Emulate the spirit and skill of Lachit Barphukan

Author: Lt. Gen. S. K. Sinha

Publication: Bharatiya Pragna
Date: August 2001
Maharashtra and Assam may be at two opposite ends of our vast and great country but they stand united
by a common history, a common heritage and a common spirit. During the medieval period they
produced two great military leaders of our country, Chhatrapati Shivaji in Maharashtra and Lachit
Barphukan in Assam. It is in the fitness of things that our National Defense Academy, the cradle for
military leadership is located at the home of the great Shivaji. It is also very appropriate that the statue of
Lachit Barphukan is being installed at this Academy. This is not only pays homage to the memory of one
of our great military leaders of medieval India but also underscores national spirit and promotes national
integration.
I feel greatly honoured to be here to unveil the statue of Lachit Barphukan. May I take this opportunity
to strike a personal note? I received my military training at the Officers Training School Belgaum, when I
roamed over some of the hills, where Shivaji had operated. From my young days, I have been greatly
fascinated by Shivaji's military genius and his devotion to moral values. I have been his ardent admirer.
On being commissioned from Belgaum in 1944, I joined my battalion, and then located on the bank of
the Brahmaputra at Guwahati. There, I learnt about the military exploits of Lachit. This caught by
fascination and admiration. His great victory in the battle of Saraighat over the immensely superior
Mughal Army, when Mughal imperial power was at its zenith, makes him one of the truly great military
leaders of medieval India. More than half a century after my posting to Guwahati I took over as
Governor of Assam. It has been my endeavour that the fame of Lachit Barphukan, which had remained
confined largely to Assam, be also spread to other parts of the country. We have been holding special
functions of Lachit Divas in Assam and we have produced a documentary film on this Ahom General. A
cassette of this film is being presented to the N DA. The institution of a gold medal named after Lachit
Barphukan for the best cadet in the officers like qualities and the installation of his statue at this
Academy, are fulfillments of my long cherished desire.
It is interesting to note the connection between Shivaji and Lachit Barphukan. They were near
contemporaries. Shivaji was some years older. The successful fight put up by Shivaji against Aurangjeb
became a source of inspiration for the Ahoms in Assam. Like the Rajputs under Rana Pratap and the
Marathas under Shivaji, the Ahoms under Lachit were fighting against Mughal imperialism to preserve
their respective independence. There was no communal dimension to the battles waged by them. Rana
Pratap fought a Mughal Army led by Raja Mansingh, Shivaji fought a Mughal Army led by Raja Jai Singh
and Lachit fought a Mughal Army led by Raja Ram Singh.
Two key personalities on the Mughal side operating against Lachit had also operated against Shivaji.
Shaista Khan, the maternal uncle of Aurangjeb had been the Viceroy of Deccan and was located here at
Pune when Shivaji had raided his palace. Shaista Khan managed to escape but in the process lost three of

