A History of Assam c16.15

c16.15

The ruins of Dimāpur, which are still in existence, show that, at that period, the Kachāris had attained a state of civilization considerably in advance of that of the Ahoms. The use of brick for building purposes was then practically unknown to the Ahoms, and all their buildings were of timber or bamboo, with mud-plastered walls. Dimāpur, on the other hand, was surrounded on three sides by a brick wall of the aggregate length of nearly two miles, while the fourth or southern side was bounded by the Dhansiri river.* On the eastern side was a fine solid brick gateway, with a pointed arch and stones pierced to receive the hinges of double heavy doors. It was flanked by octagonal turrets of solid brick, and the intervening distance to the central archway was relieved by false windows of ornamental moulded brick-work. The curved battlement of the gateway, as well as the pointed arch over the entrance, point distinctly to the Bengali style of Muhammadan architecture. In this connection it will be remembered that, when the Ahom king Rudra Singh determined to erect brick buildings at Rangpur, he called in an artisan from Bengal to direct the operations. The excellence of the mortar is shown by the fact that, although the building has evidently been shaken on various occasions by earthquakes, it is still in a good state of preservation. Inside the enclosure (which has not yet been fully explored) are some ruins of a temple, or perhaps a market-place, the most notable feature of which is a double row of carved pillars of sandstone, averaging about 12 feet in height and 5 feet in circumference. There are also some curious V-shaped pillars which are apparently memorial stones. The nearest point at which the sandstone for these pillars could have been quarried is at least ten miles distant. It seems probable that the blocks of sandstone were brought and set up in the rough, and then carved *in situ*; otherwise they would have been much damaged in the process of erection. No two are precisely alike in the ornamentation, but all are of one general form, having large semi-circular tops, with concentric foliated carving below on the shaft. There are representations of the elephant, deer, dog, duck and peacock, but nowhere is there a human form or head. The inference seems to be that, at this time, the Kachāris were free from all Hindu influences. There are several fine tanks at Dimāpur, two of which are nearly 300 yards square.