Investing the Chinese link to Tai Ahom Royal dynasty.

1. 1
Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung, the Tai Ahom Royal Deity; the Chinese
connection.
Hemanta Kumar Gogoi
Simaluguri, Sivasagar, Assam-785686
India
drhemanta97@gmail.com
Abstract:
As per Tai Ahom legend, Khun Lung and Khun Lai descended from the heaven on
the order of Lengdon, the ruler of the Heaven, to rule the earth around the year
568 ADi
(Lakni Ka-sheoii
). While coming to earth, they were given, with other
objects, a powerful idol to worship through some sacred rituals. This idol was
called Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung (Som Deo). It was said to protect the King and
its subjects, help to win wars against the enemies and prosperity of the kingdom.
When the young Tai prince Chao Lung Siu Ka Pha entered Assam in the year 1215
AD, he brought this idol with him. It was the royal deity of the palace and was
worshipped by the king, worn in the neck while ascending the throne and other
important sacred ceremonies. The Ahom dynasty ruled Assam for more than 600
years. During the last part of their rule, the royal deity Chum Pha Rung Seng Mung
disappeared from the palace. The Tai Ahom people believe that for this reason,
there was increasing chaos and gradual downfall of the Tai Ahom kingdom which
sadly came to end in 1826 AD.
Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung disappeared from the Tai Ahom palace without
trace during the last few years of their rule. The disappearance has been
shrouded with mystery and several possibilities have been suggested, but none of
them is well grounded. Because this idol was worshipped only by the king on the
throne and was beyond the reach of the common people, nobody knew what it
actually looked like. Finding a box containing the idol was reported to be found
by the British officer Col. P.R. Gordon in 1913iii
, in the hands of a Tai Ahom Royal
descendant Kuar Chandra Narayan Singh. The objects contained among other
things two metal plates containing Chinese inscriptions. Because, these plates

2. 2
contained Chinese inscriptions, many scholars then refused to believe that they
were a part of the Tai Ahom Royal deity. But what is the truth? It seems that no
history of the Tai Ahoms can be complete without the Chinese angle being taken
into consideration. A more systematic and elaborate research on contemporary
Tai and Chinese histories is required to unveil many unsolved mysteries of the Tai
Ahom era in northeast India specially those related to Chum Pha Rung Cheng
Mung with the presently available evidences as discussed in this paper as well as
other hitherto unexplored issues.
Introduction:
The Tai Ahoms are a branch of the Tai race, who entered Assam of
Northeast India under the leadership of a Tai Prince named Chao Lung
Suo Ka Pha in the year 1215 AD to establish a Tai Ahom kingdom, called
Assam. The kingdom lasted for a long period of 600 years and until it
was taken over by the British from the Burma ruler in the year 1826
under the Yandaboo treaty.
The journey of the Tai Ahom people is a long one. It starts from the
heaven, from where the forefathers of the Tais, Khun Lung and Khun Lai
on orders from the heavenly Lord Lengdon descended to the earth in
the year 568 ADi
(Lakni Ka-Sheoii
). They established a kingdom at Mung-
Ri-Mung-Ramiv
(Mung-Hi-Mung-Ham), probably in present day Yunnan
in southwestern China. Among other things, Khun Lung and Khun Lai
brought with them an idol of God called Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung
which passed through generations of the ruling Tai kings and ultimately
came to the hands of Chao Lung Suo Ka Pha, the founder of Tai Ahom
kingdom of Assam, India. According to Tai Ahom history, this
instrument for worship called Sum Deo was made by Lau Khe, on the
orders of Lengdonv
. The idol was regarded as lucky talisman for the
owner king which bestowed the owner the power to defeat the

3. 3
enemies, bring prosperity and peace to the country he ruled. It was a
secret and sacred property of the king, who worshipped or wore it in
auspicious occasions only. The idol disappeared from the Tai Ahom
royal palace during the last few decades of their rule and have never
been found. The downfall of the Tai Ahom kingdom was believed to be
due to disappearance of this idol.
Aim of the study:
1. To understand the identity of Chum-Pha-Rung-Cheng-Mung, the
long lost idol of Tai Ahom Kings.
2. How does it relate to Chinese history in view of the Chinese
inscriptions reported on its pedestal?
Materials and methods:
Review of various literatures available in English, Assamese and other
languages, old Tai Ahom chronicles, artefacts related to Chum-Pha-
Rung-Cheng-Mung are taken into consideration to through light on the
objectives.
Review of literature and artefacts:
Assam, previously known as Soumar Peeth, Pragjyotishpur or Kamrupa
is a tiny state nestled in the isolated corner of Northeast India. From
time immemorial, this area had a close link with various countries of
Southeast Asia and China. Demographically too, the larger population
of this region belong to the Mongoloid group and physical features akin
to people of southeast Asia.
The earliest written record of a Chinese man visiting Assam was that of
Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang) in 7th
century on invitation of King Bhaskar
Barmanvi
. Even though, shorter routes to Assam was available, he had
chosen the longer route, the famous ‘Silk Route’ through Afghanistan.
About 30 number of roads existed between Assam and Chinavii
since

