#DNAAlternateHistories | Lachit Borphukan, Shivaji of the East

Have you read about India's own North-East region in your school history books? I did not read a single word when I was in school! Do you know that Assam also produced a very brave general by the name of Lachit Borphukan? He fought against the Mughals at the same time as Chhatrapati Shivaji!

Let's learn a bit more about this forgotten warrior.

The city of Guwahati had been lost to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1663. Lachit Borphukan recaptured it in 1667 and defended it successfully till 1671 - when the Mughals suffered a huge defeat at the Battle of Saraighat. This battle was fought entirely on the river Brahmaputra!

But I will not bore you with a bunch of facts arranged in an order. Instead, I shall relate two real stories from his life which have today become Assamese folklores. These truly bring out Lachit Borphukan's personal traits and make him an inspirational figure for all.

Momai Kota Garh

Lachit Borphukan had recaptured all the areas lost to Mughal generals Mir Jumla and Diler Khan by August 1667. The city of Guwahati was freed. Lachit knew that Aurangzeb would send a large force to retake Guwahati - which he did in the form of 80,000 soldiers with Ram Singh leading them. Lachit's plan was simple - he intended to fortify and guard Guwahati so as to prevent the Mughals from sailing further east to Gargaon, the capital. By the time Ram Singh reached Dhaka from Agra, the embankments and fortifications were complete - save for one very crucial patch. The person in charge there was Lachit's maternal uncle (Momai). When Lachit realised that time was short, he exhorted his uncle to complete the work till early next morning.

However, Lachit was aghast to find that nothing had been done. His uncle had simply ignored his orders. A furious Lachit ordered his uncle to be executed for this. For Lachit Borphukan, his uncle's attitude amounted to treason - punishable by death as per the prevalent law. The place where he was executed is known as Momai Kota Garh (The garh where the maternal uncle was executed).

We can take a lesson of patriotism and sense of duty from this incident.

Assamese envoys and Ram Singh

Around 1669, when Ram Singh had led the Mughal army, a few skirmishes with Assamese outposts on the river Brahmaputra had taken place. Both Lachit and Ram Singh wanted to settle things through negotiations instead of plunging headlong into a war. So, Ramcharan and Nim, two Assamese envoys, were sent to Singh's camp carrying Lachit's message. Singh had a couple of beautiful wooden birds on display, the likes of which the envoys had never seen. Ramcharan requested and begged the Mughals to gift him one. Singh agreed, and gifted him both! On hearing this, Lachit was furious. He immediately summoned Ramcharan and had him bound in iron fetters.

Lachit had clearly marked out duties for everyone on the battlefield. His messengers' duty was to deliver a message and do nothing more. Accepting the gift amounted to going against the orders and in a way accepting a bribe. Lachit Borphukan had seen how infighting, turncoats, and bribes had given Assam to Mir Jumla just five years earlier. And he would not let it repeat. We can see the traits of a very good leader in this story, leading by example.

Such values can be an inspiration for anyone and are not bound by confines of time or region. It is rather unfortunate then that this brave son of India is largely unknown outside of Assam.