Lachit Borphukan

Lachit Borphukan was the commander of the Ahom forces and an icon of Assamese nationalism.
In the Battle of Saraighat (Naval battle) on the River Brahmaputra, he thwarted an invasion by the Mughal Forces under the command of Ramsingh I.

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

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08 August, 2022
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Lachit Borphukan

The Assam government made a request to include Lachit Borphukan’s valour in textbooks.

About Lachit Borphukan

In Charaideo, the first seat of the Ahom monarchs was born on November 24, 1622.
He commanded two combats against an ally Mughal army.
Battle of Alaboi: This conflict took place on August 5, 1669, in North Guwahati, close to Dadara.
A joint Mughal and Rajput army were led by Rajput Raja Ram Singh I, an ally of Aurangzeb who had authorized the invasion in 1669.
Ram Singh, I used all of his forces to defeat the Ahoms in the Battle of Alaboi after Ramphukan engaged in guerrilla warfare, attacking the invaders before retreating.
Lachit Borphukon's courageous leadership enabled the Mughals to be soundly defeated in the naval battle that took place in Saraighat in 1671.
According to historical accounts, Lachit is said to have tricked the Mughals by feigning an attack in front.
As the fleet advanced on the river Brahmaputra, the main Ahom fleet attacked from behind, sealing a victory for the locals.

Government’s Recognition of Lachit Borphukan

The 400th birth anniversary of the Ahom general from the seventeenth century is currently being celebrated.
As part of Lachit's 400th-anniversary celebrations, a battle memorial is being constructed for the soldiers who fought at Alaboi.
The Assam Regiment is a living example of the northeastern warriors' legendary fighting skills.
The National Defense Academy (NDA) now honours Lachit for his exceptional bravery and leadership by giving the top cadet a gold medal in his honour every year since 1999.

Ahom royalty's scattered burial places, known as Maidams, are being worked on by the government to become a UNESCO world historic site.

Expertise of Ahoms

The Ahom soldiers were skilled at rowing boats, shooting arrows, digging trenches, and using guns and cannons, according to Ram Singh's letter to Aurangzeb.
In the letter that historians frequently cite, Ram Singh claims that one person had been in charge of all the soldiers and that he had never encountered such fighters in any other region of India.
The Ahoms played a key role in repelling more than 15 efforts by the Mughals and other rulers of the Delhi Sultanate to conquer the area.
The Ahoms controlled Assam for more than 600 years, making their dynastic rule one of the longest in the subcontinent.

Source: The Hindu

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