Sati Joymati

Joymati was the wife of Ahom prince Gadapani. She is known as "Sati" Joymati because she endured torture and died at the hands of royalists under Sulikphaa (Loraa Roja), which enabled her husband to rise in revolt and become the king himself. Her son Rudra Singha had Joysagar dug at the spot where she was tortured. The first Assamese movie "Joymati" in 1935 by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala featured this story.

Background to torture

Six princes sat on the throne between the death of Chakradhwaj Singha in 1670 and accession of Gadadhar Singha in 1681. Udayaditya Singha was murdered through machination of Debera Borbarua, who then inaugurated a veritable reign of terror killing rival princes or mutilating their limbs, doing away with his rival and opponents, and dismissing and appointing officers at his own sweet will. The veterans of the Battle of Saraighat marched up to the capital, captured and killed Debera and placed on the throne a prince of their own selection. The Prime Minister Atan Burhagohain, Rajmantri Dangaria, by virtue of his foresight and disinterestedness brought the situation under control, and he was acclaimed in all responsible quarters as the only saviour of his country. Twice the crown was offered to him and twice he refused.

The growing power of the Premier was however not tolerated by Laluk Sola Barphukan, the governor of Guwahati. He negotiated with the Sultan Azamtara, Governor of Bengal, for handing over Guwahati to the Mughals for four lakhs of rupees and an assurance to support Laluk's candidature to the throne of Assam. Accordingly, he handed over Guwahati to Nawab Mansur Khan, who was appointed as Fauzardar by the Sultan, in March 1679. Laluk then marched up to Gargaon, had the Premier (Burhagohain) killed and set up on the throne a stripling of fourteen years, Sulikphaa or "Loraa Roja" (Boy-King in Assamese), while he himself wielded virtual sovereign power under a newly created office Burhaphukan. Fearing a challenge to his power, he began a purge of all princes eligible for the Ahom throne.

Joymati

Joymati was the wife of the Ahom prince Gadapani. During the purge of the princes from 1679 to 1681 under King Sulikphaa (Loraa Roja) instigated by Laluk Sola, Gadapani took flight. At various times he took shelter at Sattras and the adjoining hills outside the Ahom kingdom.

Failing to trace Prince Gadapani, Sulikphaa's soldiers picked up his wife Joymati. Despite brutal and inhuman torture, the princess did not reveal the whereabouts of her husband. After continuous torture for several days she expired.

Joymati's self-sacrifice bore fruit later. Laluk was murdered in November 1680 by a disgruntled body of household retainers. The ministers were now roused to a sense of patriotism, they made a search for Gadapani. Gadapani gathered strength came back from his exile in Garo hills to oust Sulikphaa from the throne. Joymati knew that her husband was the only person who could end Sulikphaa-Laluk terror rule. For her love and supreme sacrifice for her husband and the country, folk accounts refer to her as a "Sati".

Gadapani becomes king

Gadapani was formally installed a sovereign in August, 1681. Gadapani, who took the Tai name Supaatphaa and Hindu name Gadadhar Singha (1681-1696) brought peace and prosperity back to the country. The first act of his reign was the dispatch of an army against Mansur Khan at Guwahati. After the decisive victory at the famous Itakhulir Rann (battle of Itakhuli) the Ahoms captured back Guwahati from the Mughals in August 1682. Manaha (river Manas) became once more the western boundary of Assam and it remained as such till the occupation of the country by the British in the year 1826.

Joysagar tank in Joymati's memory

Gadadhar Singha's eldest son Lai succeeded him. He took on the Hindu name of Rudra Singha (Sukhrungphaa, 1696-1714). In honour of the memory of his mother Joymati, Rudra Singha built the Joysagar tank in 1697 at Sibsagar. It was perhaps the biggest man made tank in the world comprising an area of 318 acres of land including its four banks, out of which 155 acres is filled with fresh water. A 2 km long earthen water pipeline used to run from this tank to the Rangpur Palace (Kareng ghar) for supplying water to the royal palace.

Rudra Singha also built the Fakuwa Dol in 1703-04, a pyramid shaped temple was constructed in front of Rangnath (Shiva) Temple on the banks of Joysagar tank. It is said that Rudra Singha, in order to perpetuate the memory of his mother Sati Joymati, constructed the temple and placed a golden idol of his mother inside it. It was actually a maidam (grave) of Joymati. The circumference of the Dol was about 90 ft. and in height from base to top it was 30ft. There were eight brick pillars around the temple. The temple and the pillars are now in shambles.

ati Joymati Divas

Sati Joymati Divas, Commemoration Day of Sati Joymati is held in Assam on March 27.

External links

* [http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=mar2807edit4] Sati Joymoti – a saga of grand sacrifice Author:Dr Kathita Hatibaruah
* [http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=mar2708edit3] Remembering Sati Joymoti Author: Dr Kathita Hatibaruah, The Assam Tribune, 27/03/2008

ee also

* Ahom Dynasty