Bijoy Krishna Handique unveils the plaque at Talatal Ghar as Rockybul Hussain look on. Picture by Luit Chaliha

Sivasagar/Guwahati, Oct. 8: Talatal Ghar — the Ahom-era palace with three storeys of underground maze, mystery and puzzle — is ready to share its history with the world.

Union minister of state for chemicals and fertilisers B.K. Handique this afternoon unveiled a Rs 1.6-crore project for a sound and light show at the historical Talatal Ghar in Sivasagar district. The show will depict the 600-year Ahom rule in Assam.

The Rs 1.6-crore project — to be completed within 18 months — is being funded by the Centre to develop the relic as a major tourist attraction.

The seven-storey Talatal Ghar has remained a mystery for historians and architects alike. The underground section had secret passages to enable the king and his nobility to flee in the time of crisis.

However, most of the passages — one of which has an opening on the banks of the Dikhow river several kilometres away — were blocked during the British rule for fear of being used by freedom fighters.

The sound and light show will depict the glorious 600 years of the Ahom dynasty beginning with the arrival of the king Chow lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1228 and culminating with the signing of the Yandaboo Treaty in 1826 which saw the start of British rule in Assam.

The script is being prepared in three languages — English, Hindi and Assamese — with historians Jogen Phukon and Jogen Chetia providing the research inputs.

Handique, who was the chief guest of the ceremony held on the premises of the monument, expressed his gratitude to Union minister for tourism Ambika Soni for allocating the funds, routed through the state government. “The project would be a boost to the tourism sector in Upper Assam,” he said.

Hemo Prova Saikia, chairperson of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation, said the ATDC had submitted a Rs 8-crore project for the development of the tourism sector in Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat districts. “The light and sound programme is part of the project,” she said.