his fingers to a cut by sword. The same Shaista Khan was now the Mughal Viceroy from Dhaka from
where he provided support for the Mughal expeditionary forces moving up to Assam. At the head of
Mughal Army was Raja Ram Singh, the son of Raja Jai Singh. At Purandar Jai Singh had fought against
Shivaji. After the treaty of Purandar, his father to escort Shivaji to Agra had detained Ram Singh. It was
the same Ram Singh who was sent as the head of a formidable Mughal Army to invade Assam. Lachit
Barphukan crossed swords with him at Guwahati.
Assam was the only state of India, which defeated successive attempts by Delhi Sultans and Mughal
emperors. Starting from the invasion of Bhaktiyar Khilji in early thirteenth century to the invasions of
the Mughal armies of Aurangzeb in the late seventeenth century. Assam defeated seventeen such
invasions. No doubt the geographical remoteness of Assam was the major factor but no less important
was the military leadership and the fighting qualities displayed by the people of Assam.
Of these seventeen invasions there was only one in which the invader achieved some success. This was
Mir Jumla's invasion. Mir Jumla was the Mughal Viceroy at Dhaka. In 1662 as the head of the large
Mughal army he advanced up the Brahmaputra into Assam. There was dissension among the Ahoms and
they could not put up any worthwhile resistance. The Ahom capital at Gargaon fell to the invader and
king Jayadhwaja Singha fled to the hills. Like Napoleon at Moscow, Mir Jumla at Gargoan found that he
had won only a pyrric victory. The French grand army got, decimated in the severe winter of the Russian
steeps. Similarly Mughal army got decimated by monsoon, malaria and decentry. During its retreat, Mir
Jumla died of illness. However before retreating Mir Jumla had imposed a humiliating treaty on the
Ahoms. Two Ahom Royal princesses were taken for the Mughal imperial harem. Ahoms had to pay 3
lakhs as war indemnity and an annual tribute of 20 elephants. They also had to cede the western half of
their kingdom from Guwahati to Manas river.
The Ahom king was keen to avenge the defeat he had suffered at the hands of Mughals and Lachit
Barphukan proved to be the man of the hour. He was the son of Mumai Tamuli Borbarua who starting
from the humble beginning had risen to the Governor of lower Assam as also Commander-in-Chief of
the Ahom army. Thus Lachit Barphukan had the benefit of the upbringing the children of mobility of his
times. His father arranged for his education in Humanities, Scriptures and Military skills as he grew up he
was given positions of responsibilities. He was appointed. Scarf Bearer to, the Prime Minister
functioning like his private secretary. He was successively appointed Superintendent of the Royal Horse,
Commander of the strategic Simulgarh Fort and Superintendent of the Royal Household guards.
King Jayadhwaj Singha died soon after the defeat he had suffered at the hands of Mir Jumla. At his
deathbed, he exhorted his nephew and successor king Chakradhwaj Singha to remove the spear of
humiliation from the bosom of the nation. The new king was determined to retrieve national honour and
started making elaborate preparations for recovering territory lost to the Mughals. Stock of food and war
material were built up and an expeditionary army organised and trained.
Preparations were complete by 1667 and the king entrusted the command of the expeditionary army to
Lachit Barphukan. This force started from Gargaon in August 1667 and advanced down the
Brahmaputra to Guwahati. Lachit soon captured an important post of the Mughals on the North bank

and Mughal reserves got drawn there. He beat back Mughal counter attacks. Simultaneously he
organized night raid by his commandos on the South bank of the river against the Mughal fort at
Guwahati. The commandos poured water into the mouth of Mughal canons and the Ahom army after a
heavy cannonade pressed a determined attack. Lachit captured the fort and the Mughal Governor was
taken a prisoner along with a large number of Mughal soldiers.
The Mughals abandoned Guwahati and Lachit advanced up to Manas river liberating the Ahom territory
ceded to Mir Jumla. A stone victory pillar with inscription in Sanskrit now in Guwahati museum praises
Lachit Barphukan for his victory against the Mughals at Guwahati in 1667.
Lachit was not the one to just rest on his laurels. He realized that the Mughal Emperor was bound to
send a large army to avenge the defeat of his forces and suffered at Guwahati. He, therefore, set about
organizing the defenses of Guwahati in a very meticulous manner for the anticipated invasion of Mughal
forces. The terrain around Guwahati of low hills on either bank of the river, helped Lachit in organizing
impregnable defenses. He organised prepared defenses at gaps of 9 ft. on the plains and 13.5 ft on the
hills. The river line within the defensive perimeter on both banks was fortified and stockades were put
up on sand banks in the river to deny the use of the waterway. All round defence and defence in depth
were insured. For nearly 2 years he was developing his defenses while the Mughals organised a large
force and advanced to Guwahati. It is said that Lachit was very ruthless with his subordinates in ensuring
preparation of defences. He beheaded his own uncle who was found negligent in this regard, "My uncle
is not greater than my country".
The Mughal Army under Ram Singh consisted of 30,000 infantry, 15,000 archers, 18,000 Turkish cavalry,
5,000 gunners and over 1000 cannons besides a large flotilla of boats. Portuguese and other European
sailors were employed, to man the fleet. These forces moved up the Brahmaputra from Dhaka to
Guwahati. Lachit's spies kept him informed of the progress of Ram Singh's advance. With the
impregnable defences that he had prepared at Guwahati, he was confident to beat back the Mughal
attack. He realized that he stood no chance in open ground on the plains against the immensely superior
Mughal cavalry of Turkish and Arab horse. His small ponies were no match for them. The Mughals had
to be denied any opportunity to exploit their overwhelming superiority in cavalry.
The Mughals made contact with Lachit's defences in March 1669 and laid siege to Guwahati, which
lasted for a little over one year. There were five distinct phases of the battle fought at Guwahati. In the
first phase the Mughals made repeated attacks against Ahom defences on both banks of the, river but
failed to achieve a breakthrough. In the second phase they tried to send raiding parties by boats to get
inside the Ahom defences. Lachit's river line defences foiled this attempt. A heavy monsoon set in
during the third phase.
The Mughals got bogged down in mud and got isolated from each other due to flowing streams. The
Ahoms were at an advantage. They were more used to the terrain and accustomed to the climate. They
carried out extensive guerilla warfare, causing heavy losses to the Mughals. Ram Singh was very
contemptuous of these operations and called it a "thieves affair". He challenged Lachit Barphukan to a