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ancient time besides innumerable routes undertaken by the locals for
social visits.
Assam and Northeast India have China as their nearest neighbor since
time immemorial. There were no strict political borders to divide the
people to cross over from China or Burma to Assam. Trade used to
flourish through the hilly and thick jungle terrains between these areas.
Not long ago, during our childhood we remember folks of people
coming from Tibet, Bhutan and other hilly areas coming down to the
villages of Assam to trade medicines, gems, animal and herbal products
in exchange of rice and clothes. Gold, silk, lac (resin), ivory pepper, salt,
musk and agaru were the other substances traded for centuries across
the borders. The barter system of trade used to persist till the modern
time.
In any case, ancient Assam and its territories were not unknown to the
people of Southeast Asia. Like the other Tais who originated from
fertile basins of the Huanghe or Yellow River with further dissemination
to southwestern Chinaiviii
, the Tai Ahoms also had their roots in the
southwestern part of China.
The Tai Ahom kings had very formal relations with the ruling kings of
Burma. When King Chao Lung Suo Ka Pha reached Santak and later
established the Tai Ahom capital at Che Rai Doi (1253 AD, Lak Ni Mong
Kaoix
) he sent presentation to his brother King Sur Hkan Pha at Mong
Mao Lung, a great Tai Kingdom encompassing a large area of today’s
Dehong-Dai-Singpho Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan (Near Ruili) in
China. The Ahom chronicles thus records the link between the Ahom
kings of Assam with the Mong Mao Lung. He sacrificed two horses, held
prayers with the priests (deodhais) under a mulberry tree (Gait) and
kept the idol of Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung in a temple of the capital
city.

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The idol was kept under strict vigilance at the temple and later shifted
to the king’s palace where it was worshipped on special occasions by
the ruling king with the help of the royal priests or Deodhais. When a
new king ascended the throne, it was customary to wear the idol of
Sum Cheng (Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung) suspended from the king’s
neck. It was a secret idol and no one but the king had the right to see it.
This ceremony also called ascending the Singori Ghar was carried out
till the last few kings of the Ahom dynasty. Why this practice was
abandoned in the last few kings? Probably, it already had disappeared
from the palace. According to the Assam Buronjix
, the first printed
history book written by Kashinath Tamuli Phukan and Radhanath
Barbaruah in1884, when King Kamaleswar Singha (1795-1810 AD)
ascended the throne on 14th
August 1795 (23rd
Sawn 1717 Shaka), the
ceremony of ascending the Singori ghar could not be performed and so,
he could not take an Ahom name either as required like his
predecessors. Similarly, the subsequent kings like King Chandrakanta
Singha (1810-1818/1818-1821), King Jogeswar Singha (1821-1824), and
King Purnader Singha (1824-1838), the customary ceremonies like
ascending the Singori Ghar and taking a Tai Ahom name was not
observed.
Although, the exact reason for their failure to perform these prestigious
ceremonies of a Tai Ahom monarch is not mentioned in any of the
chronicles, it is highly probable that the idol of Chum Pha Rung Cheng
Mung (Som Dev) which is required to be worn by the neck by the
crowning prince while ascending Singori ghar and the throne was
already missing from the royal household.
This is further substantiated in a letter from C. Holroyd, Political
Assistant Commissioner of Assam Col. F. Jenkins agent to the Governor
General, N.E. Frontier dated Seebsagur 18th
July 1860, who describes a
gold box containing the idol measuring 10 inches long, 4 inches broad

