Abstract

Medieval Assam during the period of the Ahom rule 1228-1826AD witnessed a certain degree of development in the fields of society polity economy religion and culture Land and man were the main sources of revenue in the state1 In this development process the role and contribution of the people known as paiks are remarkable The Ahoms were more agricultural than raiding conquerors as the founder of the kingdom Sukapha 1228-1268 AD himself engaged in agricultural activities2 The Ahoms had an improved mode of production such as wet rice cultivation compared to the existing tribes of the Brahmaputra valley The local tribes were subjugated through the introduction of exacting personal service from them Virgin lands were brought under cultivation from time to time under royal supervision during the Ahom period 1228-1826AD 3 With the extension of the power from its foundation in 13th century AD to 17th century AD the existing system of exacting personal service from the subjects to be elaborated and reorganized The political condition contributed in the growth of common identity among the rulers During the period of Ahom king Pratap Singha 1603-1641 AD Momai Tamuli Barbarua resettled the old villages and settled new ones on the basis of the Paik or Khel system4