Lachit Borphukan: Ahom General and the Battle of Saraighat

Lachit Borphukan (1622–1672) was a commander of the Ahom kingdom of Assam who led its forces against the Mughal Empire and won the river Battle of Saraighat near Guwahati in 1671. Appointed Borphukan, the Ahom viceroy for lower Assam, he retook Guwahati in 1667 and held it against a large Mughal army under Raja Ram Singh of Amber. Assam keeps his birthday, 24 November, as Lachit Divas.

The Ahom kingdom and the Mughals

The Ahoms ruled the Brahmaputra valley for six centuries, from the 13th century to the early 19th. In 1662 the Mughal governor of Bengal, Mir Jumla, invaded, took the Ahom capital Garhgaon, and forced a treaty that gave Guwahati and western Assam to the Mughals. The Ahom king Chakradhwaj Singha resolved to win them back.

Appointed Borphukan

Lachit was the son of Momai Tamuli Borbarua, who had risen to high office under King Pratap Singha. He held several posts at court before Chakradhwaj Singha chose him as Borphukan, commander of the army sent west. In 1667 Lachit's forces retook Guwahati and the fort of Itakhuli from the Mughals.

The Battle of Saraighat, 1671

Aurangzeb sent a large army under Raja Ram Singh I of Amber to recover the territory. For several years Lachit held Guwahati, using the hills around the city and earthen ramparts to stop the Mughal cavalry, and choosing to fight on the river, where Ahom boats had the advantage.

The decisive fight came in March 1671 at Saraighat, on the Brahmaputra near the present Saraighat bridge. Lachit, though seriously ill, had himself carried onto a boat to lead the Ahom fleet. The Mughal fleet was defeated and Ram Singh withdrew from Assam.

Assamese chronicles tell that while the ramparts were being built, Lachit found work held up by his own uncle and executed him for neglect of duty. The story is a famous part of his memory and is told as tradition.

Death and maidam

Lachit died at Kaliabor about a year after Saraighat, in 1672, of the illness he had fought through. His remains were laid in a maidam (Ahom burial mound) at Hoolungapara, near Jorhat, now visited as his memorial. A large statue of him was unveiled at the site in 2024.

Legacy

Lachit Borphukan is one of the great heroes of Assam. The state observes Lachit Divas on 24 November. Since 1999 the best passing-out cadet of the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla receives the Lachit Borphukan Gold Medal. His 400th birth anniversary was marked by the Government of India and the Government of Assam in 2022.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Lachit Borphukan?

A commander of the Ahom kingdom of Assam who defeated the Mughal fleet at the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.

When was the Battle of Saraighat?

In March 1671, on the Brahmaputra near Guwahati.

Whom did Lachit Borphukan defeat at Saraighat?

A Mughal army and fleet commanded by Raja Ram Singh I of Amber, sent by Aurangzeb.

What is Lachit Divas?

His birth anniversary, 24 November, observed in Assam.

Where is Lachit Borphukan buried?

In a maidam at Hoolungapara, near Jorhat in Assam.

What does "Borphukan" mean?

It was an Ahom title for the commander and viceroy of lower Assam, based at Guwahati.

Sources

• S. K. Bhuyan, Lachit Barphukan and His Times (Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Government of Assam, 1947).
• Edward Gait, A History of Assam (Thacker, Spink and Co., 1906).
• Jorhat district administration, Government of Assam, "Lachit Borphukan's Maidam" (jorhat.assam.gov.in).

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

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