Conflict development Ahom–Mughal conflicts

1 conflict development

1.1 during shah jahan s reign
1.2 during aurangzeb s reign
1.3 ram singh s campaign

conflict development

after first disastrous failure in assam, mughals henceforth continued follow defensive , conciliatory policy in regards assam state. because of heavy engagement in kamrup, mughals henceforward cautious not offend mighty neighbour. ahoms being encouraged @ recent brilliant success continued pursue hostile policy against mughals , proceeded take advantage of prevailing political confusion in kamrup. assam disaster encouraged seditions , rebellions in mughal occupied kamrup. ahoms encouraged kamrup rebels , thereby caused hardship mughals. there hardly open , direct conflict between 2 powers such. in year 1618 ahom king pratap singha installed balinarayan, brother of parikshit king of darrang , continued him time reoccupy kamrup. in spite of ahom king’s material assistance, balinarayan failed reconquer kamrup. ahoms interfered in kamrup third time on behalf of hill chiefs of dhanikal in 1619. hill chiefs being sick of mughal subjection made bold attempt seize hill fort of ranihat , sought of ahom king. ahom responded appeal , sent large detachment assistance. after hard fighting mughals courted defeat , compelled evacuate ranihat hotly pursued ahoms. mughals gathered strength , recovered dhanikal in spite of stiff resistance of ahoms. 3 attempts of ahoms @ supplanting mughal authority in kamrup proved abortive. ahom king gradually withdrew arena of kamrup policies leaving balinarayan fate.

during shah jahan s reign

the reign of shah jahan (1628–1655) marks new epoch in ahom-mughal relations. after decade of informal hostility, circumstances paved way renewal of open conflict between 2 powers. twofold factors, both political, appear have been responsible conflict. first asylum given ahom king hill-chiefs of dhanikal had sought protection against ill treatment of bengal subahdar qasim khan chishti. second factor, precipitated crisis, wickedness , treachery of satrajit, thanadar of pandu made common cause balinarayan , instigated him take advantage of change of governor in bengal in order attack kamrup. invasion of kamrup balinarayan compelled mughals resort arms. ahoms gained initial success. fierce encounter took place, ended total discomfiture of imperialists. thereupon, mughal fell frontier post of hajo. ahoms laid siege hajo , fighting continued time. @ last both sides having been thoroughly worn out, fighting stopped time.

the ahom-mughal conflict started afresh towards end of december 1636. mughals entered kamrup proper. decisive defeat inflicted imperialists on balinarayan , ahoms in november 1637 turned tide of fortune in favour of imperialists. whole of kamrup cleared , re-annexed pan-mughalia. third round of conflict began soon. imperialists advanced brahmaputra , halted opposite samdhara in october 1638; severe fighting ensued. although faint-hearted ahom admiral retired battle field, garrison in fort of samdhara offered such gallant defence mughals had give contest great loss of men , materials.

both sides became eager peace. hence treaty of peace signed in february 1639. according treaty of asurar ali between ahom general momai tamuli borbarua, , mughal commander allah yar khan, western assam commencing gauhati passed hands of mughals. ahom king, first time, acknowledged formally mughal overlordship in kamrup, mughals acknowledged independence of ahom king , gave pretensions territories east of barnadi on north , kalang on south , ahom king agreed not interfere in kamrup. besides trade , commercial intercourses resumed.

the ahom-mughal relation following peace of 1639 far satisfactory. however, wrong assume both sides strictly honoured peace treaty of 1639. keynote of political history of period endless criminations , recriminations of mughals , assamese on various rounds, such as, kheda operations, trade , commercial intercourse, boundary disputes, extradition of political offenders, , violation of personal liberty , privileges of subject people. on these issues frictions continued mounting without, of course, open armed-clash. period of armed peace between mughals , ahoms.

in 1648, mughal faujdar of gauhati sent message of congratulations ahom king jayadhwaj (sutamla) on succession. but, jayadhwaj singha (1648–1663), taking advantage of emperor shah jahan’s illness , war of succession, expelled mughals gauhati, , chased them down beyond river manaha (manas). devastated territory near dacca , carried off assam large number of mughal subjects captives.

during aurangzeb s reign

aurangzeb after ascending on throne of delhi ordered mir jumla invade cooch behar , assam , re-establish mughal prestige in eastern india. after having occupied koch behar had declared independence. mir jumla entered assam in beginning of 1662. repulsed feeble resistance offered assamese @ garrisons between manaha , guwahati. occupied 1 garrison after another, , pandu, guwahati, , kajali fell hands of mughals practically unopposed.

