An unintended stop leads to a curious but crumbling monument in Assam

Often, on long road trips, one passes town after unremarkable town until something changes. An unscheduled stop for a flat tyre, an inviting dhaba or the sudden urge to drink tea at a roadside stall could make you realise that the place you’re in isn’t unremarkable after all. In my case, the town was Sibsagar in Assam. And, what piqued my curiosity was an architectural monument made of — and I kid you not — bricks, duck eggs and sticky rice!

We’d stopped to find a clean toilet only to be told there was none suitable for women. So our intrepid driver suggested we take a detour to Talatal Ghar, which had a public loo inside. Talatal Ghar turned out to be an interesting archeological monument with well-maintained gardens and a poorly-maintained toilet. Afterwards, when I was moodily disinfecting my hands with vast quantities of sanitiser, an old gardener asked if I knew the significance of the place I was in. Feeling marginally better disposed towards the world than before, I asked him to tell me.

The Rang Ghar    Photo: Geetanjali Krishna

“These monuments are in ruins today,” he said, “but once, they were the proud capital of the Ahom kings.” The rule of the Ahoms began in 1699 when their first king, Sukapha, crossed the rugged Patkai mountain range to enter the Brahmaputra valley from present-day Yunnan in China. His descendants not only ruled Assam for the next six centuries, history notes them as having successfully resisted the expansion of the Mughal empire in the Northeast.

Consequently, unlike north India where most historical monuments bear the distinctive Mughal touch, the rounded, anthill-like architecture of the Talatal Ghar was fascinating, as was the fact that these ancient builders used duck eggs and sticky rice in the plaster. With this improbable plaster, the Ahoms built seven floors of royal living quarters, of which, not surprisingly, only one floor remains.

Inside the Talatal Ghar    Photo: Geetanjali Krishna

Onward journey forgotten, I decided to explore the ruins — a piquant collection of dark halls, staircases leading to nowhere, sunny terraces and beautiful arched doorways, all set amid verdant gardens. Three of the floors were underground, and the area beneath us was, I learnt, riddled with secret tunnels that, disappointingly, were sealed. Apparently, the upper floors were made of wood. Nothing survives of them but the stone staircases that once led upstairs. The noon sun cast fascinating shadows of the crenellations on the terrace, and I was content merely to stretch my legs after the long drive.

Egrets, their white plumage a pleasant contrast to the green grass, were pecking about among a herd of goats when I walked out of Talatal Ghar. It was a clear, peaceful day and the idea of getting back into the car wasn’t appealing. So instead, I decided to make another stop, this time at Rang Ghar. The piquant structure where performers from far and wide came to entertain the Ahom kings is often referred to as the “Colosseum of the East”, and is one of the oldest surviving amphitheatres of Asia.

The Sibsagar Lake    Photo: Geetanjali Krishna

Dragons greeted visitors at the entry gates, a reminder of the Oriental origins of the Ahom kings, as also evidenced by their royal emblem. A local family had brought outstation relatives to see this place, and as I eavesdropped on the snatches of conversation that were in English, it was clear how much local pride was invested in this monument. The unique shape of the building is believed to have been inspired by the shape of the Ahom longboats, something that must have served them well in the numerous battles with the Mughals. I learnt that the Ahoms are also known for having introduced the technology of wet rice cultivation — to date one of the mainstays of Assamese economy.

Eventually, the Ahoms were defeated by the Burmese in 1819. The ruling class all but disappeared, probably escaped through the legendary warren of tunnels. Today, all that remains of their legacy, other than these monuments, is the Sibsagar Lake and the Shiva temple, Sivadol, to which pilgrims still throng. As we drove away from Sibsagar, my head was all abuzz with its history. This was a tourist destination worth its salt, not only for present-day pilgrims but also for history buffs and architecture enthusiasts. If only it had better toilets.