something to learn: 400 years old Quake Proof Ahom buildings of Assam India

400 years old Quake Proof Ahom buildings of Assam India.

Highest temple of India to earthquake-resistant monuments build 400 years ago

The Sivadol Temple is an earthquake-resistant monuments build by the Ahom kings 400 years ago in Sivasagar of Assam state, which survived several massive earthquake including the 1950, magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale. The Ahom kings created waterbodies nearby & used stone boulders underneath the structures of monuments & temples to make it quake-proof like Sivadol Temple, highest Siva temple in India measuring 104 feet (32 m) & the perimeter is 195 feet (59 m) at the base. It is crowned with an 8-foot (2.4 m) high golden-dome built during the year 1734. The Sivasagar tank ("the ocean of the god Shiva"), also known as the Borpukhuri tank, was built between 1731 and 1738 & has a total area of 257 acres (104 ha).

Sivadol Temple

Of all Ahom ruins, the Talatal Ghar is one of the grandest examples of Tai Ahom architecture. The underground foundation walls i.e. the extension of the walls above had separate walls built parallel to them & the space between were packed with earth to bear the impact of massive earthquake. All these monuments survive the massive earthquake, whose magnitude was 8.7 on the Richter scale hit Assam in 1950, which proves that these monuments can withstand seismic activity. It is believed that there were underground tunnels used by the royal families during emergencies & the British block the entrances of the tunnel after some of the British soldiers went missing after entering the tunnel during British India & most of the wooden parts of the palace have disappeared over time.

Talatal Ghar


British block the entrances of the tunnel after some of the British soldiers went missing after entering the tunnel during British India

Pramattasingha built the famous 'Ranghar' situated on the west of Talatal Ghar. ৰংঘৰ - rong ghor meaning "House of Entertainment" is a two-storied building which once served as the royal sports-pavilion where Ahom kings and nobles were spectators at games like buffalo fights and other sports - particularly during the Rongali Bihu festival in the Ahom capital of Rangpur.


. Ranghar ৰংঘৰ

Joysagar tank a man-made tank excavated by Ahom king Swargadeo Rudra Singha in memory of his mother Joymoti. Most of the people claim that Joysagar is the largest man-made water body of Assam & one of the largest man-made lake in India, but the length and breadth of Joysagar & Sivsagar tanks are as follows : Length - Sivsagar 780 m (2558 ft) and Joysagar 766 m (2512 ft) Breadth - Sivsagar 640 m (2098 ft) and Joysagar 604 m (1981 ft). Historical records reveal that the Joysagar tank was constructed in 45 days at Rangpur in 1697.