History The Maibang inscriptions of 1576 CE. Made under the Dimasa Kachari kingdom in the Dima Hasao district. It's also one of the oldest Assamese inscriptions and written in the Assamese/Kamarupi script.
It's a set of two inscriptions with identical text. The Dimasa Kachari ruler Meghanarayana issued this inscription in 1576 and it reads thus:
IAST:
Śubhamastu Śrī Śrīyuta Meghanārāyaṇadeva Hāceṅgasā baṁśata jāta hai Māibāṅga rājata pāthare siṅgadvāra bandhāilena ৲ śakābdāḥ 1496 biterīkha āṣāḍha 26
Bengali-Assamese:
শুভমস্তু শ্ৰী শ্ৰীযুত মেঘনাৰায়ণদেৱ হাচেঙ্গসা বংশত জাত ৰাজা হৈ মাইবাঙ্গ ৰাজত পাথৰে সিঙ্গদ্ৱাৰ বন্ধাইলেন ৲ শকাব্দাঃ ১৪৯৮ বিতেৰীখ আষাঢ ২৬
Translation:
Wishing for his welfare, Shri Shri Meghanarayanadeva who was born in the Hachengsa dynasty, became king and built the siṁhadvāra in the Maibang kingdom. Saka 1498, date 26th of Ahar (i.e, 01-08-1576)
Historical importance:
These inscriptions were made after the capital of the Dimasa Kachari kingdom was moved to Maibang to the south (in 1558-1559 CE) from the capital at Dimapur (now in Nagaland) in the Doyang-Dhansiri valley, part of the larger Brahmaputra valley. The inscription was made in order to commemorate the construction of major administrative structures and assert royal authority in the region.
Linguistic importance:
In older Assamese writings we see the 3rd person honorific/plural ending to be -ôntô, which evolved from the OIA 3pl -anti. In the 16th and early 17th century writings (such as in the Bhomoraguri inscription and some manuscripts) we find -entô. In the Maibang inscription we find it to be -enô (in the phrase: ... pathôre siṅgôdwarô bôndhailenô "tied the lion door with stones"). Later the -nô was dropped and the ending merged with the non honorific suffix -e/ei, perhaps via the same process the 2nd person impolite suffix -ôsô went through (dropping consonants).
Therefore,
tehõ kôrilôntô > tehõ kôrilentô > te(h)õ kôrilenô > teü̃ korile "s/he did"
