The Paik System in Ahom Society: A Socio-Economic Study

Abstract

In the early 13^th century, the Tai-Shan people, ancestors of the Ahoms, entered the eastern Brahmaputra Valley from Upper Burma and Yunnan. They ruled Assam for more than 600 years, establishing a strong kingdom through effective governance with cultural assimilation. Central to their administrative and socio-economic structure was the Paik system—an indigenous labour and military framework that enabled the Ahoms to mobilize manpower for both civil and military purposes. This paper explores how the system influenced the lives of ordinary people through collective labour, land distribution, and shared responsibilities. It examines the internal organization of paiks into units such as gots and khels and their classification into Chamua, Kanri, and professional khels, highlighting the embedded social hierarchy, privilege, or restrictions. The relationship between the state and the paiks is analysed in terms of land rights, mobility, and influence over local officials. While the system fostered community cohesion, interdependence, and a sense of unity, it also imposed constraints on personal economic freedom and social mobility, revealing a structure marked by both solidarity and stratification.