Exploration, Excavation, Conservation and Development
Programmes
1. Exploration and Excavation
Excavation of Moidam 38 (1988-89), followed by conservation of
the Moidam, revealed a rectangular masonry burial chamber with
an arched entrance on its west, a Chou Cha li (an open pavilion
called “Dole”) and a dwarf octagonal wall, again with an arched
entrance on the west. The vault chamber of the Moidam was made
accessible to visitors for better understanding of the
architectural, structural and cultural systems of the Ahom
sculptural monument typology.
Excavations of Moidam 77 (2020-21) reveals two important things.
First is a mantle of double layered burnt bricks covering earthen
mound on the Moidam vault, and second is a dwarf circular peripheral
all with an entrance through it from the west.
Excavation of Moidam 78 (2021-22) reveals diameter of Moidam as
53.80 m and height as 11 m. The north-eastern segment of the
octagonal dwarf wall is preserved in 12 courses. An important
discovery is an iron nail inserted through one of two perforations
of a burnt brick to hold the adjacent bricks in place and help
construct an arched entrance. Atop this Moidam are discovered
traces of a Chou Cha li. Encircling the base of the mound inside
the octagonal wall is a double row of cobbles as a cobblestone
edging to a narrow open strip, here a double "ring of pearls".
Excavation of Moidam 78 (2022-24) was conducted along the western flank of the Moidam where the arched entrance to the vault chamber - a brick chamber where the deceased body of the Ahom royal was laid to rest - was recovered. After excavating the Moidam, the first brick of the vault has been traced at a depth of 7m from the cutting line of the quadrant. The arched entrance has been located at a depth of 8.5 m. The entrance was covered by a heap of boulders mixed with mud. The arch is 1.72m width and 1.72m height.
Moidam77, situated at the Charaideo Moidams Archaeological Site,
is one of the Royal Ahom Mound-Burials of the Ahom Dynasty.
This is the only Moidam known so far to have a circular dwarf
outer wall rather than the octagonal wall found in medium and
large-sized Moidams. Height of this Moidam is 7.50 m,
diameter is 33.30 m, Circumference, average width and
height of the circular brick dwarf wall is 115.00 m,
0.80 m and 0.47 m respectively.
Moidam 38, situated at the Charaideo Archaeological Site,
is one of the Royal Ahom Mound-Burials of the Ahom Dynasty.
Height of the Moidam is 5.40 m, diameter, 29.00 m, average
length, width and height of the 8 walls of the brick dwarf
wall is 13.00 m, 0.90 m, and 0.80 m respectively.