Assam is celebrating the 400th birth anniversary of 17th-century Ahom General Lachit Borphukan and has organised a three-day event in New Delhi.
Attending the event, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Amit Shah hailed the warrior for resisting the imperialist designs of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
India is celebrating the current year as the 400th birth anniversary year of Lachit Barphukan. The celebrations were inaugurated in February by the then President Ram Nath Kovind in Guwahati.
Speaking at the plenary session of celebrating Lachit Barphukan's 400th birth anniversary, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma paid his tribute to the fearless warrior Lachit Borphukan. He said, "In the annals of India's glorious history, today is a very significant day, which marks the crushing defeat of the Mughals at the hands of Ahom army led by General Lachit Barphukan."
"At a time when parts of our country were under the Mughal Empire, the bravery of Lachit Borphukan ensured that Assam was able to resist the imperialist designs of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb," Sarma added.
Paying tribute to the warrior, Assam Chief Minister shared an explanatory video on Lachit Barphukan on Twitter and wrote, "A fearless warrior, statesman and valiant son of our motherland, Lachit Barphukan became an icon for the people of Assam with his heroic exploits against the Mughals. On his jayanti, celebrated as Lachit Divas, I bow my head in tribute to the Mahabir."
'Lachit Barphukan's actions protected Northeast': Shah
Attending the event, Union Minister Amit Shah said, "We have assembled today to remember the bravery of a man whose actions and decisions protected the Northeast. I want to thank Himanta ji for bringing the contribution and sacrifice of this great son of Bharat Mata in front of the people of this country."
"Bringing out the history of all the brave hearts of the Ahom dynasty for students will definitely help in making future generations know about their great deeds. The way Lachit Barphukan lived his life, he lived not only as a general but also as a patriot. The Battle of Saraighat is still remembered and should be remembered," he added.
The heroism of Lachit Borphukan
November 24 is celebrated as Lachit Diwas every year, however, the state government this year organised various programs in order to celebrate the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Borphukan. Notably, he was a general in the Royal Army of the Ahom Kingdom of Assam who defeated the Mughals and bought an end to the never-ending aspirations of the Mughals under Aurangzeb in the Northeast.
Interestingly, the warrior engaged in a series of conflicts with the Mughals from 1615-1682 (from the reign of Jahangir to the reign of Aurangzeb). Lachit Borphukan in the 1671 battle gave the Mughals a tremendous blow, destroying the illusion of their invincibility.