Asom Divas or Assam Day is celebrated on December 2 every year to commemorate the arrival of the first king of Ahom kingdom Sukhapaa in Assam.
The day of December 2 is also commemorated as Sukaphaa Divas in honour of the founder of the Ahom kingdom that existed for nearly 600 years.
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The period of Ahom rule is always credited as the golden period in the history of Assam as these rulers kept the Mughals away from conquering this land.
According to legend, Sukaphaa was born in Mong Mao, a place close to Ruili in Yunnan, China.
As he was the nephew of Pao Meo Pung, the ruler of Mong Mao who did not have any heir, he was designated as the crown prince of the land so that he could rule whenever the time comes.
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However, Sukhapaa decided to leave when a son was born later to Pao Meo Pung thereby ending his claim to the throne of Mong Mao.
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After leaving his birth place in 1215, Sukhapaa travelled with a contingent of 9000 people along with other necessary commodities for a period of thirteen years and finally reached Namrup in 1228.
One of the unique features of his arrival is that he came not as a proud king who has proclaimed supremacy over a piece of land but as a head of an agricultural folk in search of conducting his occupation of farming well.
With the passage of time, Sukaphaa befriended many of the local tribes, adapted their simple ways of living and established marital relations with them.
He also moved from place to place searching for the right capital and finally established his capital city at Charaideo in 1253.
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He is the leader who played an important role in unifying various ethnic groups of Assam by treating them as equals and encouraging intermarriage between various tribes.
According to Ahom tradition, Sukaphaa was a descendant of the god Khunlung, who had come down from the heavens and had ruled Mong-Ri-Mong-Ram.
Sukaphaa’s unique ability to create unity and brotherhood among people of various tribes has earned him the honorary title of Chaolung and he is considered to be the architect of Bor Asom (greater Assam).
Asom Divas is celebrated in a grand manner across various institutions of Assam by singing and narrating praises of Sukaphaa along with the performance of various traditional forms of dances and songs.