Joymoti Konwari | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mid 17th-century, Madurigaon, Sivasagar, Assam |
| Died | Jerenga Pathar, Sivasagar |
| Spouse | Gadadhar Singha |
| Children | Lai Lechai |
| Parent(s) | Laithepena Borgohain and Chandradaru |
Joymoti Konwari was the wife of Ahom prince Gadapani (later Supatphaa). She died at the hands of the royalists under Sulikphaa Loraa Roja without disclosing her exiled husband Gadapani's whereabouts in the Naga Hills, thereby enabling her husband to rise in revolt and assume kingship. [1]
Joymoti was born in the middle of the 17th-century in Maduri to Laithepena Borgohain and Chandradaru. She was married to Langi Gadapani Konwar, [2] later an Ahom king, Supatphaa, who established the Tungkhungia line of kings.
A few buranjis mention her but not as Joymati but only as a nameless Gadapani’s wife. [3] Most of what is known about her life is obtained from the ballads and folklore popular among the people of Upper Assam and not on actual evidence. [4] [5]
Since the early 20th-century literary figures such as Padmanath Gohain Baruah and Lakshminath Bezbaruah transformed the "ordinary story" of Joymati into a "fictional tale" of a female hero's moral victory against the male military might and as a representation of the Ahom glory.
The story of Joymati attained a new fame when it was filmed in 1935 by Jyotiprasad Agarwala. [6]
By 1918, Joymoti came to be seen as a virtuous Hindu women with Kumudeswar Barthakur first bestowing the title of Sati upon Jaymati and publishing Jaymati Kahini (1918) in which she was represented as the embodiment of Hindu female chastity, devoted to her husband and dharma. This depiction of her by Barthakur was an effort to "Indianise" her character away from her Tai roots. [7]
Joymoti and Gadadhar Singha's eldest son Rudra Singha (Sukhrungphaa, 1696–1714) succeeded his father. In honour of the memory of his mother Joymoti, Rudra Singha built the Joysagar Tank in 1697 at Sibsagar. It is believed to be the biggest man-made lake in India, [8] comprising an area covering 318 acres (1.29 km2) of land, including its four banks, [9] out of which 155 acres (0.63 km2) is filled with fresh water. A 2 km-long earthen water pipeline once ran from the tank to the Rangpur Palace (Kareng Ghar), supplying water to the royal palace.
Rudra Singha also built the Fakuwa Dol in 1703–04, a pyramid-shaped temple constructed before the Rangnath (Shiva) Temple on the banks of the Joysagar Tank. It is said that Rudra Singha, once again to perpetuate the memory of his mother Soti Joymoti, constructed the temple and placed a golden idol of her within it. The circumference of the Dol was about 90 ft (27 m), and its height from base to top was 30 ft (9.1 m). There were eight brick pillars around the temple.
Sati Joymoti Divas, commemoration day of Joymoti, is held annually in Assam on 27 March. [10]
The State Government of Assam has instituted an annual award in the name of Joymoti, presented to women in recognition of excellence in their chosen fields of work. [11]
Joymoti (1935 film) was the first Assamese language film, directed and produced by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. In 2006, Manju Borah released another film by the same name. The 19th-century Assamese writer Lakshminath Bezbaruah depicted her life in the drama Joymoti Kuwori.
Tezpur is a city and urban agglomeration in Sonitpur district, Assam state, India. Tezpur is located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, 175 kilometres (109 mi) northeast of Guwahati, and is the largest of the north bank cities with a population of 140,000 as per Metropolitan Census 2023.
Lachit Barphukan (1622–1672) was an Ahom Borphukan, but known primarily for commanding the Ahom forces and the victory in the Battle of Saraighat (1671) that thwarted an invasion by the vastly superior Mughal forces under the command of Ramsingh I. He died about a year later in April 1672.
