1848.] Description of the Tomb of an Ahom Noble. 473 



Description of the Tomb of an Ahom Noble, in a letter to Major S. F. 

 Hannay ; by Serjeant C. Clayton, Depart. Public Works. — Com- 

 municated by W. Seton Karr, Esq. Under-Secretary to the Go- 

 ment of Bengal. 



In compliance with the request contained in your note of the 19th 

 instant, I beg herewith to enclose a rough Plan and Section* of the 

 " Maidom" or Tomb, of which I superintended the opening at the re- 

 quest of Captain Brodie. 



The Tomb is said to be that of the Burra Ghohain " Purnananda/> 

 who exercised great authority during the latter part, and after the reign 

 of Gowrienath Singh ; it was built entirely of massive timber of the 

 dimensions shewn in the plan, the posts and beams being of Nahr and 

 the plank of Oriam, all in excellent preservation. 



The shell or coffin was placed upon a median, not in the centre of the 

 room, but much nearer to the north side ; and from the upper edges of 

 the mechan rose a wall of thin rough boards enclosing the coffin on all 

 four sides but open at top, which however rose to within a foot of the 

 main roof. The coffin was placed east and west, but there was no- 

 thing in the shape to shew the head from the foot ; it was something 

 wider at top than bottom, and the lid (cut from a single plank) was 

 slightly convex outside, and hollowed within ; it rested on a groove cut 

 round the edge of the coffin to receive it, without any other fastening. 

 Under the coffin were four legs or stands, with a cross-bar connecting 

 each pair ; they were of very rough workmanship, similar to the com_ 

 monest sort used under the cots of the natives. One peculiarity in this 

 tomb from others that I have seen, was the total absence of iron work 

 in the shape of nails, bolts, or other fastenings from every part of it. 

 Within the coffin, not the slightest vestige remained of its former occu- 

 pant, if I may except a quantity of ashy looking dust over a thin layer 

 of sand ; — the personal ornaments, such as rings, toothpick case, ear 

 ornaments, &c. were all in one spot about the middle of the coffin, or as 

 if placed under or near where the hand might have been, and not in 

 their usual places about the person. Outside the coffin, on the platform 

 of the mechan were placed the eating, drinking and cooking vessels, but 

 the whole of those being of copper or brass were so much decayed as 



* We have given the Section, which is sufficiently intelligible without the Plan, in 

 IMate XXXII.-Eds. 



