THE AHOMS

by Arup Kumar Dutta

in 1228 A.D. an event occurred in the northestern region of india,which not only changed the destiny of the brahmaputra valley and the surrounding mountains,but also of south east asia.A group of Shan or Tai warriors,led by a brave leader named Sukapha,having left its original home in the Shan country in Myanmar,entered Upper Assam and set up the nucleus of what was later to become the powerful ahom empire......................

Genres: History

Hardcover

About the author

ARUP KUMAR DUTTA is a fulltime author and freelance journalist from Assam in North-East India who has attained international recognition. A prolific and versatile writer and scholar, during a span of five decades he has written short-fiction, long-fiction, non-fiction, satires, newspaper editorials, articles and columns, as well as books for young adults. So far he has written 18 books for adults and 17 adventure novels for young people. He has been not only acknowledged as a pioneer in English writing in the North-East, but also as a writer who has spent a lifetime familiarizing the rest of India about the history and culture of this region.

Reviews

[Sunil Kumar]

Bought it for my birthday. A fascinating, sometimes boring, brutal history of the Ahoms. As brutal and conniving as A Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon. The history of the North East is covered negligibly in contemporary India.

So, this time around had picked up accounts on the Nagas-the Battle of Kohima, a relatively slim volume compared to this magnum opus. Pragjyotishpur or Kamrup in Puranic times, it was fascinating to learn that the Ahoms were of Shan extraction passing through Thailand and Myanmar to finally reach India. Their religious practices gradually amalgamated with mainstream Hinduism and the widespread influence of Sankaradeva and the Vaishnava sect has also been covered in this book.

[Donna Barman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in the style of Kokadeuta and Naati lora tales, the book traces the 600 year old reign of the Ahoms in and around Assam. Despite being a "reimagined" history, the story follows all of the major events mentioned in Ahom buranjis and finds a way to elucidate key events with the kind of dramatization that is seen in mythological writings.

All in all a much needed book that tells the story of the Ahoms in a language which propels the story towards global readership.

[Nandini Reddy Dayal · Rating 5 out of 5]

An empire started in the 13th century through the vision of Chaolung Sukaphaa, who journeys for 4 decades to find the perfect land for his kingdom. A glorious rule of 600 years with kings who were visionaries who created an unbeatable army and a place of wealth for their citizens in a difficult terrain.

Arup Kumar Dutta brings to life the many significant kings, ministers and queens who shaped the Ahom dynasty. It is stunning how this dynasty envisioned their strength and grew to become so powerful that even the Mughals couldn't touch them. They are said to have beaten back the Mughals 17 times before the Mughals finally gave up the quest to conquer the Ahom territories.

Definitely worth a read as Dutta puts a fictional spin on history to add pace to this retelling of the lives of the glorious Ahoms.

[Pramod Divedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mighty Mighty Book!

There is much less written and read about them. Though they stayed like a closed kingdom walking into Land some 900 years back and followed a secular approach. Finally assimilated and merged into this land's culture.

It's a story which needs to be told and so much to learn from.

I have so many Though bouncing in my head that even after submitting this review some will be left.
Bought this book from a mall as I was walking by saw this at a book store in a flea market at mall. Mesmerized by culture of Assam on my vacation this year I immediately bought it. Having finished in a month.
The book has taught me alot about our history and the part of India which still remains unexplored.

It has only intrigued me and fanned my curiosity more. Simple English written narrated a story. I love this book.

[Joy Kundu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was like watching an interesting historical movie. I loved the style of writing and how the author transitioned from phase to another. He not only explored the political scenarios of 600 years long Ahom rule but also gave a perspective of life of common people in the realm their occupation, their way of life etc.

However the book is based on Burunjis which are event logs maintained by Ahom kings thus the book largely brings out the perspective if Ahom monarchs, showing their enemies in negative light in most of the cases thus I missed the other side of the story. Also in some places the writer got into elaborate details of events like coronation ceremonies etc. which made it a little boring.

Overall, I found this book a very well written account of rise and fall of the mighty Ahom empire and it's impact on the world.

[Avani ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ahoms: A Reimagined History by Arup Kumar Dutta, is an epic retelling of the Ahom Dynasty, which has been a rule of over 600 years in 1228 CE. The history is mostly from the north east part of the older India.

I really haven't read much about the history of this region. So this one was really very refreshing and a brand new literature for me to read about, if I put it that way.

The writing style is very compelling and kept me hooked from the start till the end. I enjoyed the twists and turns, as well as was looking forward to reading about what happens next in this. So definitely if you're a history bug, you will enjoy this book.

[Charit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written as a story and does an impressive job of cataloguing 600 years of Ahom rule. Towards the end it was a little confusing. However, this an excellent effort to bring to light a complex and yet impactful rule in India. Like all empires, it too saw the sun set on it but gosh, how exciting they made it for themselves. There was Game of Thrones like intrigue and violence, commissioning of public works like lakes and temples that still remain, mixing of religion and culture, holding off multiple attempts at invasion and just like that, they were gone.

[Juan Antonio · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a cool story here. But this book does not do it justice. It is 100 pages too long. It feels like the editor did a poor job or the writer disregarded them completely.
I received this book from a family member that wanted me to learn about assamese history. I powered through out of love for them.

[Agamonee Barbaruah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrative style is what stayed with me. In a very cosy, bonfire storytelling fashion, Dutta has relayed the story of several generations of kings and kingmakers for the reader to lap up. I enjoyed reading it.

[Wanderingg__soul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people don’t know about the Ahoms who ruled over Northeast India for around 600 years and I was one of them. This book is an intriguing and informative reselling of this majestic kingdom. The storytelling is very grasping and definitely a must read if you are a history.

[adetour · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice read on Ahom History

Comprehensive detailed ode to the Ahom history, wonderful narration that keeps the flow going. Intricate details of the Ahoms reimagined. Interspersed with geographical details kept it very interesting.

[Debojit Kakoti · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finest books of Ahom history. A must-read

[tanisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

i only picked up this book to understand my ancestry and origins as an assamese person better so it was obviously quite an informative read. however. i think it was way too drawn out with irrelevant descriptions and short filler stories and filled with too many dates and names that takes away from the main story. the second half of the book felt like an absolute chore and i had to push myself to get through it. but anyways it was interesting still and i wouldn’t have ever known the ahom empire ruled for over 600 yrs (longer than the mughal empire and the british rule) which is insane since it’s never ever been mentioned in any of my history textbooks from school. it just goes to show how detached the northeast is from the rest of india which is really sad honestly. in that sense i really enjoyed the book and the stories it described.