A thread on Veer Lachit Borphukan on the occasion of #VeerLachitDivas

To understand the story of Lachit Borphukan’s triumph over the Mughals, it is important to get some context of the history, geography and politics of Assam. #VeerLachitDivas

The kingdom of Assam comprised of a stretch of land 600 miles wide, along the banks of Brahmaputra river. It was surrounded by high hills and thick forests. #VeerLachitDivas

The capital was at Garhgaon in present-day Eastern Assam, while a viceroy known as Borphukan administered from Guwahati. Thick forests, rivulets and the tough terrain meant that they were hardly any roads. #VeerLachitDivas

All transport, as well as trade, took place over the river Brahmaputra. It was the lifeline and so the entire length of the Brahmaputra was protected by a series of powerful forts. #VeerLachitDivas

The Ahom kingdom was established in 1228 CE, by Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha. #VeerLachitDivas

Both the dynasty’s name ‘Ahom’ as well as the region’s name ‘Assam’ comesfrom the word ‘Asama’ or invincible, a local name for this mighty tribe which ruled here for almost 600 years. #VeerLachitDivas

The Ahoms ruled a rich land. The Brahmaputra valley was rich in timber and elephants and so under constant attack. #VeerLachitDivas

Assam was invaded several times by the armies of the Delhi Sultanate in the 16th century with no success. #VeerLachitDivas

The only invader, who managed to conquer some parts of Assam was the Mughal Governor of Bengal Mir Jumla who had occupied large parts of the Ahom kingdom including Guwahati and the capital, Garhgaon. #VeerLachitDivas

Yet, within five years, the Ahoms took back control of most of the lost territories. #VeerLachitDivas

In August 1667, the Ahom general Lachit Borphukan had recaptured Guwahati. This outraged Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and he sent the Mughal commander Ram Singh of Amer (Jaipur) with a large force in what would be the last Mughal attempt to conquer Assam. #VeerLachitDivas

In 1670, the Mughals under Ram Singh’s army comprising of 21 Rajput chiefs, 30,000 infantry, and 18,000 Turkish cavalry, marched towards Guwahati through the Brahmaputra river. #VeerLachitDivas

Within Guwahati, Lachit was well prepared for the Mughal army and geography helped. The heavily forested and fortified hills surrounding Guwahati provided a ring of defence spanning 25 square miles. #VeerLachitDivas

Moreover, the fortifications of Guwahati were surrounded by hidden ditches with bamboo pikes, to impale enemy cavalry. #VeerLachitDivas

The unsuspecting and ill-prepared Mughal army marched into the war zone of Guwahati almost unopposed. They attributed it to Assamese cowardice, without realizing the counter plan. #VeerLachitDivas

Once in, they became complacent and easy prey to the planned guerrilla attacks of General Lachit and his men. The Ahoms would attack only at night and then retreat immediately. #VeerLachitDivas

There was even an instance when the Ahom army entered the Mughal camp walking out with all the silverware, they found! #VeerLachitDivas

So harassed was Ram Singh that he sent off a letter to Lachit demanding he stop these attacks at night, To which Lachit is said to have replied ‘It must be remembered that Lions fight at night.’. #VeerLachitDivas

Guerilla attacks were part of larger psychological warfare that Lachit and his men planned and the Mughal army was flummoxed by what it witnessed. Rumors were spread claiming that the Ahom army fought at night because it had rakshasas or demons. #VeerLachitDivas

When the Mughal army head Ram Singh refused to believe this and demanded proof, Lachit is also said to have sent men dressed like demons into the Mughal camp to convince him! #VeerLachitDivas

Demoralized and ill-prepared, the Mughal army even tried to make peace on the ground, only to be thwarted by Emperor Aurangzeb who was adamant to destroy the Ahoms. #VeerLachitDivas

The final battle was fought in early 1671, when the Mughals made a desperate attempt to break through the fortifications. Lachit who was ill at that time is said to have heroically gotten out of his sick bed, and rowed his boat straight at the enemy. #VeerLachitDivas

The battle, which would become known as the battle of Saraighat, was fought on the Brahmaputra. Ahom boats built an unpenetrable fortification on water placing their boats in a row, one after the other across the breadth of the river. #VeerLachitDivas

The stretch of Bramhaputra flowing through Guwahati betwn Kamakhya, Itakhuli & Aswakranta became littered with boats & dead bodies. The Mughal flotilla was completely smashed & the Mughal admiral Munawwar Khan shot dead. It was a decisive victory for the Ahoms. #VeerLachitDivas

This battle of Saraighat came to be immortalized in Assamese literature and even today, you will find a small village called ‘Sarai’ on the banks of the Brahmaputra where the battle was fought. #VeerLachitDivas

Lachit Borphukan of an unknown illness died a year later in April 1672 at the age of fifty . As a mark of respect, the Ahom King Udayaditya Singh built a memorial in his honor in Jorhat, 305 km east of Guwahati. Ram Singh returned to Delhi in disgrace. #VeerLachitDivas

And after the victory at Saraighat, the Ahom kings ruled Assam for over 150 years more, that is till the annexation of the kingdom by the British in 1826. #VeerLachitDivas

Today, Lachit Borphukan is revered as the greatest military hero of Assam. In 1999, the then Chief of the Indian Army General VP Malik, instituted the annual Lachit Borphukan Gold Medal Award for the best cadet of National Defence Academy (NDA). #VeerLachitDivas

And in 2016, a 35 ft high status of Lachit and his men was inaugurated in the middle of the Brahmaputra, at the scene of his great victory, still so proudly remembered.. #VeerLachitDivas