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and 4 inches high inside a series of three boxes arranged one inside
other in a sequence of gradually decreasing sizes. The final box which
was supposed to house the Chum Seng could not be opened as it was
entwined with intricately knotted strings of cotton threads. The box
formed one of the treasures seized by the British from the King
Kandarpeswar Singha, the Saring Raja. On disappearance of the idol he
said,” In conclusion I trust this may satisfactorily prove to His Honor the
Lieutenant Governor that nothing could possibly have been abstracted
from the Box subsequent to the Rajah’s arrest; and if anything was ever
stolen therefore, which fact I entirely discredit, it must have been while
in charge of his own people.xi
In 1913, Col. P.R.Gurdonxii
published an exciting news about Chum
Seng. ‘I had heard some years ago that the Āhom idol, Somdeo, was
still to be found somewhere in Assam, but it was not till recently, whilst
at Jorhat, I discovered there in the possession of Kuar Chandra Narayan
Singh, a descendant of the Āhom Raja Purandar Singh, a metal plaque
(figured in Plate A) of an oblong shape, although rounded at the top,
gilded over, with certain inscriptions in some Chinese characters
engraven thereon. Chandra Narayan Singh informed me that this
metal plaque was used as altar or pedestal upon which the Ahom god,
Somdeo, was placed. He states that Ratneswari, the widow of the late
Kandarpeswar Singh, who was the nephew of the late Raja Purandar
Singh, gave it to him in 1893. The actual god, Somdeo, is said by him to
have been a diamond or some precious stone, set, from his description,
in a kind of cylinder. Kandarpeswar Singh, according to my informant,
sold the precious stone in Calcutta when he was in difficulties. The
jewel and the altar or plaque used to be enclosed, according to Chandra
Narayan, in seven golden boxes, one box containing the other. None
of these boxes are in his possession now, all having sold at one time or
other. Chandra Narayan says that the hole at the top of the plaque was

7. 7
used to attach the plaque to the neck of the Ahom king at the time of
the Coronation ceremony’.
One more very interesting finding by Mr. Gurdon was the platform that
was supposedly the pedestal for Chum Seng. The plaque had a hole
through which a chain was passed and the king to wear it during
coronation ceremony. There were some Chinese inscriptions over the
plaque which was deciphered from impressions by Mr. Taw Sien Ko of
Mandalay: The meaning of the inscription on the observe face of Plate
A is: “Letters patent dated the fifth year of Yung Lo (1408 A.D.).” The
inscription on the reverse face of A records as follows: “By command of
His Imperial Majesty, the President of the Board (of appointments)
compares both halves and issues the single halves (of the letters
patent).” The left side of Plate B reads “Be faithful”, while the right side
reads “Let the rescript have effect. The Royal Commissioner for
Conciliation, Timāsa”. Mr. Taw Sein Ko continues: “A is a full
document, while the left side and right side of B are halves of two other
documents, the other halves being retained at the Chinese capital.
When tribute was sent to the Chinese emperor, the tribute bearers had
to take with them, as evidence, the halves of such documents as B,
which are compared with the other halves at the Capital. If both halves
matched, they were regarded as genuine documents, and proffered
tribute was accepted.”

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The other hole:
In August 2008, we got an information that an idol supposedly
belonging to the Royal Ahom family was being kept with due honor in a
Brahmin family of Duliajan (Lalit Chandra Barthakur), a small oil town in
upper Assam. The family was descendants of the priestly Brahmin
family who used to perform in the royal Ahom palace. They also had a
linkage to the queen of Sao Pha Siva Singha (Suton Pha 1714-1718 AD),
Phuleswari Bor Roja (great king), so called because she was made the
queen in throne by the king when the Brahmin astrologers predicted
that there was an astrological moment for collapse of king’s crown
(Chatra bhanga yog). The family originally was from Kalu gaon, the
birth place of queen Phuleswari, later migrated to Konwarpur in
Sibsagar district and later shifted to Duliajan. The owner said it was an
active idol (jagrata), belonged to the Royal Ahom family and his
forefathers wanted hand it over back to someone from Royal Ahom
family.

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The idol was devoutly presented to us at his residence on 17th
August
2008.
It was a sight to behold.
The items displayed and handed over were:
1. A golden statue
2. A metal pot,
3. A metal tablet
4. A piece of bone
The statue was a golden one of about 3” in height. The statue consisted
of a figure sitting on a pedestal with lotus engraved in the upper pole of
the seat, right hand holding an elongated object while the left hand was
extended downwards with the palm facing outward. The right leg was
bent upward while left leg was folded itself to the lap. A unique posture
usually taken by a king or a monarch. There was a hole in the lower
part of the left thigh. This hole probably was for the chain which was
attached to the other hole in the platform or the plate above (?).

