Lachit Barphukan: The 'man fort' against the Mughals

Bishaldeep Kakati

(Bishaldeep Kakati can be contacted at deep.kakati99@gmail.com)

A significant part of Indian history is covered with the invasion and the ruling of the Mughals and it is a conspicuous fact that the Mughals ruled almost the entire India, except for the Ahom Kingdom. The Mughals attacked the Ahoms 17 times from the period of 1615-1682 but rarely could get an upper hand against them. One of the significant battles between Ahoms and the Mughals was known as the "Battle of Saraighat", and the same battle is even remembered today for the heroics of a person known as Lachit Barphukan. By flipping over the pages of Ahom history, one can also clearly realize the fact that Lachit was not only one of the greatest warriors of all time, but also could be considered as that impenetrable 'man' fort for the Ahoms, that could not be destroyed even with all the might.

Lachit Borphukan was born on 24th November 1622 to then Commander-in-Chief of the Ahoms, Momai Tamuli Borborua. Lachit was well-trained in humanities, scriptures and military skills and was appointed as the Commander of the Ahom army by the then-king, Chakradwaj Singha. Chakradwaj Singha became the king of the Ahoms after the demise of Jaydwaj Singha. In 1663, Mir Jumla defeated the Ahoms, following which Jaydwaj Singha had to sign the treaty of Ghilajharighat according to the treaty; Jaydwaj Singha had to send one of his daughters to the Mughal harem alongside a huge part of the Ahom kingdom, 90 elephants, 3,00,000 tola of silver to the Mughals. Post the demise of Jaydwaj Singha, Chakradwaj Singha vowed to bring back the lost glory of the Ahoms and the responsibility to lead the Ahoms was bestowed upon the new commander of the Ahom army, Lachit Barphukan.

Lachit, along with Atan Buragohain, led the Ahom force towards Guwahati in August 1667, to bring back Guwahati which was seized by the Mughals. It was in November 1667 he was capable of capturing the Itakuli fort and drove the Mughals beyond Manas and in the process apprehended Firruz Khan as a prisoner. Although Lachit was successful in the war, he anticipated a Mughal attack again and as such he dedicated his entire focus to strengthening the Ahom army. The visionary in him was correct as just two years later i.e. in March 1669 the Mughal forces attacked Guwahati again. The Mughal army was then led by Raja Ram Singh who was commanded to attack the Ahoms by Aurangzeb. The Mughal army that came to attack the Ahoms was a huge one as it comprised 30,000 infantrymen, 21 Rajput Chiefs with their contingents, 18,000 cavalries, 2,000 archers and shielders and 40 ships in addition to Ram Singha's forces of 4,000 troopers. In the early part of 1169, the Ahoms under the leadership of Lachit Barphukan were using Guerilla warfare to counter the Mughal's attacks, making it difficult for them to take over the city of Guwahati. While Ram Singh was eagerly waiting for an open conflict with the Ahom army, Lachit, on other hand, was reluctant for the same, as the Mughal Army was too huge for the Ahoms to face in an open battle. Amidst this tactical war brilliance of Lachit, the Ahom King ChakradwajSingha became impatient and a message from Phelan Phukan (Ahom commander at Rangmahal Fort) to the king stating that Lachit was intentionally delaying the offensive attack compelled the king to do something which turned out to be fatal. On August 4th 1669, the king ordered Lachit and the Ahom Army to attack the Mughals via direct encounter. Lachit, following the king's order, prepared a force of 40,000 soldiers to engage with the Mughal Army, which was concentrated near Alaboi Hill. Although Ahoms were capable of capturing Mir Nawab and his troops but an all-out attack by Mughals meant 10,000 Ahom soldiers losing their lives in the famous "Battle of Alaboi". Lachit withdrew his forces post this major setback and during this period King Chakradwaj Singha also died. History narrates that the Mughals could seize Guwahati for one year, but apart from that couldn't achieve many breakthroughs as Ahoms had already constructed strong and secure defences.

Post the massive defeat at the hands of the Mughals in the battle of Alaboi, the Ahoms soldiers were demoralized and when they saw large boats looming around, they thought of flying away. But Lachiit had other plans in his mind. Even though Lachit was sick, he got up from his bed and immediately ordered the construction of seven boats. He even encouraged his soldiers not to move astray from the services to be rendered to the country. Lachit's actions and words inspired the Army and they once again joined hands with Lachit to prepare themselves for what may be India's first navy battle that was known as the 'Battle of Saraighat'.

The Battle of Saraighat also saw the Lachit and the Ahom army use necessary war tactics. The weakest link in the Mughal Army was their navy, and the Ahoms forced the Mughals to fight against them in the middle of the river Brahmaputra. The Ahoms were successful in doing so as they build numerous mud embankments on the terrains making it difficult for the Mughals to engage in war on the land surface. Further, the Ahoms also used smaller boats to attack the Mughals in contrast to the larger boats that were used by the Mughals. The smaller boats meant it was easier to manoeuvre and as such the Ahom army not only directly attacked the Mughals but also chased them up to Manas, the western boundary of the Ahom Kingdom. The Ahoms became victorious and with it, the heroic tales of Lachit Barphukan were written in history in golden words.

Lachit, in short, was that indomitable fort for the Ahoms that stood tall amidst numerous Mughal attacks. He was not only courageous but was also a war intellectual that could visualize anticipated wars and as such was always a step ahead of his foes. A man fort like Lachit was invincible and he weathered every storm just to ensure that the flag of his kingdom forever flies high.