Question

Who were the Ahoms? How did they build a large state?

Answer 1

Hint: The state of Ahom depended upon the forced labour as they were defeated by the Mughals in 1662. Before this, the Ahoms defeated many tribes and even used firearms.

Complete answer:
During the thirteenth century, the Ahoms migrated from present-day Myanmar to the Brahmaputra valley. By suppressing the older political system of bhuiyans, the Ahoms created a new state. They annexed the kingdoms of the Chutiyas (1523) and Koch – Hajo (1581) during the 16th century and they also subjugated many other tribes. The Ahoms used firearms as early as the 1530s and built a large state. They also made high-quality gunpowder and cannons by the 1660s. They even faced many invasions from the south-west. The kingdom of Ahom was attacked by the Mughals under Mir Jumla in 1662. Ahoms were defeated despite their brave defence. Then, the region was under the control of the Mughals which did not last long. The Ahom depended upon the forced labour. The paiks were those who were forced to work for the state. The census was also taken for the population. The number of paiks in each village should be sent by rotation. The people were shifted to the less populated areas from the heavily populated areas. Thus, the clans of the Ahoms were broken up. Its administration also became quite centralised by the first half of the 17th century.

Note: The bhuiyans are the landlords. The Ahoms were a tribe whose major occupation was agriculture. The Ahoms have also written a few historical books which are known as the Buranjis.