duel. He also offered a bribe of 3 lakhs to Lachit to abandon Guwahati defences. When this did not
work, he tried a ruse.
A letter addressed to Lachit, attached to an arrow, was host into the Ahom camp. It mentioned that
Lachit had been paid one lakh to evacuate Guwahati and urged him to do so soon. The letter found its
way to the Ahom King at Gargaon who became suspicious of the loyalty of Lachit Barphukan.
Fortunately, the Prime Minister managed to convince the King that it was a trick being played by the
Mughal Commander and he should not doubt Lachit's loyalty. However, the King insisted that Lachit
came out of his defences and engage the Mughals in battle on open ground. Despite his objections to
such a suicidal move, Lachit was forced to follow the order of the King. He came out of his defences on
to the Allaboi plains to attack the Mughal army in the open. This was the fourth phase of the battle.
After some initial success in which the Ahoms captured the local Mughal Commander, Mir Nawab, the
Ahoms drew the full weight of Mughal cavalry personally led by Ram Singh. The Mughal cavalry
decimated the Ahom army on the plains and the later suffered 10,000 killed. Lachit had taken the
precaution of digging a line of defences at the rear of his advancing, columns to which they could fall
back if forced to do so. Thus he managed to extricate the remainder of his forces and moved back into
his prepared defences.
The Mughals could not penetrate these defences and ultimately decided to launch a massive naval assault
on the river. They had large boats, a few of them mounting up to sixteen canons. The Ahom soldiers
were demoralized after the Allaboi disaster. Their Commander-in-Chief was seriously ill. At the sight of
the massive Mughal fleet, they began to loose their will to fight. Some elements commenced retreat.
Lachit was observing this development from his sickbed. He had himself carried on a lotto a boat and
with seven boats advanced headlong against the Mughal fleet. This had an electrifying effect on his
soldiers. They rallied behind him and a desperate battle ensured on the Brahmaputra. 'The Ahoms in
their small boats cut circles round the bigger but less maneuverable Mughal boats. The river got littered
with clashing boats and drowning soldiers.
In this furious engagement, Lachit Barphukan managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The
Mughals were decisively defeated and they retreated from Guwahati. Ahom territory up to Manas was
once again liberated. Thus ended the fifth phase of the battle of Saraighat in a glorious Ahom victory,
despite all odds and giving Lachit very deservedly legendary fame in Assam. In his hour of triumph, like
Nelson at Trafalgar, Lachit Barphukan died of the illness that he had been suffering from.
The Mughal Commander-in-Chief acknowledging his defeat had a special word of praise for the Ahom
solder and the Ahom Commander-in-chief. He wrote, "Every Assamese soldier is expert in rowing
boats, in shooting arrows, in digging trenches and in wielding guns and cannons. I have not seen such a
specimens of versatility in any other part of India." About Lachit Barphukan he wrote, "Glory to the
country. One single individual leads all the forces. Even I Ram Singh, being personally on the spot, has
not been able to find any loophole and an opportunity."

As young cadets on the threshold of your military career you need to be conversant with the lives and
attainments of our great military heroes of the past. Lachit like Chhatrapati Shivaji and Rana Pratap was
one of our great military heroes of the medieval period of our history. His exploits should be a source of
great inspiration for you. Lachit's unbounded loyalty to his Government and his burning patriotism
should be the beacon lights of your career. His professional competence and personal gallantry helped
him to overcome all odds and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It should be your endeavour to
emulate his inspiring example.
As an old soldier, I urge you to step forward in your career with confidence, emulating the spirit and skill
of Lachit Barphukan. In the words of the great Chinese military thinker Sun Tzu of 3rd century BC, that
will ensure that in a hundred battles you will win hundred victories.
(Lt. Gen. S. K. Sinha (Retd) PVSM, is the Governor of Assam)