SSC
The 'Rang Ghar' at Sivasagar, Assam, often described as one of the oldest surviving amphitheatres (royal pavilions for sports) in Asia, was built by the:
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Answer: Option D — Ahom kings
Detailed Solution
The "Rang Ghar" ("house of entertainment") at Sivasagar, Assam, was built by the Ahom kings in the 18th century, and is often described as one of the oldest surviving amphitheatres (royal sports pavilions) in Asia.
About the Rang Ghar:
- It was built by the Ahom king Pramatta Singha in about 1746, replacing an earlier wooden structure built by Rudra Singha.
- It is a two-storeyed oval building, with a roof shaped like an inverted royal Ahom boat.
- The roof is decorated with a pair of carved stone crocodiles (makara).
From its pavilion, the Ahom kings and nobles watched sports and games held in the field (the Rupahi Pathar) below, such as buffalo fights, elephant fights, wrestling and other events, especially during the Rongali Bihu festival.
It was built of small bricks, and the mortar used a mixture that is said to have included sticky rice, eggs and fish.
It is a protected monument.
About Sivasagar:
- It was the capital of the Ahom kingdom in the 18th century (it was called Rangpur).
- Its name means "ocean of Shiva", after the large tank (Sivasagar tank) built by Queen Ambika in 1734.
Other Ahom monuments at Sivasagar:
- Talatal Ghar: a palace with underground floors.
- Kareng Ghar: a royal palace at Garhgaon.
- Sivadol, Vishnudol and Devidol: temples beside the Sivasagar tank.
- Joysagar tank: built by Rudra Singha in memory of his mother, Joymati.
About the Ahoms:
- They ruled the Brahmaputra valley from the 13th century until 1826.
- They resisted the Mughals for many years.
- They kept chronicles called buranjis.
- The "Moidams" of Charaideo (royal burial mounds) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Other kingdoms of the north-east:
- The Koch kingdom: ruled western Assam and north Bengal (Cooch Behar).
- The Kachari kingdom: ruled parts of central and southern Assam (Dimapur, Maibang, Khaspur).
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Koch kings, Mughal governors and Kachari kings did not build the Rang Ghar.
Quick tip
Remember: Rang Ghar (Sivasagar, Assam) = built by the Ahom kings (Pramatta Singha, about 1746); boat-shaped roof; Talatal Ghar and Kareng Ghar are other Ahom palaces.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.