NEW DELHI: Assam’s 700-year-old moidams, the burial sites of the Ahom dynasty in Charaideo, was on Friday included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
This announcement was made at the 46th meeting of the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO in New Delhi on Friday.
The 90 pyramid-like shape royal burials at Charaideo is now the region’s first cultural site on the prestigious list from the northeastern region and Assam’s 3rd after Kaziranga and Manas National Parks.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat thanked UNESCO, World Heritage Committee for understanding the outstanding universal value of ‘Moidams’.
This is now India’s 43rd World Heritage Site and Northeast India’s first to get the status of cultural world heritage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that ‘Moidams’ with its unique cultural significance will become more popular and gain more traction in tourism sector after bagging a place in the coveted list.
‘Moidams’ was submitted as India’s nomination for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2023-24.
Elated over the announcement, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on his X handle wrote, “The Moidams make it to the #UNESCO World Heritage list under the category Cultural Property This is a great win for Assam’s. Thank You Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji , Members of the @UNESCO World Heritage Committee and to the people of Assam.”
The chief minister further said that the Moidams of Charaideo embody the deep spiritual belief, rich civilisational heritage, and architectural prowess of Assam’s Tai-Ahom community.
According to the UNESCO website, ‘Moidams’ are vaulted chambers (chow-chali), often double-storied, that have an arched passage for entry. Atop the hemispherical mud mounds, layers of bricks and earth are laid. The base of the mound is reinforced by a polygonal toe-wall and an arched gateway on the west.
