Towering 20 to 30 feet above the ground, the wild tea plants of Senglung no longer resemble the carefully maintained bushes found in Assam’s commercial tea gardens. Untouched by generations of pluckers, these enormous plants have grown beyond human reach, scattered amid creepers, bamboo and dense vegetation.
Yet, hidden in the foothills near the Assam–Nagaland border, they preserve a remarkable chapter of Assam’s tea history, one dating back nearly 170 years.
Senglung was one of the two tea estates established by Maniram Dewan, the first Indian commercial tea planter and an important figure in Assam’s anti-British resistance. After resigning from his position as dewan, land agent and chief executive of the Assam Company, Dewan established tea plantations at Senglung and Cinnamara in 1845. While Cinnamara survived and developed into a recognised tea estate, Senglung gradually disappeared from historical memory.
The forgotten plantation lies in the Nagasiri area of Charaideo district, reportedly only about two kilometres from the Nagaland border and close to Suffry tea estate. The location has attracted renewed interest after research brought attention to the surviving tall tea plants. Their extraordinary height has led to speculation that some may have originated from seeds of the plants cultivated during Dewan’s time. Whether these surviving specimens are direct descendants of the original plantation or later generations remains a subject for scientific investigation.
Senglung’s history became particularly tragic after Maniram Dewan was executed by the British in 1858 for his role in the freedom struggle. Following his execution, Senglung and Cinnamara were confiscated and auctioned. Both were purchased by the British tea company George Williamson. However, the new ownership reportedly encountered resistance from workers who remained loyal to Dewan and refused to cooperate with the new management. Eventually, the company was compelled to part with the estates.
Cinnamara subsequently passed to the Jorehaut Tea Company and was developed further. It is now associated with the Assam Tea Corporation. Senglung, however, disappeared from the organised tea landscape, and the circumstances surrounding its abandonment remain unclear.
There are intriguing traces of this forgotten history in the surrounding region. A portion of the Suffry tea estate is known as the Singlo division, a name that may possibly have originated from “Senglung”. Local traditions also suggest that workers connected with Dewan’s garden continue to perform “Dewan Puja” at the beginning of the tea production season, reflecting the enduring memory of the planter among the tea-working community.
The landscape itself offers another clue to the region’s past. The locality came to be known as Nagasiri because of staircase-like cuts along the slopes, traditionally associated with routes used by Naga communities to descend from their villages and trade with people in the foothills. Over time, portions of the former plantation were cleared by local residents. Some tall tea plants were reportedly cut for construction, while other areas were converted into small-scale plantations.
Yet significant remnants may still survive. Dense and relatively inaccessible stretches contain large and medium-sized tea plants growing on steep slopes. Their survival in the wild, largely without systematic cultivation, makes them potentially valuable not merely as historical remnants but also as objects of scientific study.
The surviving plants may offer researchers an opportunity to investigate genetic characteristics associated with old Assam tea varieties, including possible traits related to pest resistance, disease resistance or adaptation to local conditions. Their preservation could therefore serve both heritage conservation and scientific research.
Senglung is more than a forgotten tea garden. It represents the early history of Indian participation in Assam’s commercial tea industry, the life and legacy of Maniram Dewan, and the complex relationship between colonial enterprise, local labour and indigenous resistance. With growing interest in destinations such as Saheb Khana and other attractions in the region, the area could also emerge as a heritage and cultural tourism destination.
For APSC aspirants, Senglung is an important Assam-specific heritage topic, linking tea history, Maniram Dewan, colonialism, Charaideo and heritage tourism. Preserving its surviving tea plants could ensure that this remarkable chapter of Assam’s history does not disappear for a second time.