Lachit Borphukan

Tradition holds a general executed his own uncle, to make a point about duty. His army then beat the mighty Mughals, on the water.

Timeline

• Traditionally dated to 24 November 1622: born into an influential Ahom family, in present-day Assam. His exact birth year isn’t firmly documented.
• Rises to Borphukan, viceroy of western Assam, and commander-in-chief of the Ahom army.
• March 1671: Leads the Ahoms to victory at the Battle of Saraighat, against Mughal forces.
• The Mughals were commanded by Ram Singh I of Amber, acting under Emperor Aurangzeb’s orders.
• 25 April 1672: Dies from illness, months after the battle. He had fought while seriously ill.

Rise to Borphukan Need to Know

• Lachit Borphukan, traditionally dated 1622 to 1672, was a top military commander of the Ahom Kingdom, in present-day Assam.
• His father, Momai Tamuli Borbarua, was the first Borbarua, an Ahom governor and commander-in-chief in his own right.
• Lachit held the rank of Borphukan, one of five senior councillor posts King Pratap Singha created in the Ahom administration.
• As Borphukan, he served as viceroy of western Assam and commander-in-chief of the Ahom army, based at Kaliabor.
• This was a specific administrative-military office, not just a generic title for “commander.”

The Battle of Saraighat Good to Know

• In March 1671, Lachit led the Ahoms to victory at the Battle of Saraighat, fought on the Brahmaputra near Guwahati.
• The Mughals were commanded by Ram Singh I of Amber, under Emperor Aurangzeb’s orders.
• Lachit used guerrilla naval tactics: small, fast boats, and the Brahmaputra’s narrow channels, to counter the Mughals’ larger numbers and artillery.
• During the battle, the Mughal admiral Munnawar Khan was shot and killed, a turning point that threw the Mughal forces into disarray.
• Popular tradition holds that before the battle, Lachit’s own maternal uncle neglected an urgent overnight fortification task. Lachit had him executed on the spot, reportedly saying his uncle was not greater than his country.
• This story isn’t drawn from a firm contemporary record. Some versions instead describe the person executed as an engineer, not a relative.

Test Yourself

Legacy Great to Know

• Lachit died on 25 April 1672, from illness, about a year after the battle, at Kaliabor.
• The Battle of Saraighat is remembered as a rare instance of the Mughals being decisively defeated by a regional naval power.
• Assam observes Lachit Divas every 24 November, his traditionally observed birth anniversary, honouring the Saraighat victory.
• The National Defence Academy instituted the Lachit Borphukan Gold Medal in 1999. It goes to the Army wing’s top cadet, at each passing-out parade.
• India marked his 400th birth anniversary with year-long national celebrations through 2022, opened in Guwahati and closed in Delhi.