(Stories from the Battle of Saraighat -The Mighty Naval War)
Mita Nath
(mitanathbora7@gmail.com)
The year 1669-70 was going to be the biggest naval war India had seen. The Battle of Saraighat, a naval battle is a story of a brilliant battle strategist, Lachit Barphukan's use of military intelligence, clever use of tactics, powerful fight, nationalism, negotiating and communication skill, guerrilla warfare, excellent use of time and season, passion with a do-or-die attitude redefining war altogether.
The expansionist Mughal invaders wanted to establish their foothold in Assam, the Ahoms were strong rulers having defeated the Mughals not once, twice but 17 times. But the Mughals were relentless and wanted Mughal prestige in the Northeast frontier at any cost. In 1667, Mughal Emperor once again resolved to send a strong army, an army the nucleus of which consisted of 30,000 infantry, 18,000 Turkish cavalries, 15,000 Koch archers, 4,000 troopers, 1,500 shades, 500 artillerymen with another 2,000 soldiers from Dacca, 1000 war-hounds and more. Aurangzeb appointed Raja Ram Singha as general to lead the expedition with some of the top fighters - commander Raja Indramani, Chadmend Khan, Alam Khan Dui Hazari, Bikram Khan Dui Hazari, Dewan Sayid Gazap Khan Ek-Hazari, Kayam Khan, Zulel Beg, Raja Prithu, Raja Manik, Mir Gazraf Khan Beldari, Nasiri Khan, 21 Rajput chiefs and several more. Interestingly, Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur was also brought along.
The Mughals started with land fights initially for months, across seasons and a year with several attempts to break fortifications and capture the Ahom kingdom. By 1670, the Mughals were tired of fighting and pursuing the Ahoms to give up Gauhati and were making efforts for friendship. Failing in negotiations, the Mughals went all out to offensive operations. In August-September 1669, a series of naval engagements between the Ahoms and Moghuls took place.
In one such fight, to lure the invaders into the war zone, Lachit despatched 3 Rajkhowas to Manaha to seduce the enemy and the Mughals entered unopposed the waters of Assam, without any resistance. The Ahom detachments sailed up the river remaining within the sight of the Mughal army but outside the range of their cannon. At night they encamped on the river banks and early morning boarded their boat and resumed their sailing in advance, giving an impression of the retreat of a vast army. The Mughals sailed up the river and encamped at Hazo on the north bank and despatched an astute messenger to Lachit with a bag of poppy seeds and the message –"The Barphukan should evacuate Gauhati. Our army is as numerous as the poppy seeds in this bag." Lachit sent a counter reply – "The poppy seeds if pounded down will become a thin paste. Our army is as numerous and indissoluble as the sands in the tube despatched herewith."
In another series, the Moghuls with their war boats, each equipped with 16 cannons dashed towards the river stockades of the Ahom. But Lachit himself took the fields at the head of his naval contingent and fell upon the enemy causing heavy casualties on the Moghuls.
The Moghuls remained puzzled by the strength, cunningness and tactics of the Ahom. They enquired as to what were the peculiar features of Ahom strategy and wherein lies their invisibility. Who were their Commanders and what were their names? The Moghuls were given a long list of fearless commanders and that puzzled them more as to where were they before and how they have all come out now.
The last amongst these series was the battle of Saraighat. The Moghuls fired their guns, shot their arrows and steered their boats to capture Gauhati. Lachit Barphukan was extremely ill and bedridden and the Ahoms were deprived of the personal command of Lachit Borphkian. But a sick Lachit came down the steps of the gate-house being supported by one Nadal of Kharangi, boarded his boat and shouted at the pitch of his voice. "Let the Moghuls capture me alive, and let my people go home in peace!" Firing volleys from his guns, General Lachit rushed with 7 boats towards the enemy. The Assamese fleets on both banks of the river have seen their general also steer their barges towards him. The Mughals under Rashid Khan were confident of entering Gauhati was killed by a bullet shot and the Assamese warships rushed into the thick of the Moghul fleet. A terrible dreaded contest ensued between both armies. The whole Brahmaputra at the triangle between Kamakhya, Itakhuli, and Ashwajranta became littered with boats and men struggling to escape downing. The Ahoms erected an improvised bridge across the Brahmaputra by placing one boat after another over the whole breadth of the river. The Mughals could not face the dash and fury of the Assamese onset. There were heavy casualties on the side of the invaders; few who survived were chased down to Pandu, some 3 miles from the scene of the contest. The combat came to an end and it was a decisive victory for the Ahoms.
Defeating the Mughals who were overpowered and crestfallen, they uttered the following eulogy of the Assamese - "Glory to the king! Glory to the counsellors! Glory to the commanders! Glory to the country! One single individual leads all the forces! Even I, Ram Singha, being personally on the spot, have not been able to find any loophole and opportunity!"
Acknowledging and praising the valour and skill of the Ahom army, the Mughals said- "Every Assamese soldier is expert in rowing boats, in shooting arrows, in digging trenches, and in wielding guns and cannon. I have not seen such specimens of versatility in any other part of India." "One who comes to fight against Assam should be thrashed on the cheek by scavengers with their broomsticks."
This battle is famously known in history as the battle of Saraighat. For a long, the commanders who participated in the victory were known as Saraighat veterans and officers as Saraighatias. The Ahom victory dashed all hopes of the Mughals to ever invade Assam. The panegyric that the author of the Alamgir-Namah had showered on the Assamese monarchs reads such–"The Rajas of Assam have never bowed the head of submission and obedience, nor have they paid tributes or revenues to the most powerful monarch, but they have curbed the ambition and checked the conquests of the most victorious princes of Hindustan. The solution of war against them has baffled the penetration of heroes who have been styled Conquerors of the World."
April 1672, Lachit was still suffering from high fever, although his indomitable spirit goaded him to action his frame was incapable of bearing such a tremendous burden. He soon thereafter died in the pal of victory on 25th April 1672.
But before he died, Lachit Barphukan brought Assam's army to the highest pitch of efficiency. He had shown the greatest skill, organization ability and discipline. The slightest action of sickness and delinquency was promptly and rigorously suppressed and the whole of Assam nation acted as one. Personal ease and comfort, consideration of one's kith and kin gave way before sleepless vigilance and the desire for victory.
Born on 24th November 1622, Lachit Borphukan was a symbol of a visionary leader, courageous, selfless, patriotic, strong-willed nationalism- a role model of nationalism for every youth of Assam and India.
The slogan of Nation First comes from Lachit Borphukan when he beheaded his own uncle for not completing war preparation work on time. The story goes that for the battle against the Mughals, Lachit had ordered an earthen wall for fortification to be constructed within one night and had put his maternal uncle under supervision. However, late at night when Lachit came for inspection, he found the work incomplete and his uncle resting, giving the excuse of tiredness. Lachit was furious and beheaded his uncle on the spot saying "My uncle is not greater than my country." Thereafter, the barrier wall was completed within the night and the fortification is to date known as the 'Momai-Kata Garh'.
The Lachit Borphukan gold medal is awarded to the best cadet from the National Defence Academy. The medal was instituted in 1999 to inspire defence personnel to emulate Borphukan's heroism and sacrifices.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls our 17th-century Ahom general Lachit Borphukana the symbol of India's "Atmanirbhar military might". He was the inspiration behind strengthening India's naval force and revitalising inland water transport and creating infrastructure associated with it due to his great naval strategies.