RAHA , July 29 � The Tiwa Autonomous Council has decided to install a statue of the great Tiwa king and brave warrior Jongal Balahu, the son of king Arimatta at Jongal Balahu Garh near here.
A decision to this effect was revealed at a public meeting held at Jongal Balahu Garh recently. The statue which will be installed inside the Jongal Balahu Garh premises has been conceived and designed by noted sculptor of the State, Biren Singha. The total cost of the 20-feet statue will be around Rs 65 to 66 lakh, as revealed by Ramakanta Dewri chief executive member of the Tiwa Autonomous Council.
It may be pertinent to mention here that the history of king Arimatta and his son Jongal Balahu is shrouded in mystery and many legends cluster round them. Arimatta, a local adventurer, subdued the Barbhuyans and then occupied Kamata in 1365-85 AD. Arimatta�s name is also associated in a Nishi legend related to the Hita Fort in present-day Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.
Arimatta may have had his seat of power at Vaidyagarh near present-day Rangiya, the ruins of which still exist. It is said that the high embankment known as Jongal Balahu Garh in the area are remains of an old fort of Jongal Balahu. The site is said to have been the capital of Jongal Balahu, who ruled over the region after his father Arimatta�s death. Later, Jongal Balahu was defeated in a battle by the Kacharis, following which he drowned himself in the Kolong river.
