Photo Essay: War Memorial to Commemorate Ahom Warrior Lachit Borphukan
Lachit Borphukan is a heroic figure in Assam’s history. He was a commander in the Ahom kingdom and the army under his command repelled the Mughal attacks in the 17th century. The Saraighat War Memorial Park in Assam’s Guwahati honours Borphukan for his contributions. His birth anniversary on November 24 is celebrated as 'Lachit Divas'.
Pratyaksh Srivastava 23 Nov 2023 12:51 PM GMT
Lachit Borphukan is a revered figure in the history of Assam. Borphukan led the Ahom army which repelled the amphibian assault of the Mughals on the banks of Brahmaputra river in 1671. The fierce resistance of the Ahom army is historically remembered as the Battle of Saraighat. On November 24 every year, 'Lachit Divas' is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Borphukan.
Under Borphukan’s leadership, the Ahom army successfully retook Guwahati from Mughal control. In the aftermath, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb sent an expeditionary force from Dhaka. The Ahom army was numerically inferior which motivated Borphukan to wage guerrilla warfare against the incoming Mughal reinforcements.
To honour the achievements of Borphukan and celebrate the success of the Battle of Saraighat, the state government constructed a war memorial in Guwahati in 2016.
The park has four bronze statues of Ahom warriors in combat postures. A bronze plate has also been inscribed to narrate a part of the Saraighat battle. Two more fibreglass statues of Ahom warriors have been built at the entrance of the park. Apart from the Batte of Saraighat, the war memorial also honours the India-Pakistan war of 1971 which resulted in the inception of Bangladesh.
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