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Lachit Borphukan

Lachit Borphukan was an army general, primarily known for commanding the Ahom Army and the victory in the naval Battle of Saraighat (1671) that thwarted an invasion by the vastly superior Mughal Forces under the command of Ramsingh I. He died about a year later in April 1672.

Biography
Lachit was youngest born to Momai Tamuli Borbarua, a commoner who rose to the rank of Borbarua under Pratap Singha and Nang Lacheng Aaideu (). His sister was Pakhari Gabhoru, a queen to the Ahom kings Jayadhwaj Singha and Chakradhwaj Singha, and his niece was Ramani Gabharu, the Ahom princess who was given to the Mughals as part of the Treaty of Ghilajharighat. A few Buranjis give some details on Lachit's life and education. He learnt the art of statecraft from his father and grew up instilled with a sense of loyalty to the king. He is said to have participated in battle against Mir Jumla's forces at Dikhaumukh and rose up the ranks of Ahom officialdom—Ghora Barua, Dulia Barua, Simalugiria Phukan and Dolakasharia Barua. Following the Chakradhwaj's preparations to retake Guwahati and on the eve of the march, Lachit was appointed the Borphukan (Ahom viceroy in the west) and the commander of the Ahom forces. As Borphukan, he worked to develop Lower Assam by organising new villages, instituting crafts classes for women and taking a census of the population. During this time, he received a letter mistakenly from Kachar addressing him as the King of Lower Assam (Narayan Raja), to which he took offence. Guwahati campaign Lachit set up his base-camp at Kaliabar and then advanced on Guwahati in August 1667 in two divisions; and after a series of battles, finally retook Guwahati with the fall of Itakhuli in November 1667. Death . A few Buranjis briefly describe Lachit's victory over the Mughal naval fleet, led by Ram Singh, in the Battle of Saraighat. He died soon after in Kaliabor and was buried at Teok in Jorhat in a maidam, == Contemporary narratives ==
Contemporary narratives
In the pre-colonial times Buranjis were not available for popular consumption and their circulation was restricted to the nobility. Beginning in the early twentieth century, a few localities in Upper Assam began commemorating November 24 as Lachit Dibox (trans. Lachit Day). The contemporaneous burgeoning of public interest in history ensured that the legend of Barphukan had "attained an iconic status" by the first quarter of the century and Surya Kumar Bhuyan published an article comparing him with Shivaji; but Lachit was only one of the many historical icons who were appropriated by Assamese elites towards different politico-cultural ends, and his popularity was later surpassed by Joymoti Konwari and others. == Notes ==
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