Talatal Ghar

Assam


The Talatal Ghar palace was the heart of an Ahom capital complex founded by King Rudra Singha. Built in the 1750s over an earlier wooden palace, it originally had seven storeys, three of which were underground (including secret escape tunnels). You can visit the two surviving above-ground levels, which have labyrinthine galleries and a large flat roof holding several pavilions. The remains of Talatal Ghar are about 4km south of central Sivasagar along AT Rd, easily visited in conjunction with nearby Rang Ghar.

Off to the left as you approach is the Gola Ghar, an elegant structure with a vaulted roof, believed to have been the royal armoury. On the northern bank of Joy Sagar, 1km south of the Talatal Ghar, is a temple group reminiscent of those beside the Sivasagar tank in town, presided over by the tall-domed Joydol, dedicated to Vishnu and built between 1696 and 1714.