the easy success of mir jumla due dissatisfaction in assam camp. leading commanders , officers exclusive monopolies of tai-ahom. but. king jayadhwaj singha had appointed kayastha viceroy of western assam , commander-in-chief of ahom army despatch against mir jumla leading resentment among ranks. officer manthir bharali barua of bejdoloi family. appointed parbatia phukan. appointment caused bitter resentment among hereditary ahom nobles , commanders , resistance offered invaders neither worthy of efficient military organisation of ahoms nor of reputation acquired repeated success in enterprises against foreigners, , mir jumla’s march assam uninterrupted series of triumph , victories though real secret of success, namely, defection in ahom camp, has not been touched upon historian of expedition.

the ahoms, however, recovered senses when hostile force reached neighbourhood of kaliabor. concentrated defence @ simalugarh , samdhara. in february 1662, mir jumla laid siege simalugarh , after severe hand-to-hand fight, ahoms abandoned fort , took flight. ahom forces @ samdhara on opposite bank, being unnerved fall of simalugarh, left charge without opposition worth name. after brilliant success, mir jumla entered ahom capital garhgaon on 17 march 1662. ahom king jayadhwaj took shelter in eastern hills abandoning capital , treasures. immense spoils fell hands of mughal empire – 82 elephants, 300,000 coins in gold , silver, 675 big guns, 4750 maunds of gunpowder in boxes, 7828 shields, 1000 odd ships, , 173 stores of rice.

but, mir jumla conquered soil of ahom capital , neither king nor country. rainy season fast approaching , mir jumla halted there , made necessary arrangements holding conquered land. communications imperial fleet @ lakhau dacca arranged. torrential rain , violence of rivers caused immense hardship mughals , communication mughal fleet , lakhau , dacca became disrupted.

the ahoms took fullest advantage of unspeakable hardship of mughals. progress of monsoon, ahoms recovered country east of lakhau. garhgaon , mathurapur remained in possession of mughals. ahoms not slow take advantages of miserable plight of mughals. ahom king came out of refuge , ordered commanders expel invaders kingdom. serious epidemic broke out in mughal camp @ mathurapur, took away lives of hundreds of mughal soldiers. there no suitable diet or comfort in mughal camp. @ last life became unbearable @ mathurapur , hence mughals abandoned it.

by end of september worst over. rains decreased, , flood went down, roads reappeared , communications became easier. contact mughal fleet @ lakhau restored cheered long suffering mughal garrison. mughal army under mir jumla joined fleet @ devalgaon. ahom king jayadhwaj singha took refuge in hill again. in december, mir jumla fell ill , soldiers refused advance further. meanwhile, ahom king became extremely anxious peace. @ last treaty concluded @ ghilajharighat in january 1663, according ahoms ceded western assam mughals, promised war indemnity of 3 lakhs of rupees , ninety elephants. besides, king had deliver child , daughter ramani gabharu, niece, daughter of tipam raja harem of mughal emperor. thus, according treaty jayadhwaj singha transferred kamrup possession of mughals , promised pay heavy war indemnity.

the question of prompt payment of war indemnity of elephants , cash became source of friction between ahoms , mughals. first instalment paid jayadhwaj promptly. mir jumla withdrew assam ahoms began default. jayadhwaj singha’s successor chakradhwaj singha (supangmung, 1663-1670) against payment @ on principle. shouted out throne: – death preferable life of subordination foreigners . in 1665 king summoned assembly of ministers , nobles , ordered them adopt measures expelling mughals western assam, adding— ancestors never subordinate other people; , myself cannot remain under vassalage of foreign power. descendant of heavenly king , how can pay tribute wretched foreigners.

a large portion of war indemnity still remained undelivered ahom king had receive threatening letters syed firoz khan, new faujdar @ guwahati. on receiving firoz khan’s letter ahom king made mind fight. on thursday, bhadra 3, 1589 saka near aboutaugust 20, 1667, ahom army started capital , sailed down brahmaputra in 2 divisions. encamped @ kaliabor, vice regal headquarters, conducted war operations against mughals. syed firoz khan, imperial governor of guwahati , army not prepared such eventuality, result ahoms gained series of victories on enemy. ahom army on south bank successful in fighting. chief objective capture of itakhuli small hill on south bank of brahmaputra @ guwahati. on 2 november 1667, itakhuli , contiguous garrison of guwahati fell hands of ahoms. enemy chased down mouth of manaha river, old boundary between assam , mughal india. ahom succeeded in bringing assamese subjects had been taken captives mughals during expedition of mir jumla. within short span of 2 months ahoms succeeded lost possession , along lost prestige , glory, due determination , courage of ahom king chakradhwaj singha. on receiving news of victory king cried out- can eat morsel of food ease , pleasure . success of ahoms in recovering possession of guwahati , western assam forms momentous chapter in history of conflicts mughals.