Sivasagar district, formerly known as Sibsagar, is one of the 34 districts of Assam state in Northeast India. Sivasagar city is the administrative headquarters of this district. This historic place is also known for its rich biodiversity. The districts covers an area of 2668 square kilometers. The district comprises two sub-divisions – Sivasagar and Nazira. The district of Sivasagar lies between 26.45°N and 27.15°N latitudes and 94.25°E and 95.25°E longitudes. The district is bounded by the Brahmaputra River to the north, Nagaland to the south, the Charaideo district to the east and the Jhanji River to the west. The Sivasagar district has acquired its distinct identity due to the co-existence of different races, tribes, languages and cultures.
The Ahom kingdom was a late medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra Valley. It maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years having successfully resisted Mughal expansion in Northeast India. Established by Sukaphaa, a Tai prince from Mong Mao, it began as a mong in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra based on wet rice agriculture. It expanded suddenly under Suhungmung in the 16th century and became multi-ethnic in character, casting a profound effect on the political and social life of the entire Brahmaputra valley. The kingdom became weaker with the rise of the Moamoria rebellion, and subsequently fell to repeated Burmese invasions of Assam. With the defeat of the Burmese after the First Anglo-Burmese War and the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826, control of the kingdom passed into East India Company hands.
Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was a noted Indian playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker from Assam. He was considered as Assamese cultural icon, deeply revered for his creative vision and output and is popularly called the Rupkonwar of Assamese culture. In fact, he is regarded as the founder of Assamese cinema for Joymoti (1935). His death anniversary is observed as Silpi divas his honor.
Supaatpha also, Gadadhar Singha, established the rule of the Tungkhungia clan of the Ahom kings that ruled the Ahom kingdom till its climactic end. He was the son of Gobar Roja, a descendant of Suhungmung, and who had become the king for a mere 20 days. Previously known as Godapani, Supatphaa was able to stabilize the kingdom after the decade-long turmoil following the Ahom victory in the Battle of Saraighat. This period saw the ruthless power grab of Debera Borbarua and Laluksola Borphukan's abandonment of Guwahati and oppression via Sulikphaa Lora Roja. Supatphaa retook Guwahati from the Mughals for good, and established a strong rule of 'blood and iron'. He came into conflict with the Moamoria Vaishnava sattra which belonged to the folds of Kal "songhoti"and made way for Rudra Singha, his son and succeeding king, to take the kingdom to its zenith.
Sukhrungphaa or Rudra Singha,, was the 30th King of Ahom kingdom, who ruled from 1696 until his death in 1714. He is considered as the most illustrious of the Ahom King's, under whom the kingdom reached its zenith of power and glory. He was the eldest son of Gadadhar Singha and mother Joymoti, he ascended the throne at his father's death. He had subjugated the Kingdoms of Dimasa and Jaintia and is best known for building a coalition of rulers in the region and raising a vast composite army against the Mughal Empire. He died on the eve of his march west from Guwahati. During Rudra Singha's reign the Ahom nobility far better organized than ever stood behind the king representing the cherished feudal values and aspiration.
Rangpur is the 4th capital of the Ahom kingdom, was established by Swargadeo Rudra Singha in "Meteka" in 1707 after shifting the capital from Garhgaon. It is currently a part of Sibsagar town. The place holds many monuments build by the Ahom dynasty, the most notable of which are the Talatal Ghar and the Rang Ghar.
Sutanphaa also Siva Singha was the 31st king of Assam who reigned from He was the eldest son of Rudra Singha. Siva Singha was with his dying father at Guwahati, who then proceeded to the capital Rangpur where he ascended to the throne. He is noted for his elaborate system of espionage. He had numerous temples erected and made large gifts of land to them. With his support Hinduism became the pre-dominant religion of the Ahoms". The king was also a patron of music and literature and music and himself composed Sanskrit songs and learnt songs. During his reign also came the first Europeans to trade with Assam.
