Lachit Barphukan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 24, 1622 Ahom Kingdom |
| Died | 25 April 1672 (aged 49) Kaliabor,[1] Nagaon |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Ahom Kingdom |
| Service/ | Ahom Army |
| Rank | Borphukan (General) Commander-in-chief |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Memorials | Holongapar, Jorhat, Assam, India |
| Relations | Momai Tamuli Borbarua (father) Nang La Cheng (mother) Laluksola Borphukan (brother) Pakhori Gabharu (sister) Marangi Borbarua (brother) Bhardhora Borphukan (brother) Lao deca (brother) Datukaria (brother) Ramani Gabharu (niece) Baduli Borphukan (uncle) |
| Nationality | Ahom Kingdom |
Lachit Borphukan (24 November 1622 – 25 April 1672) was an army general, primarily known for commanding the Ahom Army and the victory in the Battle of Saraighat (1671) that thwarted an invasion by the vastly superior Mughal Forces under the command of Ramsingh I.[2] He died about a year later in April 1672.[1]
There is keen contemporary interest in Lachit Borphukan today—he has emerged as a powerful symbol of Assam's historical autonomy.[3][4] Since the rise of BJP in Assam, the party has been keen to project him as a warrior against Muslim invasion instead.[5] This communalisation of Lachit Borphukan and the Battle of Saraighat is contested by historians who claim that Lachit himself was not Hindu rather followed Tai religion,[6] that he had Muslim commanders like Bagh Hazarika (Ismail Siddique) under him,[7] and that he fought against a Hindu Mughal commander, Ram Singh I.[8]
- ^ a b "Lachit Barphukan, who had literaly staked his life and honour, soon died at Kaliabar, April 1672..." (Sarkar 1992:228)
- ^ "In 1671 he commanded the Ahom forces that defeated the vastly superior Mughal army led by Raja Ram Singh of Ajmer in the battle of Saraighat." (Baruah 2020:146)
- ^ "Lachit Borphukon is a powerful symbol of Assam’s autonomous past for many in Assam." (Baruah 2020:146)
- ^ "That event subsequently served as basis for the proud claim by modem Assamese nationalism that Assam was one of the few regions to stave off ‘alien’ rule by ‘Bangals’ or ‘Yavanas’, as the buranjis classified these would-be conquerors from the Indian heartland." (Sharma 2004:176)
- ^ "Ever since the BJP’s rise in Assam, however, the party has been keen to project him as a warrior of national significance. Sarma, for one, has frequently praised Borphukan for warding off “Muslim invaders”." (Zaman 2022)
- ^ "Besides, [Udayaditya Bharali, a historian and former principal of Guwahati’s Cotton College] said, Borphukan himself was not Hindu. “Lachit was from the Tai religion,” he said. “History can’t be written forcefully as one wishes. Hinduism only became the predominant religion during the reign of Swaegodeo Siva Singh [1714-1744]. Many soldiers under Lachit were from the tribal faith.”" (Zaman 2022)
- ^ "Udayaditya Bharali, a historian and former principal of Guwahati’s Cotton College, pointed out Muslims also held important posts in the Ahom army – the navy general Ismail Siddique, for instance, also known as Bagh Hazarika." (Zaman 2022)
- ^ '"Lachit fought against the Mughals because they were outsiders or the invading force," said Jahnabi Gogoi, who teaches at Assam’s Dibrugarh University and specialises in mediaeval history. "There is no religious angle to it as the mughal general whom Lachit fought was Raja Ram Singh Kachwaha [a Rajput] of Amber. In Aurangzeb’s troops, there were many Hindu soldiers."' (Zaman 2022)