ram singh s campaign


35-feet-high statue of ahom general lachit borphukan , army in middle of brahmaputra.

in december 1667, mughal emperor aurangzeb received intelligence of capture of guwahati ahoms, , @ once resolved dispatch strong army reestablish mughal prestige in north-east frontier. commissioned raja ramsingh of amber, son of distinguished general mirza-raja jai singh i, lead invasion of assam. accompanied rashid khan, ex-faujdar of guwahati. ram singha reached frontier garrison of rangamati in february 1669. on ram singha’s arrival @ rangamati, ahom commanders stationed @ manaha attempted oppose advance of enemy. there few skirmishes, assamese not attain success. assamese not prepared such eventuality , left frontier garrisons , sailed down guwahati.

also, ahoms had not quite completed preparations resisting ramsingh i’s advance. lachit borphukan, commander-in-chief of ahom camp had realized postponement of open encounter enable him bring preparations perfection in light of enemy’s superior strength. lachit borphukan sent following message ram singh tell raja ram singh want know why has come our country. firoz khan, ex-fauzadar of guwahatii, prisoner of ahoms, released , lachit barphukan sent him raja ram singh above message. ram singh demanded through firoz khan restoration of limit fixed in 1639 between allah yar khan , momai tamuli borbarua. time received reply barphukan rather fight yield inch of territory providence had given master.

the result in first 2 battles of campaign fought near tezpur in beginning of april 1669. ahoms worsted on both occasions, gained naval battle, , afterwards repulsed muhammadans , ram singha compelled retire hajo quarreled rashid khan. ram singha cut tent ropes , ordered him out of camp. afterwards muhammadans again defeated near sualkuchi, both on land , water.

at juncture, ramsingh challenged chakradhwaj singha single combat, , undertook, if defeated, return army bengal. ahom king declined invitation, , ordered generals renew attack. did so, , won double engagement near sessa. followed success taking fort @ agiathuti, afterwards ram singha attacked ahom army , routed it, inflicting heavy loss. barphukan hurried reinforcements, flank tired , obliged retreat loss of ships. raja ram singha opened negotiations peace. ahoms tired of war, , hostilities suspended time. sporadic engagement accompanied proposals of peace continued during 1669 , 1670. october 1669 march 1670, ram singha withdrew himself fight.

in meantime ramsingh sent letter barphukan inviting king of assam fight duel in presence of 2 hostile armies. ahom king dismissed insolent challenge saying— ram singha mere servant , has no umbrella on head. not fight duel such man. chakradhvaj singha not hold patience longer. in meantime mughal had concentrated army near alaboi hill in vicinity of dalibari. terrible contest ensued on plains south of alaboi hill. ahoms badly defeated in battle. massacre @ alaboi had terribly upset lachit barphukan. though alaboi massacre meant serious loss ahoms did not confer upon enemy decisive advantage.

but ram singha repeated demands evacuation of guwahati , reversion status quo ante of year 1639. barphukan remained firm in position had maintained. war inevitable between 2 parties. when war taking more critical turn, chakradhwaj singha, king of assam died in april 1670. succeeded brother udayaditya singha (sunyatphaa, 1670-1672)

although negotiations mughals continued, ram singha suspecting sincerity of barphukan returned attack. udayaditya renewed war , ordered barphukan march 20,000 men samdhara saraighat. ahoms successful on land navy forced retreat. barphukan arrived more ships , mughal army beaten , ahoms gained second land victory. mughals not stand dash , fury of assamese onset. assamese fighting life , liberty, , mughals mere luxury of triumph , territorial expansion. barphukan intended chase them further still, dissuaded achyutanda doloi. combat came end, , decisive victory assamese. battle known in history battle of saraighat. ram singha weakened repeated losses retreated rangamati in march 1671. hadira opposite goalpara became ahom frontier out post. mughals evicted kamrup, strong fortifications constructed @ guwahati. ahoms remained in undisturbed possession of territories till 1679 a.d.