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One more interesting phenomenon may be observed on the statue too. Ms. Usa
Lohacharoon from Thailand who was with us during our initial investigation could
identify on both the ears two Chinese characters which may be GENG SHEN
(庚申) or GUI -TIAN (圭田).xiii

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The right ear character is may be SHEN (申) and the left ear character is
GENG (庚). Together GENG SHEN (庚申) can be meant for the Lakni year.
Chinese phrase Gen Shen Ye Mao, in Chinese characters 根深叶茂, means
have deep roots and luxuriant leaves - be well-established/well-grounded
and vigorously developing/flourishing.xiv
Was it a message to the
descendants?
 The right ear character is GUI (圭) which means an elongated tablet of jade
held in the hands by ancient rulers on ceremonial occasion.
 The left ear character is TIAN (田) which means rice field or farmland. This
character may be a simplified form of Jiang (疆), which means
TERRITORY.
 So, together GUI -TIAN (圭田) mean as: The King Who Is Ruling His
Territory.
 So, it can be said that it was the ROYAL SYMBOL OF THE KING.
 From the hair braid style and its position on the back of the head it can be
assumed that the statue originated in the Yunnan Region. Had it been
originated in Central China or Manchuria the braid style would have been

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different. TIAN (as seen in left ear) in Chinese also mean the Heaven or the
Yunnan region of the present day China.

It is apparent from the above description that the words in the metal
plate and the statue are complimentary to each other and truly
indicates a royal order or agreement between the Tai Ahom king and a
Chinese emperor. The differences in the dates in the metal plate may
suggest that this agreement had been renewed from time to time with
a continuation of mutual understanding. More in depth study of
contemporary Chinese history may unearth many surprising findings of
a possible link between the Ahom kings and China of bygone days.
Does this make the picture complete?
Despite many critics being un-convinced, if we put the broken pieces
together, we can get a very convincing picture of what might have been
the Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung.
1. The holes on the metal plaque and one on the left knee of the
statue are identical.
2. The size of the boxes that reportedly housed the Chum Pha Rung
Cheng Mung tallies well with sizes of the statues and the plates
put together (10”x4”x4” - C. Holroyd).

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3. It is quite possible that the plate on one side and the statue on
the other side were connected by a gold chain, which reportedly
was there before being sold by some relative of the Brahmin
family where the statue was found.
4. So the statue and the plate completes the structure of the Chum
Pha Rung Cheng Mung.
5. The complete picture may be reconstructed something like this:
6. The boxes containing the idol (Three box theory: C. Holroyd,
1860).

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7.

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8. The 7 box theory (Col. P.R. Gurdon 1913):
The golden caskets, statue and the bony relics are quite similar
traditionally to those found in the Famen temple of China. Carbon
dating of the bone may further determine the actual age of the bone
and determine its antiquity value.
Discussion:
No one had ever seen the Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung except the
ruling King or the Sao Pha. So the exact nature of the entity remains
uncertain. Various hypotheses regarding the physical characteristics of
Chum Cheng have been suggested like:
1. A piece of precious jewel or diamond (Kuar Chandra Narayan
Singh).

16. 16
2. Ancestors of Khun Lung and Khun Lai, a male and a female image
(Nay Elias, 1876).
3. An image of Dhyani Buddha (Thanuram Gogoi, Ahom scholar)
4. Shaped like a heron, a male and female dragon (Padmeswar
Gogoi, Ahom Scholar).
That Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung consisting of two parts has been
described in the Shan chronicles (Nay Elias). The idea of a male and a
female figurine might have arisen out of many speculations like
universal male and female phenomenon, Yin and Yang concept or even
may be Lord Fra (Buddha) and the female counterpart Tara.
However, I feel after analyzing the present available information may
suggest that the Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung may really be two
entities.
1. Chum Pha Rung: the seal (Chum= seal, Pha=king, Rung=be known,
declaration, to express)
2. Cheng Mung: the deity. (Cheng= God/ spirit, Mung= country)
As we have seen that, the plaque found at the disposal of Kuar
Chandra Narayan Singha a descendant of the last Sao Pha Purandar
Singha is nothing but an agreement under the royal seal of emperor
China. But the lacuna is in the date patented i.e. 1408 AD on the
plaque. As was rightly questioned by W.W.Chochrane on the article
by P.R. Gurdon, the validity of the date and the place Timasa. Doubt
was even expressed by the author Gurdon himself who wrote, ‘The
Āhoms invaded Assam in the year A.D.1228 (p.74 of Gait’s History of
Assam), whereas the date of the plaque is A.D. 1408 or during the
reign of the Āhom king Chujangpha (p.78 of Kashinath Tamuli
Phukan’s Buranji).’

