The Charaideo maidams: Assam’s royal mounds step closer to world heritage

The maidams of Charaideo — the hilltop burial mounds of Assam’s Ahom kings — have moved a step closer to UNESCO world heritage listing, with the state promising enhanced protection.

The mounds, some centuries old, are architectural and ritual marvels: brick-vaulted chambers beneath earthen pyramids.

A new interpretation centre will let visitors understand the mounds without disturbing them.