A History of Assam c13.89

c13.89

The most striking events of his reign, which extended over seventeen eventful years, were the wars against the Kachāri and Jaintia kings, which have already been described. But he was by no means a mere military adventurer. Although illiterate, Rudra Singh was possessed of a retentive memory and of exceptional intelligence and power of initiative; and he is regarded by many as the greatest of all the Ahom kings. The construction of a brick city at Rangpur has already been mentioned. He caused masonry bridges to be constructed over the Nāmdāng and Dimau rivers.* The great tanks at Jaisāgar, and the temple at the same place, were made by him, and also the tank and temple at Rangnāth, and the Khārikatiya, Dubariyām and Meteka roads. He is said to have received the submission of all the hill tribes, and to have established an extensive trade with Tibet. Abandoning, to some extent, the isolating policy of his predecessors, he encouraged intercourse with other nations and sent envoys to visit the contemporary rulers of other parts of India.† He studied foreign customs and adopted those that he thought good. He imported many artifieers from Bengal, and established numerous schools for the Brāhmans; he also sent many Brāhman boys to study at the great centres of learning in Bengal. The survey of Sibsāgar, which had been commenced under the orders of Gadādhar Singh, was finished in this reign. Nowgong was also surveyed; and the settlement which followed was supervised by Rudra Singh himself.