News: Every year, 24th November is celebrated as Lachit Diwas to mark the birth anniversary of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan.
About Lachit Borphukan
- Lachit Borphukan was an Ahom army commander known for leading the 1671 Battle of Saraighat against the Mughals.
- Birth: He was born on 24th November 1622.
- Battle of Saraighat: In the 1671 Battle of Saraighat, fought on the Brahmaputra River, he lured the Mughals into a naval battle and defeated their fleet.
- Guerrilla tactics: He preferred guerrilla tactics, using mobile forces to raid large Mughal camps and positions.
- Death: He died on 25th April 1672, a year after the Battle of Saraighat.
- 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.
- Recognition: The Lachit Borphukan gold medal, instituted in 1999, is awarded to the best National Defence Academy cadet.
About Ahom Dynasty
- Established: The Ahom kingdom was founded in 1228 in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam.
- Founder: The kingdom was founded by Chaolung Sukapha.
- First permanent capital: Charaideo was the first permanent capital of the Ahom empire, which was founded by the Ahom monarch Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha.
- The Ahoms fought several Mughal campaigns between 1615 and 1682 while retaining independence.
- Ahom rule ended in 1826 when the Treaty of Yandaboo annexed the province to British India.
