Talatal Ghar

Swargadeo Rudra Singha shifted the capital of the Ahom kingdom from Garhgaon to Rangpur in 1702-03 and it remained so for almost a century. It is located in the western part of Sivasagar. The earliest constructions were commissioned by Swargadeo Rudra Singha in 1698.[1][2] Rangpur was the last capital of the Ahom kingdom and served as its military-station.

Talatal Ghar

The Talatal Ghar was initially built as an army base. It houses two secret tunnels, and three floors below ground level which were used as exit routes during the Ahom conflicts with other kingdoms (and which give the structure its name). The Rangpur Palace is a seven-storied structure (1751-1769 CE).[3]

• (Swargadeo Rajeswar Singha) added the three floors below ground, which make up the Talatal Ghar. This is made of brick and an indigenous type of cement (a mixture of Bora Chaul - a sticky variety of rice grain - eggs of swan, etc.). The Talatal Ghar had two secret tunnels. One, about 3 kilometres in length, connected the Talatal Ghar to the Dikhow River, while the other, 16 kilometres long, led to the Garhgaon Palace, and was used as an escape route in case of an enemy attack.[4]
• From east to west, several rooms run along a long corridor; and from north to south are numerous smaller wings. The ground floor served as stables, store rooms, and servants' quarters. The Kareng Ghar was built mainly of wood, which was largely destroyed over time. The Royal apartments were on the upper storey, of which only a few rooms now remain, close to an octagonal room on the northern wing which once served as the Puja Ghar (prayer house). There are stairs leading up to the terrace. An isolated room stands on the south which is believed to have been used by the queen during her confinement.[5][6]

However the first Ground Penetrating Survey (GPR) in the northeast, undertaken at two Ahom monuments in Sivasagar district in early Apr 2015, has not revealed the existence of any secret tunnel. The survey was carried out by IIT Kanpur, in collaboration with the Guwahati circle of the Archaeological Survey of India, over a period of five days at Talatal Ghar and Ahom Royal Palace (Kareng Ghar), both in Sivasagar district.[7]

The Rangpur Palace was once surrounded by a brick fortification and an earthen fort (Garh) with dikes filled with water. There is a Gola Ghar (gunpowder and ammunition store) near the palace.

• 
  View of the Talatal Ghar
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  View from the top floor of the Talatal Ghar
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  View of a staircase inside the Talatal Ghar palace
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  Terrace of the Talatal Ghar
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  Talatal ghar corridor
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  Inside wall of Talatal Ghar

• Rang Ghar, Sivasagar
• Sivasagar
• Charaideo

Citations

Bibliography

• Nath, Hemanta Kumar (2005), Arowan, Rangpur Utsav Celebration Committee, Sivasagar
• Gogoi, Prem (1999–2000), Boranjiya Parasa Rangpur, Rangpur Tinisah Basar Otjapan Samiti, Sivasagar
• Archaeological Survey Report (March 1902), Archaeological Survey Report, Government of India, Bengal Circle