Moidam

Il-Moidam (spelluta wkoll bħala Maidam, bl-Ahom: 𑜉𑜩𑜓𑜝𑜪; li tfisser: post funebri tal-mejtin), magħrufa wkoll bħala Frang-Mai-Dam, hija tumbata funebri tradizzjonali tar-reliġjon Ahom. Il-maidams irjali ta' Charaideo tniżżlu fil-lista tas-Siti ta' Wirt Dinji tal-UNESCO fl-2024. Illum il-ġurnata, il-poplu tal-erba' klans Mo-Hung, Mo-Cham, Chaodang u Mo-Plong ikomplu bit-tradizzjoni funebri tar-reliġjon Ahom.

Strutturalment, maidam tikkonsisti minn volti b'kompartiment wieħed jew iktar. Il-volti jkun fihom sovrastruttura b'għamla ta' koppla msaqqfa b'tumbata emisferika tal-ħamrija 'l fuq mill-art b'paviljun miftuħ fil-quċċata magħruf bħala chow chali. Ħajt żgħir ottagonali jiċċirkonda l-maidam kollha.

Id-dfin huwa rit funebri predominanti tal-poplu Tai, li oriġinarjament kien jagħmel parti minnu l-poplu Ahom. Dan imur kontra s-sistema Induista tal-kremazzjoni. Wara li r-rejiet Ahom adottaw l-Induiżmu, huma għażlu li jidfnu l-irmied f'tumbati funebri wara l-kremazzjoni.

Il-komunità Ahom f'Assam iqisu l-iskavi bħala affront għat-tradizzjoni tagħhom, peress li l-maidams huma assoċjati mal-qima tal-antenati Ahom u l-festival ta' Me-Dam-Me-Phi.

 Etimoloġija 
Il-kelma "Moidam" hija l-forma mqassra tal-kelma Tai-Ahom "Frang-Mai-Dam". "Frang-Mai" tfisser "tidfen" u "Dam" tfisser "il-mejtin jew l-ispirti anċestrali".

 Struttura 
Inside the Maidams there are underground vaults or chambers for different purposes, one for keeping the body of the departed king with all the necessary things for afterlife, and others for the servants, care-takers, horses, and elephants. The present height of Maidams is reduced due to various natural calamities. In earlier times at least 10 living persons were buried alive with the departed king to take care of him in afterlife, however this custom was abolished by Rudra Singha.

Height of the Maidams depended on the power of the kings, most of the Maidams were not designated by the name of kings, so most remain unidentified, except the Maidams of Gadadhar Singha and Rudra Singha. Most of the big Maidams belongs from the late 17th century and 18th century, earlier most of the Maidam chambers were built using solid wood poles and beams, it got replaced with bricks and stones since Gadadhar Singha and his successors. As a custom only the people of Gharphaliya and Lakhurakhan clans were permitted to bury the dead bodies of Kings and queens. There was a specified officer called Chang-Rung Phukan responsible for construction of Maidams. Chang-Rung Phukan was also the Chief-architect of Ahom kingdom. Officers called Maidam Phukans and guards called Maidamiya were appointed to protect and maintain the Maidams.

The structural construction and the process of royal burials are explained in historical documents called Chang-Rung Phukanor Buranji, which detail even the articles that were buried. Later excavations under the Archaeological Survey of India found some of the maidams previously defiled, with the articles mentioned in the Buranji missing. Many of the maidams were excavated and looted, most famously under the Mughal general Mir Jumla who had occupied Garhgaon briefly in the 17th century, and by the British after 1826.

In the past, when any king or a warrior died in a battle, their severed heads were brought and buried here. When the Chutia kingdom fell to the Ahoms in 1524, the heads of the Chutia king and his son were also buried in the tomb of Charaideo.

 Skavi 
Being famous for its vault treasure Maidams also attracted many plunderers from Mughals, British to even local people, who have plundered the maidams multiple times. The earliest sketch of Maidam was made by 1848 by Serjeant C.Clayton who superintendent an excavation of a Maidam in the 1840s.

In 2000-02, Archaeological Survey of India, Guwahati circle excavated Maidam No. 2. It retained the characteristics of a full-fledged Maidam. The Maidam vault and covering earthen mound was made out of burned bricks, and encircled by an octagonal boundary wall. There was a hole at the roof of the Maidam indicating it was robbed earlier. The arched-shaped door of the maidam was found on the western side after it was excavated, which was originally covered with bricks and stone masonry. Though already robbed it still yielded several artefacts including skeleton remains of 5 individuals, ivory decorative pieces, several pieces of wooden objects (including a Xorai designed at the shape of a pillar), an ivory panel depicting royal Ahom insignia, carvings of elephants, peacock and floral motifs etc. The exact dating of this Maidam couldn't be done, but it is estimated at the first half of the 18th century.

 Sit ta' Wirt Dinji 
Il-Moidams – is-Sistema tat-Tumbati Funebri tad-Dinastija Ahom ġew iddeżinjati bħala Sit ta' Wirt Dinji tal-UNESCO fl-2024.

Il-valur universali straordinarju tas-sit ġie rrikonoxxut abbażi ta' żewġ kriterji tal-għażla tal-UNESCO: il-kriterju (iii) "Xhieda unika jew minn tal-inqas eċċezzjonali ta' tradizzjoni kulturali jew ta' ċivilizzazzjoni li għadha ħajja jew li għebet"; u l-kriterju (iv) "Eżempju straordinarju ta' tip ta' bini, ta' grupp ta' siti jew ta' pajsaġġ arkitettoniku jew teknoloġiku li joħroġ fid-dieher stadju/i sinifikanti fl-istorja tal-bniedem".

 Referenzi 

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