The coins dating back to the Ahom era. Picture by Parikhit Saikia

Guwahati, April 9: A labourer’s spade struck an earthen pot at a road construction site in a remote Jorhat village last evening and out spilled silver coins dating back to the Ahom era.

Although most of the coins were damaged, the authorities of the Jorhat museum managed to recover a few in mint condition this morning.

“The coins are from King Gaurinath Singha’s era. The name of the king is inscribed on few of such coins,” museum officer Gautam Bordoloi said.

The Ahoms ruled Assam from 1227 to 1826, with Singha’s reign extending from 1780 to 1796.

Bordoloi said the labourers claimed that several coins had got lost as the pot broke under the impact of the spade.

They were engaged in the road construction under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act project at Number 2 Brahmin gaon in Kenduguri.

“The colour of the coins has also turned darkish, making it difficult to distinguish them from the soil,” he said.

Museum authorities, however, believe that some coins were taken away by the labourers.

“Our men have sealed the area and are carrying out a search in case there are more such pots containing coins,” the museum official said.

He is now trying to coax the labourers to return the valuable coins. “We cannot force them if they decline to accept they had taken a few coins and we are trying to make them understand that if at all they had taken a few coins they should return those,” Bordoloi said.

This is not the first time that coins dating back to the Ahom era were discovered in Jorhat, the last capital of the 600-year-old Ahom rule.

A few years back, similar coins were recovered from Kakodonga tea estate, located along the Jorhat district’s border with Golaghat.

Bordoloi said Jorhat, Sivasagar and Golaghat districts — then undivided Sivasagar district — are a treasure trove for items dating back to the Ahom era.

Jorhat museum, he said, has a large collection of such items, including sculptures, manuscripts, masks and coins.

The archaeology department has been carrying out excavation at various places, mostly in Golaghat district, over the years in search of such valuable items. “Several such items were found in the Sarupathar, Deopani areas in Golagat district during such excavations,” Bordoloi said.

There were unconfirmed reports of a large number of coins being found in the historic Raja Maidam area in Jorhat district a few years back by a person while on a construction project.