Battle of Saraighat

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Table of Contents

In medieval chronicles, the kings of this dynasty were called Asam Raja, whereas the subjects of the kingdom called them Chaopha (Chaoruler, Pha-heaven), or as Swargadeo (the equivalent in Assamese) from the 16th century.
The Ahom kings let themselves be influenced by the religion and customs of those they ruled over. (Hindu influence over customs, lineage of kings traced to God Indra) ** Patra matris – council of ministers— • Burhagohain • Borgohain • Borpatrogohain • Borbarua • Borphukan

End of the Ahom kingdom

There were three Burmese invasions of Assam between 1817 and 1826, during which time the Kingdom of Ahoms came under the control of Burma from 1821 to 1825.
The rule of Ahoms ended when the British East India annexed Assam following the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826 between the EIC and Burmese.

Ahom–Mughal conflicts

The relationship between the Ahoms and the Mughals was hostile due to certain factors : 1. Mughal alliance with Koch Bihar, the western enemy of the Ahoms 2. The growing advance of the Mughals in north-eastern frontier which alarmed them. 3. Mughal expansionist policy – to annex fertile valley of Brahmaputra 4. Trade and boundary disputes
From 1615 to 1682 , Mughals and Ahoms fought multiple times (~18 major campaigns/battles along with many more smaller skirmishes)
A dynastic dispute in Koch behar led to conflict initially, as Ahoms and Mughals intervened by supporting the contesting factions in Koch Behar
Ahoms held on to their territories in the end by pushing back Mughals in 1682

LACHIT BORPHUKAN

Born in 1622 to Momai Tamuli ,Borbarua ( governor)
Educated in humanities, military tactics & holy scriptures
Held various other imp appointments before being appointed as Ahom Army General
Strengthened the Ahom Army greatly
Ardent patriot , Clever diplomat and a great military leader with unusual grit, will power, stamina and depth of judgement
He recaptured Guwahati from Mughals in 1667 and defended it in 1671 at Saraighat
He was the Commander-In-Chief in the battle of Saraighat.
The king presented Lachit with a gold-hafted sword (Hengdang) to carry out the task of defeating the Mughals.
24 November is celebrated each year as Lachit Divas in Assam where they commemorate the heroism of Lachit Borphukan .
** Lachit Borphukan’s maternal uncle hesitated to go on with his duty to complete a wall he was ordered to construct by Lachit for the defences. Frustrated by his uncle’s lack of effort, Lachit had his uncle’s head cut off saying that an uncle is not as important as the country.
** On the battlefield, when his soldiers were retreating – “If you (the soldiers) want to flee, flee. The king has given me a task here and I will do it well. Let the Mughals take me away. You report to the king that his General fought well following his orders.”
The Battle of Saraighat
1661-1663 – Ahoms suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Mughal army and a humiliating treaty was signed
Guwahati and surrounding areas went to Mughals
1667 – Guwahati recaptured Guwahati
The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb deputed the powerful Rajput king –Mirza Raja Ram Singh of Amer as the Commander-in-Chief of the Mughal army to attack Ahoms.
Chakradwaj Singha was the Ahom King at the time.
Commander of the army(Borphukan) – Lachit
To stall the stronger and numerically superior Mughal army, Lachit Borphukan sent word for negotiations, meanwhile strengthening defences.
1669-70 – Multiple Battles and skirmishes depleting both sides strength .
Initially Ahoms were successful but they suffered a major defeat at Alaboi in 1669
When the war was taking a more critical turn, Chakradwaj Singha, the king of Assam died in April 1670.
He was succeeded by his brother Udayaditya Singha (1670-1672)
Guwahati, which was hilly, on the way to the heart of the Ahom kingdom and without open fields , was chosen by Ahoms as the final battlefield .
The Mughal forces would not have sufficient mobility there.
The only way east was via the Brahmaputra river passing through it. The Brahmaputra at Saraighat, at its narrowest 1 km width, was ideal for a naval defence.
To check Mughal advance, Lachit prepared a complex system of mud embankments in Guwahati
When the Mughals found Guwahati impregnable by land, they would be forced to use their navy, which was their weakest asset.
Shaista khan, Aurangzeb’s uncle and one of the senior most Subedar arrived with reinforcements at Guwahati

At the time of the battle of Saraighat, Lachit fell very ill and was advised to not go out in the battlefield.
He realised that this might lead to low morale among the troops so he boarded a boat himself and set sail on the river to fight the Mughal Navy
He rallied his retreating men when defeat looked certain.
The entry of the Borphukan transformed the Ahom soldiers.
His small flotilla soon swelled with Ahom warships from all sides that smashed into the Mughal warships
The river was filled with men and boat.
The Ahoms spanned the river over an improvised bridge of boats and resorted to a combined front and rear attack.
The Mughal admiral Munnawar Khan, was killed by a gunshot, throwing the Mughals out of gear.
They suffered the loss of three top-ranking amirs, and another 4000 dead.
The day of this decisive battle is not known for certain, only that it happened in the middle of March 1671.

Aftermath

The Mughals were pursued to the Manas river, the Ahom kingdom’s western boundary.
Ram Singh left Kamrup in April 1671 .
Lachit Borphukan died at Kaliabor about a year later in April 1672
This was not the final battle between the Ahoms and the Mughals
Lachit Borphukan’s own brother and successor Borphukan, Laluk Sola, deserted Guwahati for the Mughals in 1679.
It remained with the Mughals until 1682, when the Ahoms recovered it and ended Mughal control in Kamrup for ever. The best passing out cadet of National Defence Academy is conferred with the Lachit Borphukan gold medal every year.