Charaideo district


Charaideo district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. It was formally declared a new district of the state on 15 August 2015 by then Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi. It has been carved out of Sivasagar district with Sonari as its administrative headquarter. It comes under Upper Assam division.

Etymology

was established by the first Ahom king Chaolung Sukaphaa. The name Charaideo originated from Tai-Ahom word Che Rai Doi or Doi Che Rai which means the shining city on the hills.The Che-Rai-Doi Assamised into Charaideo or Charai-khorong.
According to another view, the word Charaideo meant Lord Vishnu whose Vahana is the Garuda.
This can indeed be true as 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 view. As mentioned in Kasinath Tamuli Buranji, the Ahom kings later adopted the worship of Vishnu from the natives and included in their rituals.

History

Before the arrival of Sukaphaa the place was a place of worship for local tribes like Moran, Borahi and Chutias.
The site of Charaideo was the capital of the Ahom kingdom established by the first Ahom king Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1253. The tumuli of Ahom kings and queens at Charaideo hillocks are comparable to the Pyramids of Egypt. The site has had some archaeological works but also has suffered from robbers. There have been calls for the site to be UNESCO World Heritage listed.