One of the three boats recovered on Tuesday. Picture by Abir Borgohain

Guwahati, Aug. 17: Three boats, dating back to the Ahom era, were recovered from near a bridge on the Bhogdoi river along the Assam-Nagaland boundary today.

One of the boats found floating by residents of the area is still in “fine shape”, and is believed to be have been used during the reign of Ahom King Gadadhar Singha.

“The Ahom rulers probably had a base in this area with a fleet of boats. The shape and size of the boats are clear indications that they belong to the Ahom era. But the exact period during which these boats were built would be known only after carbon dating,” Jorhat museum officer Gautam Bordoloi told The Telegraph over phone.

Bordoloi said there were historical records of Ahom rulers having a base about 3km from the area from where the boats were recovered on the bank of the Bhogdoi river.

“The river base had been transformed into a large water body over the years and these boats were probably buried in sand but have emerged now,” he said.

Each of the boats, 31 feet long and seven feet in width, were built from a single log with carvings from the Ahom era.

“Unlike the country boats built nowadays by joining several pieces of wood, these boats are built from a single piece of log,” Bordoloi said.

The museum officer said Gangapur under Mariani police station in Jorhat district, the place from where the boats were recovered, is hardly 3km from the Nagaland border and probably the Ahom rulers used these boats to ferry timber and other materials from the Nagaland hills.

He said the residents had given up using boats as a mode of communication since time immemorial owing to improved road communication.

The recovery comes barely four months after earthen pots containing Ahom-era coins were found in Jorhat.

Bordoloi said Jorhat, Sivasagar and Golaghat districts — then undivided Sivasagar district — are a treasure trove of items dating back to the Ahom era. A few years back, similar coins were recovered from Kakodonga tea estate along Jorhat’s boundary with Golaghat.

“Jorhat museum has a large collection of such items, including sculptures, manuscripts, masks and the like,” he said.

The official said the archaeology department has been carrying out excavation work in the area in search of valuable items. “Several such items were found in Sarupathar and Deopani areas in Golaghat district,” he added.