Remembering Sati Joymoti

The mighty Brahmaputra River is not just a flow of water; it holds the memories of Assam within its depths. Legend has it that the river watched silently as Sati Joymoti, an Ahom Princess, endured unspeakable torment at the hands of her enemies. For many agonizing days, the river reflected the pain and suffering of the princess in its once silvery waters, turning them a haunting shade of crimson. This tragic tale of sacrifice and resilience is etched into the very soul of Assam, as the Brahmaputra whispers its story to all who care to listen.

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The great historian Edward Gait refers to the system of Ahom administration as peculiar. He justifies this statement by elaborating on the administration process wherein although a king, the Swargadeo was on the throne, he was primarily assisted by three Gohains. The latter had provinces assigned to them and exercised most of their independent powers of sovereignty in them. The king was supposed to consult them in regard to matters related to politics, war or other administrative matters and could not make any independent decisions without doing so. Considering the expansion of the Ahom kingdom, two new positions were created to delegate administrative work. These were Bar Barua and Barphukan.

There was however an essential condition that no one could ascend the throne unless he is from the royal bloodline. And the person must be free from any noticeable scar and wounds or physical disability. Even a scar of a carbuncle may lead to disqualification from the throne.

During the reign of Swargadeo Sulikpha, this rule was misused on inhumane grounds. The Swargadeo was better referred to as Lora Roja(a young boy elected as King) for he was a minor when Laluk Sola Barphukan put him on the throne to lay political conspiracies in the Kingdom. He was a mere puppet in the hands of the Barphukan who himself took over the entire administration. To ensure the success of his plans he did something that was never done in the History of Ahoms. The Barphukan did a conspiracy to mutilate all the potential candidates to the throne.

The desired objective was usually affected by slitting the ear, slicing limbs and even depriving one of their eyesight.

GADADHAR SINGHA

Gadadhar Singha, a valiant and resourceful member of the Royal family, posed a significant threat to Laluksula Borphukan's aspirations for the throne. Due to this, Laluksula harbored malevolent intentions towards Gadadhar and his two sons, Lai and Lesai.

Upon learning of Laluksula's nefarious plans, Gadadhar's wife, Joymoti Konwari, strongly urged her husband to swiftly relocate with their children to a secure and undisclosed location until the situation could be brought under control. Initially hesitant, Gadadhar grappled with the notion of fleeing, feeling it reflected cowardice. However, his wife emphasized that only he could avert the decline of the illustrious Ahom kingdom and deliver the people from the cruelties of Laluksula Borphukan. Ultimately convinced by his wife's impassioned reasoning, Gadadhar departed from his abode, seeking refuge in the Naga hills while assuming an incognito identity.

Right after Gadadhar went missing, Laluksula and his army were extremely tense and started searching for him in every nook and corner of the Kingdom. Even after lot of searchings when they failed to get any information about the whereabouts of Gadadhar, Laluksula ordered his soldiers to ask his wife, Joymoti Konwari about the address of Gadadhar.

A brave and bold Joymoti shook her head and replied with a clear "NO" when asked about the whereabouts of her husband. The soldiers tried to persuade her many times but each time her answer remained unchanged and she chose to stick to her royal ethics.

When the soldier informed about the stubbornness of Joymoti to Laluksula Borphukan, he was extremely provoked and what he did next remains a black spot in the history of the Ahoms.

Laluksula persuaded the puppet king, Swargadeo Sulikpha to summon Joymoti to the royal court room. The Princess was interrogated by the royal generals but each time Joymoti refused to reveal the whereabouts of her husband. After a point of time, Laluksula lost his patience and ordered the Saudangs(Royal executioners) to imprison Joymoti, however, she still refused to divulge her husband's information. Finally, the Chaudangs were ordered to take Joymoti to Jerenga Pothar.