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Not much is known about Sao Pha Chujangpha (1407-1422AD)
except that he was a son of Sao Pha Chudang Pha aka Bamuni
Konwar and ruled for 15 years.
Yung Lon aka Chu Ti (1360-1424) was the third emperor of Ming
dynasty of China. He declared himself emperor in August 1403xv
. He
had diplomatic relations with a number of far off country including
Portugalxvi
. But did this relation extended up to Assam is not known.
Timasa had been referred to be present day Chieng-Mai which has
again been ridiculed. The connections, if any, needs more in depth
study.
The suggestion that the plaque was brought later on by subsequent
visitors or by the Burmese is also worth probing. Is it possible that
the plaques were changed from time to time on periodic visit of
emissaries to the Chinese emperor?
Discussing the true identity of Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung is
beyond the scope of the present discussion, which has been done
elsewhere. But it may be said from the evidences on the prayer book
on Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung that the idol must have represented
a forefather of the Tai kings. These prayers had been addressed to a

18. 18
great grandfather of the king seeking his blessings and guidance and
protection in governance of the kingdom. Sacrifices and various
offerings were made by the ruling king on auspicious occasions, a
ritual quite similar to those described in literaturesxvii. And this
forefather was from Yunnan or the Heaven, as described in the Tai
legends of Khun Lung Khun Lai’s descent from heaven to earth to
the state of Mung-Ri-Mung-Ram. And these legends have very
historical and geographical relevance as can be deduced from the
evidences.
Conclusion:
1. Chum Pha Rung Cheng Mung, the royal deity of the Tai Ahom
kings who established the Tai Ahom kingdom called Assam in
India had its origin in Yunnan province of China.
2. The idol which was lost during the last few decades of Ahom
dynasty had a metal plate with Chinese inscriptions which
indicate an unexplored link between Assam and China.
3. This is the first time we have been hopefully able to solve the
mystery of Chu Pha Rung Cheng Mung, the royal Tai Ahom
deity in an investigative study after it has been remaining
untraced for almost 220 years.
4. The findings are however open to scrutiny and criticism by the
scholars.
5. More studies are required on Chinese history to explore the
possible China-Assam relations in view of artefacts found in
Assam bearing Chinese inscriptions.
i
Gait Edward, A history Assam, 1905

19. 19
ii
Bhuyan SK(Ed), Deodhai Assam Buronji 1962
iii
Gordon PR (1913). IX. The Origin of the Āhoms, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
(New Series), 45, pp283-287. Doi:10.1017/S0035869X00044567
iv
Khek Lai, old Ahom manuscript on Sanchi bark.
http://eap.bl.uk/database/overview_item.a4d?catId=262444;r=7285 accessed on 04/03/2016
v
Tamuli Phukan Kashinath, Barbaruah Radhanath. Assam Buronji (Assamese)1884 (Sibsagar Baptist Mission,
reprinted 2013 Basu Publication)
vi
Wriggins Sally Hovey (2008). The Silk Road Journey. Basic Books
vii
Rajguru S. Itihaxor pat meli (Assamese).
viii
Sai Aung Tu. History of the Shan State: From its origins to 1952 Silkworm Books 2009
ix
Phukan JN, Buragohain Ramesh, Buragohain Ye Hom. Chao-Lung Siu-Ka-Pha (1998). The celebration Committee,
770
th
Anniversary of Chao-Lung Siu-Ka-Pha, 1997-98
x
Tamuli Phukan Kashinath, Barbaruah Radhanath. Assam Buronji (Assamese)1884 (Sibsagar Baptist Mission,
reprinted 2013 Basu Publication)
xi
Gogoi HK, et al. In search of Chum Seng, 2008.
xii
Gurdon P.R. (1913). IX. The Origin of the Āhoms. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland
(New Series), 45, pp 283-287. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00044567.
xiii
Personnel communication Usa Lohacharoon, Thailand.
xiv
http://www.chinese-names.net/phrase/%E6%A0%B9%E6%B7%B1%E5%8F%B6%E8%8C%82 accessed on
30/10/2014
xv
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Yung-lo.aspx accessed on 18/03/2016
xvi
Topographical Account of Canton. The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Journal for British India and its Dependencies.
Vol 10, July to December 1820.
xvii
https://www.britannica.com/topic/tian