Lachit Borphukan (1622 - 1672)
Lachit Borphukan was the commander-in-chief of the Royal Ahom Army. The Ahom dynasty ruled present-day Assam from 1228-1826.
Lachit was bestowed the title of Borphukan by the Ahom king, Chakradhwaj Singha (1663 - 1670), in recognition of his bravery, leadership skills and mastery of guerilla warfare. Known as Shivaji Maharaj of North East India, Lachit Borphukan is an icon of the Assamese nationalist movement. He was the mastermind behind the famous naval defeat of the Mughal army of Aurangzeb on the Brahmaputra river in 1671.
The conflicts between the Mughals and the Ahoms began in 1615 as the Mughals wanted to get total control over the areas in Brahmaputra valley. Lachit Borphukan grew up amidst a background of battles and war-like events. This instilled courage and patriotism in him.
In 1661, Aurangzeb became the Mughal king. He was determined to gain control of the Ahom kingdom. Mir Jumla, the Viceroy of Bengal, was assigned this task. This Mughal invasion began in January 1662. He was able to capture Guwahati, but his army found it difficult to capture more territory due to the difficult terrain full of dense jungles, hills rivers and ground covered with monsoon water. The Ahom army cleverly used guerilla warfare tactics to defend the rest of their territory. Mir Jumla found it difficult to sustain the battle. The Ahoms too lost significant areas to the Mughals. Finally, both sides agreed to end the battle. The Treaty of Ghilajharighat was signed on January 23rd, 1663.
Guwahati was recaptured from the Mughals, in September-October 1667, by the Ahoms under the leadership of Lachit Borphukan. However, the Ahoms were very angry at the humiliating conditions laid down in the Treaty of Ghilajharighat. The Ahom king Chakradhwaj Singha, was determined to drive away the Mughals from their occupied areas of his Ahom kingdom. This whish came true during the Battle of Saraighat.
The Battle of Saraighat 1671 was a remarkable naval battle between the Mughals and Ahom soldiers, led by Lachit Borphukan. Although he was very ill, Lachit Borphukan bravely motivated his men to fight the battle. He succeeded in luring the Mughals into sending their naval fleet onto the Brahmaputra river water at Saraighat (Guwahati).
Lachit Borphukan made the smaller Ahom naval boats from a 'bridge' across the narrow portion of the Brahmaputra Saraighat. By using clever psychological warfare tactics and military intelligence, Lachit Borphukan exploited the weakness of the Mughal navy and defeated Aurangzeb's soldiers. Years later, the Mughals again occupied Guwahati. But in 1671, it was Lachit Borphukan who was the victor.
"Bora Masu, Bati Ghora" is the famous war cry attributed to Lachit Borphukan, the heroic commander of the Ahom army during the Battle of Saraighat. It means "Give me a hundred men, I will defeat a thousand enemies." While fighting the battle, in spite of being in immense pain, he told his soldiers, "You may turn around any time you choose, but despite my pain, I intend to fight to my death."
Today, the Lachit Borphukan gold medal is given to the best cadet in the National Defense Academy. This award was set up in 1999 to inspire the cadets to emulate Borphukan's heroism in the battlefield. Lachit Divas is celebrated on 24th November every year in Assam.
A 35' high bronze statue of Lachit Borphukan, eight 18' statues of soldiers and two 32' long water cannons made of fibre-glass stand on a pedestial fixed to a pillar embedded 50m deep in the Brahmaputra river water on the river bed. It is 5m above the High Flood Level mark. The statue is a reminder that his valour on the battlefield will never be forgotten. For the ever-brave exemplary leader that Lachit Borphukan was, his kingdom always came first.