Joymoti was taken to the open field and tied to a thorny tree named Jerenga (from where the field Jerenga Pothar derives its name). The Chaudangs asked Joymoti to tell her husband's location and each time she said NO they would mercilessly flog her with a whiplash. Streams of crimson blood drenched the soil of Jerenga Pothar, even the trees started to cry at the sight of a Princess being tortured inhumanely, but Joymoti's answer remained unchanged after each painful flog. She was tortured day and night without any break for straight fourteen days.

"She was tied and flogged in an open field, known as Jerenga Pathar, till her death but did not utter a word about Gadapani's whereabouts. For her, Gadapani was not only her husband but the probable savior of the kingdom." (Sharma, 2013: 5) 

Multiple forms of inhumane punishments were given to Joymoti, such as throwing hot boiling water on her skin or beating her with molten iron rods. Her soft and beautiful skin was now red with blisters and scars, there were wounds all over her body. She was almost out of her senses, the utmost physical pain and torture could be felt in every cell of her body. However, despite all the torture, all the beatings, all the bloodshed her answer always remained a firm "NO".

According to some historians, Joymoti was pregnant with her fourth child at that time. When physical pain was not enough to extract any information, Laluksula even resorted to giving her a severe form of mental torture. Joymoti was even made to witness her 5-year-old daughter being killed in front of her eyes. Joymoti still did not utter a single word about her husband.

She only kept on saying one sentence on loop

"Oh Lord,....Oh, my brave Husband...Hail my MotherLand"

According to some legends, it is said that Gadadhar also came to know about the atrocities being done to his wife. A helpless Gadadhar could not gather any army till then and he came at night to see Joymoti while the Chaudangs were not there. Gadapani pleaded with Joymoti to surrender as he could not bear the sight of his wife's torture, but Joymoti was determined to not surrender and upkeep the glory of the Ahoms. Gadadhar controlled his tears and promised his beloved that he won't let her sacrifices go in vain.

SATI JOYMOTI

Just like the Hindu Goddess Mata Sati, the incarnation of Adishakti, who sacrificed her life in the fire upon the humiliation of her husband Shiva, Joymoti Kuwari also took her last breath on the 27th of March, 1680 after 14 days of brutal torture. But till her last breath, she did not reveal her husband's whereabouts and became Sati Joymoti.

Joymoti's sacrifice is not only the epitome of sacrifice for one's husband but also an evergreen example of patriotism. This is because her sacrifice protected the distortion of the Ahom Dynasty and it put an end to the evil rule of Laluksula.

After some time, Gadapani returned to Assam with his well-trained army and with all his might defeated Sulikapha and Laluksula. Gadadhar Singha was throned as the new Swargadeo and he established the Tunkhungkia clan that ruled the Kingdom till its climatic end at the beginning of the 19th century with the Yandaboo treaty in 1826.

Born to a brave and strong mother, Sukrungpha or Lai succeeded his father on the throne as the powerful and mighty king, Swargadeo Rudra Singha (1696-1714). He built the Joysagar Lake at Sibsagar in 1697 and the Phakuwa Dol with a golden idol of Joymoti in 1703-04 to perpetuate the memory of his heroic mother.

The sacrifice of Joymoti and her valor is still alive in the heart of every Assamese and her courage is the epitome of the glory of the Ahom Dynasty. The first Assamese film "JOYMOTI" directed by Roopkunwor Jyoti Prasad Agarwala in 1935 was a documentary on the story of Sati Joymoti. The role of Joymoti was played by the magnificent and gorgeous Assamese actress Aaideu Handique.

In this movie, Jyotiprasad Agarwala composed a very beautiful song as a tribute to Sati Joymoti.

"It is to tell the story of that courage 

In this and other nations

That the waters of the Luit Flowed far and wide"

(Agawala 2017: 906; trans. current authors)

REFERENCES

• (Agawala 2017: 906; trans. current authors)
• (Sharma, 2013: 5)
• (Barua & Lal,2021: 13)