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Journey To Establish Own Kingdom
The four princes in order to expand their kingdom and for the added well-being of the people and with a strong desire for a dream kingdom of their own, resolved to set out on a journey taking along with them a group of nobles, general army of soldiers and a large group of people. With the same purpose in mind, the eldest prince Chow Seukapha proceeded westwards, the second prince Chow Seukhanpha towards the east and Chow Seuchatpha towards the north from Yunnan along with them their chosen group of people. Thus the three princes consulting their almanacs embarked on a grand journey in three different directions. The youngest prince Chow Seuchatpha however assumed leadership and established his reign in the splendour filled and historically rich kingdom of Yunnan itself.
Chow Seukapha traversed the Patkai Hills and came down to Moung-Noon-Chun-Kham or the magnificent Kingdom of Assam in 1228 AD for the welfare of his people, proliferation of his race, propagation of his supremacy and established the great Tai-Ahom kingdom in Assam.
Journey Of Tai-Phakes With Chow Seukhanpha
The Tai-Phakes joined as contingent to the group who with a lot of zeal and excitement wished to establish a large kingdom under the leadership of the second prince Chow Seukhanpha. Seukanpha had moved ahead with his soldiers and people in the northern direction from Yunnan and established his kingdom called in the place called Moung-Kwang (Mogawng) situated in present-day Burma (Myanmar). The king ordered the Phakes who came along with the group to settle on their own and start their livelihood in a place called Hukawng valley in 1215 AD in consensus to the king’s order.
Three rivers in those days flowed through the heart of Hukawng valley. These three rivers were: Khe-Nan-Turung, Khe-Nan-Taram and Khe-Nan-Chalip. These three rivers flowed and united into a single body of water near a stone wall of huge magnitude forming a gorge to a river since antiquity against which the waves of the three rivers violently bespattered. The Tai people inhabiting within the vicinity called this wall of old mountain as Pha-Ke. “Pha” means a great stone and “Ke” means old. Thus Pha-Ke means the wall of an old hill or in other words the Tai people inhabiting near the side of the old mountain.
The Hukawng valley inhabited in the east by the Phakes was then bounded in the east by the Lang-Ta hills on the other side of which was the principality of the Tai-Khamptis. To the west were the Pungyi-Punga hills. The Patkai hills bounded the northern limits on the other side of which stretched the green crops of Assam, to its south were the Jampu hills on the foot hill tracts of which the Phakes resided.
Annexation of Hukawng Valley By Burmese King
The Tai-Phakes resided in the Hukawng valley for more than 400 years after which unfortunately the entire Hukawng valley came under the supremacy of the then king of Burma. The oppressive rule anarchical administration and beat tyranny of the Burmese king made the Phakes very anxious and unhappy. It was at about this time that the Phakes came in contact with the Singpho people during the year 1247 AD. While they were residing on the foothills of the Jampu hills, the cautious and wise among the Phakes and Singpho people in order to salvage themselves from the inhuman oppression of the king decide to remain united and mutually help each other in testing times of adversity and for that slaughtered a buffalo and had a special feast of its meat.
Both the Phakes and the Singphos passed their misfortune filled days. Then according to a written agreement they resolved to establish a strong, stable and independent kingdom away from the willful rule of the Burmese king. All through the night and the dense fog that covered up the dark cloudy skies, the Phakes and the Singphos discussed and unanimously dawned on the decision to abandon their erstwhile home in Hukawng and almost immediately embarked on their quest to establish in some place an independent kingdom of their own.
Tai-Phakes Abandon Hukawng Valley And Migrate To India
In 1775 AD the Tai-Phake people travel towards the green valley of Assam taking the same route taken by King Seukapha. For days together cutting trees to find a way for themselves through the dense jungles, living solely on fruits and enduring endless miseries the Singphos and the Phakes traversed Patkai and came to rest in a place bordering Assam and Burma. They called this place Pang-Sao. “Pang” means place and “Sao” means rest. Thus Pang-Sao means resting place.
The group however did not linger around this place for long, lest the king came to know about them and force them to retreat. With the strength of the dream of establishing a golden kingdom pinned to their insecure minds they abandoned Pang-Sao and resumed their journey towards the plains of Assam. In this way censuring the heat of the sun and enduring rain and after a journey of many days, they came to the bank of a large pond filled with moss, presently situated in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. They made the pond their centre and called it Nong-Taw. “Nong” means pond and “Taw” means moss. Thus “Nong-Taw” means moss-filled pond. Towards the end of 1775 AD the Phakes and the Singphos settled and started a stable society in this plain stretch of land. The two groups lived here unitedly for a few years. During the time that they lived in Nong-Taw the Phakes also came into close contact with the Khamptis. When the Sadiya Khowa king heard about the settlement of the Phakes and the Singphos at Nong-Taw he dispatched a huge army to destroy them. This called for a coup against the Sadiya Khowa king. The year was 1797 AD.