Lachit Barphukan

Lachit Barphukan was a great general. Like Shivaji, his contemporary in the Deccan, Lachit also fought relentlessly to curb the expansion of the Mughal Empire in Assam. It is unfortunate, however, that the saga of this great son of India, who stands on an equal footing with bravehearts like Rana Pratap and Shivaji, is little known outside his native Assam.In 1639 AD, the Mughal commander, Allah Yar Khan, concluded a treaty with the Assamese general, Momai-Tamuli Barbaruah, under which Western Assam passed into the hands of the Mughals. A few years later, King Jayadhwaja Singha, taking advantage of Shah Jahan?s illness, expelled the Mughals from this region.When Aurangzeb ascended the Mughal throne, he sent his able general, Mir Jumla, to crush the Assamese; he occupied the capital at Gargaon in 1662. Mughal occupation hurt the pride of the Assamese, and King Jayadhwaja Singha resolved to drive out the Mughals. But when death intervened, his successor, Chakradhwaja Singha, took the task upon himself. In his search for the man who could lead his people to victory, he found Assam?s man of destiny ? Lachit Barphukan. How Lachit bravely liberated Western Assam is told in Assamese chronicles (called Buranjis) from which the material for this Amar Chitra Katha has been drawn.