Rangpur-Sivasagar Ensemble submitted for UNESCO World Heritage status: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on September 4, said the Rangpur-Sivasagar Ensemble, the former capital of the Ahom dynasty, has been formally submitted for UNESCO World Heritage status.

In a post on X, Sarma said India’s Permanent Mission to UNESCO formally submitted the nomination on June 19, 2026, under UNESCO’s criteria (iii) and (iv).

The chief minister said the historic complex represents the capital of the Ahom dynasty, which ruled the Brahmaputra Valley for six centuries. The ensemble includes some of Assam’s finest Ahom-era temples, palaces, water tanks and engineering structures.

Among the prominent monuments within the complex is the Rang Ghar, described by Sarma as Asia’s oldest surviving amphitheatre.

Sarma said the nomination builds on UNESCO’s 2024 recognition of the Charaideo Moidams as a World Heritage Site.

“Together, the two sites complete the Ahom story: where the dynasty rests, and where it ruled,” Sarma said.

The chief minister expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what he described as an “unprecedented push” to secure global recognition for Assam’s heritage.

The Rangpur-Sivasagar Ensemble encompasses key remnants of the Ahom capital at Sivasagar, reflecting the architectural, cultural and technological achievements of the dynasty that ruled Assam from 1228 to 1826.