Contents

Sukaphaa

Sukaphaa
Fictional representation of Sukapha by Pushpa Gogoi[1]
Founder of the Ahom dynasty
Reign	1228–1268[2]
Successor	Suteuphaa
Born	1189 Mong Mao kingdom (present day Yunan province of China)
Died	1268 (aged 78-79) Charaideo, Ahom kingdom (present day India)
Burial	Charaideo
Spouse	Ai-Me-Chao-Lo Nang-Sheng-Chum-Hpa Yi-Lo-Weng-Ching-Chum-Hpa
Issue	Suteuphaa
Names Chaolung Sukaphaa
House	Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan
Dynasty	Ahom dynasty
Father	Chao Chang-Nyeu
Mother	Blak Kham Sen
Religion	Ahom religion

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
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Sukaphaa (r. 1228–1268), also Siu-Ka-Pha,^[3] the first Ahom king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe^[4] originally from present-day Mong Mao, Yunnan Province, China, the kingdom he established in 1228^[5] existed for nearly six hundred years and in the process unified the various ethnic groups of the region that left a deep impact on the region. In reverence to his position in Assam's history the honorific Chaolung is generally associated with his name (Chao: lord; Lung: great).

Since 1996, December 2 has been celebrated in Assam as the Sukaphaa Divas, or Asom Divas (Assam Day), to commemorate the advent of the first king of the Ahom kingdom in Assam after his journey over the Patkai Hills.

Ancestry[edit]

Legend[edit]

According to Ahom tradition, Sukaphaa was a descendant of the god Khunlung, who had come down from the heavens and had ruled Mong-Ri-Mong-Ram. Sukaphaa brings a divine diamond chum-Phra-rung-sheng-mung in a box, a divine tusked elephant, a divine chicken Kaichengmung, a divine embroidered cloth, a divine pair of drums, a divine sword Hengdan.

Prince of Mong Mao[edit]

The details of Sukaphaa's life and origins before his entry into Assam, available from different chronicles, both Ahom and non-Ahom, are full of contradictions. According to Phukan (1992) who has tried to hold up a consistent account, Sukaphaa was born to Chao Chang-Nyeu (alias Phu-Chang-Khang) and Nang-Mong Blak-Kham-Sen in the Tai state of Mong Mao (also called Mao-Lung, with the capital at Kieng Sen), close to present-day RuiliinYunnan, China.^[6] Chao Chang Nyeu was a prince from Mong-Ri Mong-Ram, who had travelled to Mong Mao possibly on an expedition.^[7] Mong Mao was then ruled by Chao Tai Pung. Chao Chang Nyeu was later befriended by Pao Meo Pung, the son of the ruler, who gave his sister Blak Kham Sen in marriage. Sukaphaa was born of this union not later than 1189 CE and was brought up by his maternal grandparents.^[8] Pao Meo Pung, who eventually ruled Mong Mao, had no male heir and Sukaphaa, his nephew, was nominated to succeed him. A son born late to Pao Meo Pung's queen ended Sukaphaa's claim to the throne of Mong Mao.

Departure from Mong Mao[edit]

After his 19 years as crown prince came to an end, Sukaphaa decided to leave Mong Mao.

According to tradition, his grandmother advised him thus - "no two tigers live in the same jungle, no two kings sit on the same throne." Accordingly, Sukaphaa is said to have left Chieng-Sen the capital of Mong Mao in the year 1215 CE.

Journey into Assam[edit]

Sukaphaa left Mong Mao in 1215.^[9] He was accompanied by three queens, two sons and a daughter; chiefs from five other dependent Mongs;^[10] members of the priestly class and soldiers—a total contingent of 9,000. Some commoners are recorded as having joined this core group on the way. Sukaphaa had with him 300 horses fitted with saddles and bridles and two elephants. Heavy arms were transported along a different route.^[11] Sukaphaa followed an older known route from Yunnan to Assam that passed through Myitkyina, Mogaung and the upper Irrawaddy river valley. On his way he stopped at various places and crossed the Khamjang river to reach the Nangyang lake in 1227. Here he subjugated the Nagas very ferociously and established a Mong. He left one Kan-Khrang-Mong there to guard the passage back, and proceeded to cross the Patkai hills at the Pangsau pass and reached Namrup (in the Brahmaputra valley) in December 1228. The journey, from Mong Mao to Namrup thus took Sukaphaa about thirteen years and the year he reached Namrup is considered as the year the Ahom kingdom was established.

