The only lady to sit on the Ahom throne

**The only lady to sit on the Ahom throne** ***The mighty Ahoms have ruled Assam and parts of the northeast for more than 600 years and were undefeatable. Their heroic stories are quite famous in the pages of history. But very few know that there was a period when the kingdom was ruled by a lady.***

Ahom palace: The Talatal Ghar. Source: wikimedia

India has witnessed a large number of great leaders throughout its long span of history. Among those leaders a few were women. While Rani of Jhansi, Razia Sultan, Sultan Jehan Begum, Noor Jahan, etc. became famous because of their unique skills either in administration or in weaponry, many such names didn't find a way into the textbooks. One name was that of Phuleswari, an Ahom queen who sat on the throne.

When it comes to Ahom rule, not many know that they were the longest ruling dynasty in India; 600 years to be precise! Also, they defeated the Mughals three times and never submitted to them. These Ahoms ruled in Assam and a few kings like Sukapha and Suhungmung are famous. Also famous is the story of Joymoti, an Ahom queen who gave up her life to enthrone her husband.

Among all these lies another story. It is the story of a young devadasi girl who was attached to a Shiva temple in Dergaon. This orphaned girl was Phuleswari who was looked after by the priest of that temple. It so happened that the Ahom king of that time Shiva Singha fell for the beauty of Phuleswari and also she did not belong to the Ahom clan or of any Ahom royal family. But Shiva Singha being the Swargadeo (Ahom way to referring to their king) decided to marry her.

With the marriage of Phuleswari and Shiva Singha came a few changes in the administration. The first change is that the king stepped down from ruling and asked his wife to take authority. But why did it happen? Swargadeo Shiva Singha was pious and greatly influenced by Brahmana priests and astrologers. One day an astrologer predicted an end to his rule in the near future. This scared the king so much that the idea of his death started haunting him. He thought a lot and later on a Brahmin advised him to give the throne to some other trustworthy person and still hold the title of the king. After a lot of thought, he stepped down from the position of the king and made the chief queen, Phuleswari the "Bar Raja" (translation “Chief King”).

joint names of her and her husband. She tried to make Shaktism the state religion, and it was from her time onwards that Durga Puja began to be celebrated in the royal premises. She is also credited to excavate the Gaurisagar tank in Sibsagar and building three temples on its bank dedicated to Siva, Vishnu, and Devi. These places are now major tourist places in Assam. She was also a great patron of Sanskrit learning and had a Sanskrit school started within the palace campus.

But the evil prediction of the astrologer somewhere came true. Phuleswari died while giving birth to her first child. The grief-stricken Shiva Singha, later on, married Phuleshwari’s sister Draupadi and made her the Bar Raja. Even Bar Raja Draupadi died after a few years of ruling and later on, she was succeeded by Enadari who became the Bar Raja Sarveswari. Interestingly these ladies ruled quite efficiently and no war was fought during their times