Lachit Borphukan Essay in English

Lachit Borphukan Essay in English

Introduction –   

  Lachit Borphukan was a commander and Borphukan in the Ahom kingdom located in present – day Assam , India , known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that thwarted a drawn – out attempt by Mughal forces under the command of Ram Singh  to take over Ahom kingdom . He died about a year later due to illness . King Chakradhwaj Singha selected Lachit Borphukan to lead the forces of the Kingdom of Ahom to liberate Guwahati from Mughal occupation . The King presented Lachit with a gold – hafted sword ( Hengdang ) and the customary paraphernalia of distinction . Lachit raised the army and preparations were completed by summer of 1667 .

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Battle of Saraighat –

                            Lachit raised the army and preparations were completed by summer of 1667. His army successfully retook Guwahati from the Mughal forces. Emperor Aurangzeb (born on November 3, 1618) after being informed of the defeat at Guwahati sent an expeditionary force from Dhaka under Ram Singh. Due to the numerical and technological inferiority of the Ahom forces, Lachit resorted to guerilla tactics which successfully withered away from the Mughal army.

                            Knowing fully well that Ahom forces would easily be defeated if their commander  was removed, Ram Singh resorted to subterfuge. An arrow carrying a letter by Ram Sing was fired into the Ahom Camp. it later reached Chakradhwaj Singha. The letter stated that Lachit had been paid 1 lakh rupees to evacuated Guwahati. Furious that his commander was allegedly in negotiations with the enemy, the king started doubting his sincerity, but his prime minister Atan Buragohain convinced him that this was a trick by the Mughals to make Chakradwaj Singh dismiss the commander who successfully fought the Mughals so far.

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                                Having exhausted all avenues Ram Singh made his way to Guhawati with a naval flotilla sailing upwards of the Brahmaputra river in 1671. He came upon an Ahom flotilla led by Lachit Borphukan himself near Saraighat. Once again outnumbered and outgunned in open space, the Ahom soldiers began to lose their will to fight. Some elements began to retreat and seeing this Lachit boarded a boat himself to rally his troops. Offered to be taken to safety by one of his troops, Lachit furiously threw some of them into the water bodily despite being severely ill, loudly proclaiming that he would “die fulfilling his duty to his king and country, even if it meant he had to do it by himself”. Inspired, Lachit’s soldiers rallied and a desperate battle ensured on the river Brahmaputra

                                        Lachit Borphukan was victorious. The Mughals were forced to retreat from Guwahati. The Mughals were pursued to the Manas river, the Ahom kingdom’s western boundary. The Borphukan instructed his men not to attack the retreating army. 

               Lachit recovered Guwahati from the Mughals and successfully defended it against the Mughal forces during the Battle of Saraighat . Lachit Borphukan died about a year after the victory at Saraighat due to natural causes . His remains lie in rest at the Lachit Maidaam constructed in 1672 by Swargadeo Udayaditya Singha at Hoolungapara 16 km from Jorhat . Lachit Borphukan’s Maidam was constructed in memory of Lachit Borphukan at Jorhat , Assam . It is 8 km far from the famous Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary . Here last remains of Borphukan were laid under this tomb ( Maidam ) constructed by Swargadeo Udayaditya Singha in 1672 .

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Conclusion –

           On 24 November each year, Lachit Divas is celebrated statewide in Assam to commemorate the heroism of Lachit Borphukan and the victory of the Assamese army at the Battle of Saraighat.

Lachit Divas is celebrated to promote the ideals of Lachit Borphukan – the legendary general of Assam’s history.

               The best cadet from the National Defence Academy is awarded the Lachit Borphukan gold medal. It was first instituted in 1999 following an announcement by General VP Malik saying the medal would inspire defence personnel to emulate Barphukan’s heroism and sacrifices.

 

               This would not be the end of Mughal incursions into Ahom territory as the Mughals would take Guwahati in 1679, retaining it until 1682 when the Ahoms would permanently end the prolonged Ahom-Mughal conflict.

 

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