Sukapha in Assam[edit]

Sukapha came into Assam not as a raiding conqueror but as a head of an agriculture folk in search of land. It appear he didn't encroach upon the land of peasants, rather he opened up new areas for settlement, procuring with shrewd diplomacy what he direly needed for the purpose- the service of the local inhabitants: Come and have mutual introduction with us.You are the host, the natives of this land: we are guests coming from an up-country. You should introduce to us the local people. His appeal had the desired effectand the tribes were subsequently won over. Sukapha moved and lived amongst the tribesman, learnt their languages, honoured their religious rites, married their daughters and led a simple life of a commoner, himself cultivating in the land. He accepted them to his social fold, placed them on equal footing with his own men and treated them as his friends.^[12]

Establishing the Ahom kingdom[edit]

Over the next few years, he moved from place to place searching for the right capital, leaving behind his representative at each stage to rule the colonised land. Then he went up the Burhidihing river and established a province at Lakhen Telsa.^[13] Then he came back down the river and established his rule at Tipam. In 1236 he moved to Mungklang (Abhoipur), and in 1240 down the Brahmaputra to Habung (Dhemaji). In 1244 he went further down to Ligirigaon (Song-Tak), a few miles from present-day Nazira, and in 1246 to Simaluguri (Tun Nyeu), a place downstream from the present-day Simaluguri.^[14] Finally in 1253 he built himself his capital city at Charaideo near present-day Sibsagar town. The capital of the Ahom kingdom changed many times after this, but Charaideo remained the symbolic center of Ahom rule.

With the help of local recruits, he established three large farms for sali rice cultivation, called Barakhowakhat, Engerakhat and Gachikalakhat.^[15]

In 1268 Sukaphaa died. At the time of his death, his kingdom was bounded by the Brahmaputra River in the west, the Disang River in the north, the Dikhow River (26°58′15″N 94°38′12″E / 26.970732°N 94.636745°E / 26.970732; 94.636745) in the south and the Naga Hills in the east.^[14]

Even though Sukaphaa treated the people of the Patkai hills very severely on his way to the Brahmaputra valley, his approach to the population in Assam was conciliatory and non-confrontational. He married the daughters of Badaucha, the Moran Chief and Thakumatha, the Barahi chief and established cordial relations with them. As he began establishing his domain, he avoided regions that were heavily populated.^[16] He encouraged his soldiers as well as members of the Ahom elite to marry locally. A process of Ahomisation (whereby locals who adopted Ahom methods of wet rice cultivation and statecraft were accepted into the Ahom fold) bolstered the process of integration.^[17] The local Borahi and the Moran people, speakers of Tibeto-Burman languages, addressed Sukaphaa's people as "Ha-Cham", that later on developed into "Assam" or "Ahom" (see Etymology of Assam), the name of the kingdom; and "Ahom", the name of the people.

Memorial[edit]

• On 2 December, Assam celebrates the Sukaphaa Divas, or Asom Divas (Assam Day). An award is given by State Govt. that day to a prominent personality.
• Sukapha Samannay Kshetra (26°42′58″N 94°04′42″E / 26.7161399°N 94.0782113°E / 26.7161399; 94.0782113) : Inaugurated on 2 December 2015, at Mohbondha, Jorhat.^[18]
• A 100-feet long statue of Chaolung Siu Ka Pha was unveiled in Nazira, Assam on 26 February 2021 by Assam Health, Finance and Education Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma. It stirred controversy because of its "weird looking" face. ^[19]
• Sukaphaa Bhawan at Khanapara, Guwahati (26°07′32″N 91°48′13″E / 26.1254446°N 91.8036044°E / 26.1254446; 91.8036044)
• Sukaphaa Bhawan at Borbaruah, Dibrugarh. (27°20′49″N 94°51′57″E / 27.346944°N 94.865833°E / 27.346944; 94.865833)
• A cruise in the name of RV Sukafa plying on Brahmaputra.

See also[edit]

• Ahom Dynasty
• Ahom kingdom
• Kingdom of Pong

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Siu-Ka-Pha – a great visionary An article by Babul Tamuli published in The Assam Tribune on the occasion of Siu-Ka-Pha Divas.
• Siukapha–an epitome of harmony An article by Dr Sikhamoni Konwar published in The Assam Tribune on the occasion of Siu-Ka-Pha/Assam Divas on 2 December 2008.