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Why is Lachit Borphukan known as the ‘Shivaji of the Northeast’? What were the battles of Alaboi and Saraighat? What was the Treaty of Yandabo? What is the new addition to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list from Assam? Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your knowledge nugget for today.
(Relevance: Lachit Borphukan is a significant historical figure. Notably, prominent historical figures form an important part of the history syllabus of UPSC CSE, and from time to time UPSC has asked questions about such personalities. Additionally, knowing about Lachit Borphukan is important because his legacy touches upon several important dimensions of India’s history.)
Every year, 24th November is celebrated as the ‘Lachit Diwas’ to mark the birth anniversary of the Assamese folk hero Lachit Borphukan. He was a legendary army commander of the Ahom kingdom, known for his leadership in the 1671 ‘Battle of Saraighat.’ He is considered one of the greatest of Assamese heroes, symbolising the valour, courage, and intelligence that defines the Assamese self-identity.
1.Lachit Borphukan was a legendary army commander of the Ahom kingdom. He defeated the Mughal forces, led by Raja Ramsingh-I, in the ‘Battle of Saraighat’, and thwarted a drawn-out attempt by them to take back Assam.
2. Son of the great warrior-statesman Momai Tamuli Barbarua, Lachit was born on November 24, 1622, and grew up during a turbulent period of Assam’s history.
3. He was chosen as one of the five Borphukans of the Ahom kingdom by king Charadhwaj Singha, and given administrative, judicial, and military responsibilities.
Lachit Barphukan represented a time when the “Assamese race was united and able to fight an alien, formidable force such as the Mughals” said, Arup Kumar Dutta, author of The Ahoms.
1. Between 1615 and 1682, the Mughal Empire made a series of attempts, under Jahangir and then Aurangzeb, to annex the Ahom kingdom. In January 1662, Mughal Governor of Bengal Mir Jumla’s forces engaged with the Ahom army and went on to occupy part of the territory under Ahom rule.
2. Between 1667 and 1682, the Ahoms under a series of rulers, starting with Chakradhwaj Singha, (reigned 1663-70) launched a counter-offensive to reclaim lost territories.
3. In 1669, Aurangzeb dispatched the Rajput Raja Ram Singh I to recapture territories won back by the Ahoms. The battle of Alaboi was fought on August 5, 1669 in the Alaboi Hills near Dadara in North Guwahati.
4. While the Mughals preferred an open battle, Borphukan relied on his knowledge of the territory and engaged in guerrilla warfare, which provided an edge to his smaller, but fast moving and capable forces.
| Do you know? |
| Lachit Divas has been celebrated on November 24, his birth anniversary, in Assam since the 1930s. |
5. Much like Shivaji’s encounters with the Mughals in Marathwada, Lachit inflicted damage on the large Mughal camps and static positions. His raids would kill unsuspecting Mughal soldiers and frustrate the mighty armies that were too ponderous to respond swiftly.
6. After initial setbacks, Ram Singh sent his entire battery of Rajput soldiers and Mughal veterans and turned the tide of the battle. Ten thousand Ahoms died in the battle, according to a paper posted on the website of Assam’s archaeology department.
| Quick Fact- Assam’s Charaideo Moidams |
Assam’s Charaideo Moidams burial sites have been added to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites list. These are royal burial sites of the Ahom dynasty. Located around 30 km from Sivasagar town in eastern Assam, even today, the tumuli in Charaideo are considered sacrosanct by many locals.
 A moidam is a tumulus – a mound of earth raised over a grave – of Ahom royalty and aristocracy. Charaideo exclusively contains moidams of Ahom royals. |
7. Unlike in Alaboi, where he was forced to fight on land instead of a naval battle, Lachit in Saraighat enticed the Mughals into a naval battle. A great naval warrior and strategist, Lachit created an intricate web of improvised and surprise pincer attacks.
8. According to the historian H K Barpujari (The Comprehensive History of Assam), Ahom forces combined a frontal attack and a surprise attack from behind. They lured the Mughal fleet into moving ahead by feigning an attack with a few ships from the front. The Mughals vacated the waters behind them, from where the main Ahom fleet attacked and achieved a decisive victory.
9. Lachit died a year after the Battle of Saraighat from a long festering illness. In fact he was very ill during the Battle of Saraighat, as he heroically led his troops to victory. This only added to his legend.
10. The battle of Saraighat proved that Lachit Barphukan was a master strategist who can be compared with the great generals in any part of India. Aptly, the Lachit Barphukan gold medal, instituted in 1999, is given to the best cadet from the National Defence Academy.
BEYOND THE NUGGET: History of the Ahom kingdom
1. The Ahom dynasty ruled over much of Assam and the North East from 1228 to 1826 AD. They were one of India’s longest-reigning ruling dynasties. At their peak, their kingdom stretched from modern-day Bangladesh to deep inside Burma. Known to be able administrators and valiant warriors, the Ahom dynasty has enduring cultural appeal in Assam.
2. Founded by the Sukapha, a 13th-century ruler, Ahom kingdom was a prosperous, multi-ethnic kingdom which spread across the upper and lower reaches of the Brahmaputra valley, surviving on rice cultivation in its fertile lands.
| Treaty of Yandabo |
| The Treaty of Yandabo, signed in 1826, marked the commencement of British control in Assam, opening the province up to adjacent districts and the rest of the subcontinent. In 1838, the British Empire formally annexed the territory. |
3. The founders of the Ahom kingdom had their own language and followed their own religion. Over the centuries, the Ahoms accepted the Hindu religion and the Assamese language, scholars say.
4. Charaideo was the first permanent capital of the Ahom empire. It was founded by the first most renowned Ahom monarch Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha and has always had a major place in history. The word Charaideo is formed from three Tai Ahom words: Che-Rai-Doi. Che signifies city or town, Rai denotes shine or dazzle, and Doi means hill or mountain. In a nutshell, Charaideo means “a shining town situated on a hilltop.”
(Sources: Ahom warrior Lachit Borphukan and the battles of Alaboi & Saraighat)
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