Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared exciting news on Monday, revealing that the Maidams of Charaideo, burial mounds of Ahom royals, are poised to achieve UNESCO World Heritage Site status by the year’s end. Commending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dedication to Assam, Sarma called upon the public to support him for a third consecutive term. Speaking at an election rally in Charaideo under the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat, Sarma recounted his interaction with Modi, during which he had proposed nominating the ‘Maidams’ for UNESCO recognition.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Foresees UNESCO Status for Charaideo Maidams
Detailing his efforts, Sarma disclosed, “Officers in Delhi told me that there were two proposals for official nomination – our Maidams and Sarnath, the site of Buddhist pilgrimage. When I met our cultural minister, he said he didn’t have the courage to approach the PM as Sarnath is in Varanasi constituency.” He continued, “I met the PM and requested Modiji to make Charaideo Maidams the lone nomination from the country for a UNESCO World Heritage Site last year.”
Asserting his confidence, Sarma proclaimed, “By this year, the Charaideo Maidams will be part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” Maidams symbolize the late medieval mound burial tradition of the Tai Ahoms dynasty, which governed Assam for 600 years. Out of 386 Maidams surveyed thus far, 90 royal burials at Charaideo epitomize this tradition, being the best preserved and most complete examples.
Highlighting Modi’s special connection to Assam, Sarma noted instances where the PM adorned the ‘gamusa’ (Assamese traditional scarf/ towel), attributing it to the PM’s courage. He recounted, “Modi Ji had worn the gamusa when he went to take the COVID vaccine. Later, when I asked him why he chose it, Modiji told me that the gamusa gives him courage.”
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