During the medieval period, the Ahom kingdom of the Brahmaputra valley frequently interacted with which prominent hill communities of present-day Arunachal Pradesh through trade pacts and the traditional 'Posa' system?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Ahom rulers maintained complex geopolitical relations with the hill tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, including the Adi, Nyishi, Mishmi, and Dafla communities, through the institutionalized 'Posa' system. Under Posa, hill chieftains were entitled to receive specific annual tributes of grain, salt, and cloth from the Ahom state in exchange for maintaining peace and controlling trade access along the foothills. Khasi and Jaintia chiefs interacted with the Ahoms along the southern Meghalaya hills, while Nagas interacted along the eastern frontier. Posa served as a vital instrument of frontier diplomacy for the Ahom monarchs.