The Rang Ghar, is a two-storeyed building which once served as the royal sports-pavilion where Ahom kings and nobles were spectators at games like buffalo fights and other sports at Rupahi Pathar - particularly during the Rongali Bihu festival in the Ahom capital of Rangpur.
Joymoti or Joimoti is a 1935 Indian film widely considered to be the first Assamese film ever made. Based on Lakshminath Bezbaroa's play about the 17th-century Ahom princess Joymoti Konwari, the film was produced and directed by the noted Assamese poet, author, and film-maker Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, and starred Aideu Handique and acclaimed stage actor and playwright Phani Sarma. The film, shot between 1933 and 1935, was released by Chitralekha Movietone on 10 March 1935 1935 and marked the beginning of Assamese cinema.
Sunyeopha also Lakshmi Singha, was the 34th Ahom king, who reigned from 1769–1780. After Rajeswar Singha's death, he married Queen Kuranganayani and became the king of the Ahom kingdom. Shortly after he was installed he became a captive of the rebels of the Moamoria rebellion for a few months but soon regained his kingdom. With the help of Kuranganayani, after destroying all the Moamoria rebels including Borbaruah Ragho, Lakshmi Singha was once again crowned as king of Ahom kingdom.
A maidam is a tumulus of the royalty and aristocracy of the medieval Ahom Kingdom (1228–1826) in Assam. The royal maidams are found exclusively at Charaideo; whereas other maidams are found scattered in the region between Jorhat and Dibrugarh towns. Structurally, a maidam consists of vaults with one or more chambers. The vaults have a domical superstructure that is covered by a hemispherical earthen mound that rises high above the ground with an open pavilion at the peak called chow chali. An octagonal dwarf wall encloses the entire maidam.
Joymoti - the saviour is an Assamese biographical film directed by Manju Borah. It was released in the year 2006. Shooting of the film was done in Ketetong village at Margherita, Assam.Miao Arunachal Pradesh
Assamese Brahmins or Bamun are the Brahmins present in the Assamese society. There are two classes of Brahmins in Assam Bamun and Ganaks. In Assam, the Bamuns usually are the ones, who performs the tasks of a pujari in the Mandirs/Deuls and Hindu households & the Ganaks are the ones, who performs the tasks of Jyotish and Ayurved. But there are always exceptions, some Ganaks may also perform the task of a pujari & some Bamuns may also perform the Jyotish & Ayurvedic tasks. The Assamese Brahmins were originally priests from different regions of India and some of them are from the era of Kamrupi Brahmins, which are one of the oldest Brahmin settlers in Assam. Religious worship in temples is generally carried out by them.
Mula Gabharu was the daughter of the Ahom king, Supimphaa, and the wife of the Borgohain Phrasengmung. She organised women warriors after her husband had fallen in battle against Turbak, an invader sent by the Sultan of Bengal in 1532, and herself fell in the Battle of Kachua. During the battle, women warrior Jayanti, Pamila, Lalita etc. were the companions of Nang Mula.
The Keshavnarayan Vishnu dol, popularly known as Joy dol, was constructed in 1698 by Ahom king Swargadeo Rudra Singha (1696–1714) in honour and memory of his mother Joymoti. Particularly this temple is dedicated to Hindu god Lord Vishnu. The presiding deity of the temple was before known as Kesavaraya Visnu This temple is constructed of brick and stone. The walls are decorated with images of celestial beings and sculptures representing the social life of the day such as the sports and favourite pastimes of the erstwhile Ahom kings. The Joysagar Group of temples standing on the banks of the tank of the same name includes the Joydol, the Sivadol, the Devi Ghar, and the Ghanashyam House.
Ghanashyam House or Nati Gosain dol is an early 18th-century brick monument built during the reign of the king Rudra Singha dedicated to the architect Ghanashyam. This monument is situated on the west bank of Joysagar Tank. It is 4 km away from Sivasagar town towards west.