A History of Assam c12.61

c12.61

Surāmphā was a man altogether destitute of the ordinary principles of morality. He first cohabited with one of his father’s wives. Subsequently he fell in love with a married woman of the Chetia clan and, having caused her husband to be poisoned, took her to his harem. She adopted a nephew of her first husband, and this youth was declared heir-apparent by the king, who thereby broke the promise he had made to Sutyinphā at the time of his accession. The boy died soon afterwards, and one of Sutyinphā’s sons was accused of having poisoned him. Sutyinphā was accordingly ordered to surrender him to be executed, and was deprived of all his possessions. At the same time the king, at the instigation of his paramour, called upon each of the chief nobles to furnish a son for burial with his adopted child.