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03/05/22 14:40 PM IST

Ahom commander Lachit Borphukan

In News 
  • President Ram Nath Kovind kickstarted the 400th birth anniversary celebrations of the 17thcentury Ahom general Lachit Borphukan and laid the foundation for a war memorial and a 150-foot bronze statue of the commander, who had protected Assam from Mughal invasion.
About Borphukan
  • Borphukan, who led the army of the Ahom kingdom—covering most of present-day Assam—is one of the most revered military icons of the country. 
  • Borphukan was born on November 24, 1622 to Momai Tamuli Borbarua, commander-in-chief of the Ahom army.
  • The Ahoms had ruled major parts of Assam for nearly 600 years, between 1228 and 1826.
  • The Ahom kingdom had been repeatedly attacked by the Turkic and Afghan rulers of the Delhi Sultanate and later by the Mughals.
  • The first Mughal invasion of Assam happened in 1615, seven years before Lachit Borphukan was born.
Education 
  • Educated in the humanities, military skills and the scriptures, Borphukan was first given the position of ‘Soladhara Barua’, scarf-bearer of the Ahom king.
  • Known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that thwarted a drawn-out attempt by Mughal forces under the command of Ramsingh I to take over Ahom kingdom.
  • The battle of Saraighat was fought on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati.
Outcome of the battle 
  • During the last phase of the Battle of Saraighat 1671, when the Mughals attacked the Assamese forces through the river in Saraighat, many Assamese soldiers began losing their will to fight.
  • It was Lachit’s clarion call to all the soldiers that made them fight till their last breath, ultimately resulting in the defeat of the Mughals.
Source-IndiaToday 

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