ASI archaeologist S.K. Manjul (extreme right) and state archaeology department director H.N. Dutta inspect the site where the cannonballs were discovered, at Kajolichoki in Chandrapur on Wednesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Kajolichoki (Chandrapur), June 10: One of the most exciting chapters of Assam’s history may remain hidden, at least for the time being.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the state archaeology department were today stopped by villagers from starting excavation at Kajolichoki, 30km from Guwahati, where remnants of the Ahom period were discovered recently.

The evidence, in the form of a large number of cannonballs, had led officials of the ASI and the archaeology department to the site today but villagers said they would “protect the area on their own”.

The cannonballs are believed to have been linked to the Battle of Saraighat, one of the most important events in the history of Assam when the Ahom army had beaten back the Mughal army in 1671.

The villagers said a local NGO — Sankalpa Vikash — would take up the preservation though it was not clear how they would do go about the task without any technical expertise.

“We are planning to close the stash in the hillock with iron barricades from where the cannonballs were recovered last month. Villagers do not want intervention of the archaeology department. We will protect and preserve the site in our own way for the future generation. A public meeting will beheld this week to take over the site by the villagers and hand it over to us for preservation,” Niranjan Saikia, the president of the NGO, said.

Monjit Haloi, a youth of the village, said villagers fear that the hillock from where the cannonballs were recovered would be destroyed if excavation is carried out.

The ASI’s superintending archaeologist (Guwahati circle), S.K. Manjul, told The Telegraph that a preliminary survey had revealed a “lot of possibilities” in the area, which is at the confluence of two rivers, Brahmaputra and Kolong. He attributed the villagers’ opposition to ignorance.

Manjul said though the ASI had legal power to “force our way, we will go for a negotiated settlement. There is a possibility of untoward incidents if excavation is carried out without convincing the villagers. Excavation at the site is very important as it will unravel many historical aspects of Assam.”

According to Manjul, the ASI has found some broken pieces of pottery, which indicate human habitation at the site after the Saraighat battle.

H.N. Dutta, the director of state archaeology department — who also visited the site today — said the villagers are opposing the excavation because of ignorance. “I think the villagers do not know the importance of archaeological preservation of a historical site. If the archaeology department preserves the site it could be converted into an attractive tourist spot.”

Dutta said the hillock must been have used by the Ahom army to keep a watch on enemies, mainly the Mughals. “One can see the Brahmaputra and Kolong from the top of the hillock. I think it was a crucial strategic location used by the Ahom army to keep an eye on the Mughals and launch an offensive on them,” he said.

The name Kajolichoki itself has a military connotation as choki means a sentry post. Moreover, the place where the Battle of Saraighat was fought is not too far from Kajolichoki.