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The Paik system was a type of corvee labour system on which the economy of the Ahom kingdom of medieval Assam depended. In this system, adult and able males, called paiks were obligated to render service to the state and form its militia in return for a piece of land for cultivation owned by the kingdom—believed to be a legacy the Ahoms brought with them from South-Eastern Asia in 1228.[1] But it wasn't the Ahom kingdom alone that used a corvee system like this in Northeast India—Kingdom of Manipur and in a simpler form Jaintia kingdom and the Kachari kingdom too used similar systems that had tribal origins.[2] The mature structure was designed by Momai Tamuli Borbarua in 1608, and extensively and exhaustively implemented by 1658 during the reign of Sutamla Jayadhwaj Singha.[3] The system continued to evolve over time to meet the needs of the Ahom state and in time began to accumulate contradictions. By the end of the Moamoria rebellion (1769–1805) the Paik system had collapsed.[4]
The Paik system has had a profound impact on Assam's social life, with many collective practices originating in the medieval times. Many people in Assam today still carry the Paik offices titles in their last names—Bora, Saikia and Hazarika.
- ^ "It follows, then, that paddy lands belonged to the community, i.e. to the king as representative of the community. This medieval Thai practice is a key to the understanding of the Ahom system of land rights in Assam." (Guha 1966:222)
- ^ "Despite some later modifications, the military-administrative system of the Ahoms remained essentially the same till 1826 and thus betrayed its tribal origin. It resembled very much that of medieval Thailand and also that of Manipur, Cachar and Jaintia." (Guha 1966:225)
- ^ (Sharma 1996:34)
- ^ (Sharma 1996:51)