The Lost Kingdom of Jaintia

Some 40 kilometres away from Sylhet city, lies the small charming town of Jaintapur. Located in the foothills of cloud covered Jaintia hills, the town consists of several Khasi villages, pine apple and clementine orchards and a few bazaars. However, this small town has a long history of civilisation and warfare. 

In the beginning of the 15th century, the present Jaintapur town was the capital of Jaintia Kingdom founded by the Pnar people. Their royal palace was situated at Jaintapur whose ruins can be seen scattered within a large area of the town. Legends of this once mighty kingdom and stories of their struggle with the Muslim conquerors are still remembered by the townspeople. 

The massive gateway covered with orchids and algae at the town-centre marks the entrance to the royal palace and the court, which are mostly destroyed. Once infamous for human sacrifice, the place is still feared by the inhabitants of Jaintapur. 

The entire palace precinct is surrounded by a decorated brick wall. Megalithic structures around the wall represent the ancient culture of the Pnar people. At the centre of the precinct, was situated the royal throne and the royal court (the throne is preserved in a building built on the ancient foundation of the palace) where the queen mother used to sit to address the public meetings and judgements. 

There is a large circular pedestal in front of the throne. According to legend, the pedestal called "Chandir Thal" was used for human sacrifice. During the annual worship of Jainteshwari, the guarding goddess of the kingdom, the queen mother used to celebrate the festival by sacrificing a male human being. The sacrificial man used to be selected from the prisoners of war or imprisoned criminals or abducted from other neighbouring tribes.

After decapitating the man with a single chop, the blood and head of the victim were collected and offered to the goddesses' statue at the Jainteshwari temple. The headless body of the victim was thrown into the nearby well which is still there beside the pedestal. After witnessing the sacrifice, the queen mother, with her courtiers, used to go to a bathing house just behind the court and take a ritual milk bath. The ruins of the bathing house can still be seen behind the court. 

The massive temple of goddess Jainteshwari, adjacent to the royal palace, has also been destroyed and is now being used as a garbage dump. The hay days of Jaintia kingdom came to an end after the Mughal conquest of Assam in the 16th century when their subjects converted to Islam in thousands. Later in the 18th century, the British colonialists drove out the last members of Jaintia royal families from Jaintapur and they took shelter in the hilly areas of Assam. From then on, the precinct of Jaintapur royal palace has been silenced forever. 

At present, without any preservation efforts, the ruins of Jaintapur palace and the temple lies completely abandoned. A native Khasia named Nura Pagla is the only human being who lives near the ruins and tells the stories of this ancient kingdom to tourists while working as a voluntary guide. If proper preservations of this remarkable archaeological site can be done, it can be a great attraction for tourists and history enthusiasts.