Coins belonging to Ahom dynasty found while digging pond at Charaideo

March 5: A hoard of antique coins belonging most probably to the Ahom dynasty of Assam were discovered from Charaideo district in Assam while digging a pond was done by the job card holders of Naharpukhuri Panchayat, which is one of the beneficiaries of MGNREGA. It was not any systematic excavation carried on under the supervision of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), but just a private exercise for digging a pond. So it was just a chance discovery.

The Ahom dynasty which ruled the Ahom Kingdom comprising main Assam ruled the region for roughly 600 years (1228-1826). Experts are of the view that the coins perhaps belong to the Ahom dynasty. As per the Deputy Commissioner of Charaideo district, the administration could only retrieve 16 coins as most of them were taken away by the labourers as personal mementos.

As per some reports, an urn filled with octagonal coins and belonging to Ahom and Mughal dynasties was also recovered. It has been sent to the archaeological department for examination.

The Ahom dynasty (1228–1826) ruled the Ahom kingdom in Assam for nearly 600 years. The dynasty was established by Sukaphaa. The Ahoms were an offshoot of the Yeu-chi tribe that entered Assam. The Ahoms, the western-most of the Tais, are traced to either Ruili in Yunnan, China or to the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar. The dynasty’s rule ended with the Burmese invasion of Assam and the subsequent annexation by the British East India Company following the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826.