A grand Durga puja was held in the Ahom kingdom, Rangpur. The Queen, also known as the Bor-Raja (chief king), invited the Moamarias to the grand ritual. The Moamarias were the adherents of the egalitarian Moamara Sattra against idol-worship, sacrificial rites, and other Vaishnava traditions. The Queen ordered them to a Sakti shrine to offer something to the Goddess and forcibly smeared the blood of the sacrificial animals on their foreheads. This was considered a grave insult to the Moamarias and was considered one of the prime causes for their great rebellion against the throne and the ultimate downfall of the Ahom kingdom. The Queen became the sole reason for the revolution and was considered the “villain” in the pages of History.
Often a story has two versions: The tale of the ones who triumphed and the vanquished. However, History often overlooks the “villain’s” story. The Queen mentioned above is Queen Phuleswari Devi of the Ahom kingdom (ruled from 1714-1744). She is known for being the first queen of the Ahom Kingdom to lead directly. Originally a dancer in a Shiva temple, Phuleswari captured the King’s attention with her ethereal beauty. King Siva Singha married her and made her his chief consort. Some also say that she was forcibly brought by the King after he murdered her groom-to-be in front of her eyes. During that time, there were many religious conflicts in the kingdom between Shaktisim and Bhakti. Idol-worship or Shaktism included sacrificial rituals polar opposite to the Bhakti rituals or the Ekasarana Naam Dharma (neo-vaishnavite religion of the 15th-16th century of Assam emphasizing the notion of one God, one religion) that were against sacrifices and grand rituals. The priests and the royalty wanted Shaktisim to be the state’s official religion. Still, the minor classes of the society that included the Moamarias favored the Ekesaran Dharma. During that time, the astrologers predicted the King that he was under the evil influence of the stars, which might result in him losing the throne. The priest thus advised him to hand over the regalia to Phuleswari Devi, who then took the title of Bor-Raja (chief king).
This started the reign of a fierce queen whose contributions to the kingdom remain unparalleled. Instead of listing her achievements and good deeds, History only villainizes her and blames her for the unrest created in the kingdom in the form of the Moamaria revolt. The Moamaria revolt resulted from suppression and discrimination and a century-long conflict between the tribals and the throne. Ahom Kings such as King Pratap Singha(1497-1539), King Gadadhar Singha(1681-1714), Rudra Singha (1714-1744) : all of them subdued the Vaishnavas, particularly the Moamarias, as a result of which with time, a rebellion came into the surface. Thus to narrow down the reason of the revolt to one single Queen is injustice. This also brings up the fact that there is discrimination based on gender in mainstream History as the many achievements of women are often under-appreciated.
Phuleswari Devi jointly minted coins with the King.
She personally was in charge of training the young girls on the art of weaving and looking after the activities of the royal looms.
She ordered the translation of the Sakuntala into Assamese and established a school in the palace campus to teach Sanskrit.
The Gaurisagar tank near the present town of Sivasagar was excavated according to her orders, and three huge temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu, and Devi were erected on its side. This attracted pilgrims that filled the royal treasury as tributes to the throne increased.
She made a lot of land grants to the Brahmana preceptor and temple.
She fulfilled all of her duties as a queen, including maintaining good relations with the ministers and the subjects.
Trade ran efficiently, and the royal treasury was filled to the brim during her reign.
Some people also say that she warmly welcomed the Moamarias in the Durga Puja and punished the Barbaruah (minister) severely, who murdered a Moamaria tribal before her knowledge. Thus, although the smearing of the sacrificial blood was atrocious, she was not totally responsible for the suffering of the Vaishnavas.
History has been focused on that one mistake rather than her countless achievements as a Queen. History does not highlight the injustices done to her by the throne.
Being a consort of the King during that time was a horrific experience. Her self-respect and dignity were constantly challenged while being sexually harassed by an evil King and husband.
Her being cast off as the villain results from male dominance in the ancient History of India. The Ahom historians erased her name and her valuable achievements from History. Instead, King Siva Singha became victimized as the King whose reign was destroyed by the evil Queen. Her efficient governance and political insights did not make it to the pages of History. The negligence of the achievements of female rulers in History is not rare. Queens and leaders such as Didda (980ce-1003ce), Jahanara Begum (1631-1658, 1669-1681), Begum Hazarat Mahal (1820-1879), and many more are also overshadowed. Didda, being the first queen of India, was a loving queen who became Kashmir’s sole ruler while raising her sons and grandsons, remains nameless. Jahanara, in spite of her tragic personal life, built many architectural marvels and was an intellectual advisor in the Mughal court but is overshadowed by her brother, Aurangzeb’s achievements. Begum Hazarat Mahal’s contributions in the 1851 Revolt are unparalleled, but historians do not acknowledge her. This pattern of gender discrimination in our History ought to be stopped, and the feats of these inspiring queens must be discussed. With female POV historical fiction and non-fiction books, such queens are being highlighted nowadays. However, there are still queens and female leaders who are nameless in History.
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