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Lachit Borphukan

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    History & Culture
  • Published
    8th Aug, 2022

Context

Recently, the Assam government made a request to include Lachit Borphukan’s valour in textbooks.


About Lachit Borphukan

  • Lachit Borphukan was Born on November 24, 1622 in Charaideo, the first capital of the Ahom kings. 
  • He Led two battles against an alien Mughal army.
    • Battle of Alaboi:
      • Fought on August 5, 1669 in the Alaboi Hills near Dadara in North Guwahati.
      • Aurangzeb had ordered the invasion in 1669 under his ally Rajput Raja Ram Singh I who led a combined Mughal and Rajput army. 
      • Borphukan engaged in guerrilla warfare, assaulting the invaders and then falling back until Ram Singh I unleashed his entire forces on the Ahoms, defeating them in the Battle of Alaboi.
    • Naval battle in Saraighat in 1671:
      • Lachit Borphukon’s valorous leadership led to the decisive defeat of the Mughals.
      • 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 

  • The year-long celebration of the 17th-century Ahom general’s 400th birth anniversary is going on.
  • A war memorial for the soldiers who fought at Alaboi is being built as part of Lachit’s 400 year anniversary.
  • The warrior’s prowess of the north eastern soldiers remains to this day and is represented by the Assam Regiment.
  • Today, Lachit’s extraordinary courage and leadership is honoured by the National Defense Academy (NDA) which awards a gold medal in his name every year since 1999 to the best cadet. 
  • The government is also trying to turn the burial sites (maidams) of Ahom royalty scattered across Charaideo hillocks into a UNESCO world heritage site.

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