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On February 25, President Ram Nath Kovind kickstarted the 400th birth anniversary celebrations of the 17th century Ahom general Lachit Borphukan and laid the foundation for a war memorial and a 150-foot bronze statue of the commander in Assam. Along with the statue, the memorial will also feature a 100-ft-long ‘Hengdang’ (Ahom sword).
A brief history of Lachit Borphukan
- He was born on 24th November 1622 at Charaideo in Assam.
- He was the son of Kunti Moran(mother) and Momai Tamuli Borbarua, the1st Borbarua (Phu-Ke-Lung) of upper-Assam and Commander-in-Chief of the Ahom army) under Prataap Singha.
- Lachit was a commander and Borphukan (Phu-Kon-Lung) in the Ahom kingdom of Assam.
- Other offices held by Lachit before his appointment as Borphukan included Superintendent of the Stable of Royal Horses (Ghora Barua), Commander of the strategic Simulgarh Fort and Superintendent of the Royal Household Guards (Dolakaxaria Barua) for King Chakradhwaj Singha.
- He is known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that thwarted a drawn-out attempt by Mughal forces under the command of Ramsingh I to take over Ahom kingdom.
- King Chakradhwaj Singha selected Lachit to lead the forces of the Kingdom of Ahom to liberate Guwahati from Mughal-occupation.
- Lachit raised the army and recovered Guwahati from the Mughals and successfully defended it against the Mughal forces during the Battle of Saraighat.
- He died about a year after the victory at in Kaliabor, the old seat of the Borphukans. Saraighat due to natural causes.
- In his honour, the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla in Pune confers the Lachit Borphukan gold medal to its best cadet every year.
About the Battle of Saraighat
- It was a naval battle fought in 1671 between the Mughal Empire led by the Kachwaha king, Raja Ramsingh I, and the Ahom Kingdom led by Lachit Borphukan on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, now in Guwahati, Assam.
- In this battle the Mughal were defeated by the weaker Ahom Army with its brilliant uses of the terrain, clever diplomatic negotiations to buy time, guerrilla tactics, psychological warfare, military intelligence and by exploiting the sole weakness of the Mughal navy.
About Ahom kingdom (1228-1826)-
- It was a late medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam.
- The kingdom is well known for maintaining its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisting Mughal expansion in Northeast India.
- It was established by Sukaphaa, a Tai prince from Mong Mao.
- It began as a mong in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra based on wet-rice agriculture.
- The Kingdom expanded suddenly under Suhungmung in the 16th century and became multi-ethnic in character, casting a profound effect on the political and social life of the entire Brahmaputra valley.
- The kingdom became weaker with the rise of the Moamoria rebellion, and subsequently fell to repeated Burmese invasions of Assam.
Source: PIB & Britannica
