Veer Lachit Borphukhan, arguably the greatest hero of
Assam, was a warrior in the league of Chatrapati Shivaji & Maharana Rana
Pratap. His spirit flows through the veins of Assam as strong & free as the mighty Brahmaputra.

We are his legacy, this is his legend.
#VeerLachitDivas

Born to Momai Tamuli Borbarua,
commander-in-chief of the Ahom army, young Lachit was educated in humanities, military tactics & Dharmik scriptures. Veer Lachit was first given the position of Soladhara Barua, the
scarf-bearer of the Ahom swargdeo by Pratap Singha,the Ahom king.

Lachit Borphukan is known for his valour in the Battle of Saraighat,
one of the worst defeats the Mughal Army had ever faced.
Saraighat is remembered for the victory of a much smaller Ahom
Army over the mighty Mughal Army, much like the Battle of Thermopylae.

Through a combination of
tactical brilliance, guerilla warfare & intelligence, Lachit Borphukan single-handedly led the Ahom force to victory
over a much larger Mughal army. His tactics are still taught in military schools as case studies of guerrilla warfare. #VeerLachitDiv

A little context. The Ahom kingdom was established in 1228 CE, by Chao Lung
Siu-Ka-Pha.
Both the dynasty’s name ‘Ahom’ as well as the region’s name
‘Assam’ comes from the word ‘Asama’ or invincible, a local name
for this mighty tribe which ruled here for almost 600 years.

The Ahoms ruled a rich land. The Brahmaputra valley was rich in
timber and elephants and so under constant attack.
Assam was invaded several times by the armies of the Delhi
Sultanate in the 16th century but with were rebuffed by the brave Ahoms. #VeerLachitDivas

The only invader who managed to conquer some parts of Assam
was the Mughal Governor of Bengal Mir Jumla who occupied
some parts including Guwahati & the
capital, Garhgaon. Yet, within 5 years, the Ahoms regained control of most of
the lost territories. #VeerLachitDivas

In August 1667, the Ahom general Lachit Borphukan had
recaptured Guwahati. This outraged Mughal emperor Aurangzeb
& 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,Mughals under Ram Singh’s army comprising of 21
Rajput chiefs,30000 infantry &18000 Turkish cavalry,marched
along the Brahmaputra.
Within Guwahati,Lachit secured his fortifications.The heavily forested hills
around Guwahati provided a ring of defence spanning 25 sq.miles.

Moreover,fortifications of Guwahati were surrounded by
hidden ditches with bamboo pikes to impale enemy cavalry.Unsuspecting Mughals marched into
the war zone of Guwahati almost unopposed. They attributed it to
Ahom cowardice, with no inkling of the counter plan.
#VeerLachitDivas

Once in, they became complacent & easy prey to the planned
guerrilla attacks of General Lachit & his men. The Ahoms would
attack only at night & then retreat immediately. There was even an instance when the Ahom army entered the
Mughal camp & walked out with all the silverware!

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.’ Guerilla attacks were part of larger psychological warfare of
Lachit Borphukan.

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

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 & 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 between
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

Veer Lachit Borphukan died 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 his 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, Veer Lachit Borphukan is revered as the greatest military general of Assam. In 1999, the then COAS General VP
Malik, instituted the annual Lachit Borphukan Gold Medal Award
for the best cadet of National Defence Academy (NDA). #VeerLachitDivas

In 2016, a 35 ft high statue of Lachit and his men was
inaugurated in the middle of the Brahmaputra river, at the scene of his
great victory, still so proudly remembered by every Assamese. #VeerLachitDivas

The Ahom Kingdom, the War Zone, the Naval Battle & the famous & dreaded Hengdang sword of Veer Lachit Borphukan, one that drank the blood of the entire Mughal Army.
#VeerLachitDivas

This #VeerLachitDivas, let India know & celebrate the life & legend of Lachit Borphukan, the Lion of Assam, a son of Maa Bharati, the man who brought the Mughal Empire to its knees.