Lachit Borphukan

Adrita

Lachit Borphukan

We have all heard about Shivaji and Rana Pratap and how they resisted the Mughals, but have you heard of Lachit Borphukan, the Ahom general who fought relentlessly to curb the Mughal expansion in Assam. He is one of the greatest military commander Assam has ever produced.

Statue of Lachit Borphukan at Jorhat, Assam (image source: wikipedia)

Lachit Borphukan was born on November 24, 1622, in Charaideo, Assam to Momai Tamuli Borbarua, the commander-in-chief of the Ahom army.

Lachit was initially given the position of Soladhara Baruah (the scarf-bearer of Ahom Swargadeo). He soon rose through the ranks to become Superintendent of the "Ghora Barua (Royal Horses)," Commander of the strategically important Simugarh Fort, and Superintendent of the “Dolakasharia Barua (Royal Household Guards)”. The king Chakradhwaj Singha also gave him a gold-plated *Hengdang (*sword).

Lachit Borphukan would, however, come to be known due to his valour in the Battle of Saraighat (1671), which thwarted a long-running attempt by Mughal forces led by Ram Singh to take over the kingdom of Ahoms. Saraighat is known for the triumph of a relatively smaller Ahom army over the powerful Mughal army. In a way, it was the Mughals' final attempt to expand their empire into Assam. Details of this spectacular victory were meticulously recorded in the ‘buranjis,’ the official's chronicles of Ahoms.

The humiliating Treaty of Ghilajarighat in 1663, which returned Garhgaon to the Ahoms at a high cost, set the stage for Saraighat. According to the treaty, the king, Jayadwaj Singha was required to send one of his daughters to the imperial Mughal harem, supply 90 elephants, 300,000 tolas of silver, and cede the entire region west of the Bareli River on the north bank of the Brahmaputra and Kalang on the south bank of the Brahmaputra to Delhi. The king died heartbroken as a result of his humiliation at the hands of Bengal Subedar Mir Jumla.

Chakradwaj Singha, his successor, vowed to restore the Ahoms' honour and initiated a full reorganisation of the realm. Lachit Borphukan was appointed commander of the army. The ties with the Jaintia and Kachari kingdoms were reestablished, and in August 1667, Lachit, assisted by Atan Burhagohain, embarked on a downstream expedition on the Brahmaputra to reclaim Guwahati, which they successfully completed.

This alarmed Aurangzeb, who ordered a strong force under the command of Raja Ram Singh, son of the Amber Raja, Mirza Raja Jai Singh, to reclaim Guwahati. In February 1670, Ram Singh arrived in Rangamati with 30,000 infantry, 15,000 archers, and 18,000 Turkish cavalry.

The battle took place on the Brahmaputra River. Ahom boats constructed an impregnable stronghold on the water by placing their boats across the river, one after the other. Early in 1671, the Mughals attempted a desperate breach through the fortifications, which resulted in a decisive combat.

Lachit, who was ill at the time, is said to have risen heroically from his sickbed and rowed his boat directly at the enemy. He yelled "If you (the soldiers) want to flee, flee. The king has put all the people in my hands to fight for my people. Let the Mughals take me away. You report to the king that his general fought well flowing his orders”.

Lachit's arrival electrified the Ahom warriors, who now rallied behind him and launched a ferocious attack on the Mughals. From all sides, Ahom warships began attacking the Mughal navy. Between Kamakhya, Itakhuli, and Aswakranta, the entire stretch of the Brahmaputra flowing through Guwahati became littered with boats and bodies. The Mughal army was completely destroyed, and Mughal admiral Munawar Khan was killed. The Ahoms emerged victoriously.

Every year on November 24, Lachit Diwas is observed to remember Lachit Borphuakan’s bravery and contribution to the people of Assam. The Lachit Borphukan gold medal, instituted by the Assam government in 2000, is given to the best graduating cadet at the National Defence Academy.

Recently, on February 25, 2022, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 400th birth anniversary celebration of this legendary commander and laid a foundation for a war memorial and 150-foot bronze statue of the same.

The Battle of Saraighat epitomises Lachit's patriotism and dedication to his homeland, as he even went so far as to behead his own uncle for the sake of it. He ordered an earthen wall for fortification to be built in one night during the battle preparations, and his maternal uncle was appointed as the supervisor. When Lachit arrived late at night to inspect the work, he saw that it was not progressing satisfactorily. Workers were working very slowly and in a sluggish manner.

When his uncle tried to blame it on exhaustion, Lachit grew so enraged that he beheaded his uncle right there and then, declaring, “দেশটকে মোমাই ডাঙৰ নহয়” which means my uncle is not greater than my country. The barrier was built in a single night, and the ruins are still known as "Momai-kota garh," or "the stronghold where the uncle was beheaded."

He died a year after the battle, in 1672, due to some unknown disease. His remains lie at the Lachit Maidam built by Swargadeo Udayaditya Singha at Hoolungapara, Jorhat.