaa after ascending to the throne.

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  Court depiction
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  Full-rupee, inscribing Siva Singha and Ambika
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  Half-Rupee, inscribing Siva Singha and Bar Raja Sarbeswari
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  King Siva Singha
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  Ahom king Siva singha holding bow and arrow

• Ahom dynasty
• Ahom kingdom
• Phuleshwari
• Moamoria rebellion

• Baruah, S L (1985), A Comprehensive History of Assam, Munshiram Manoharlal
• Dutta, Sristidhar (1985), The Mataks and their Kingdom, Allahabad: Chugh Publications
• Gogoi, Padmeshwar (1968), The Tai and the Tai Kingdoms, Guwahati: Gauhati University
• Gait, Edward (1905), A History of Assam, Thacker, Spink & Co, Calcutta