President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Borphukan in Guwahati; He also laid foundation stones of the war memorial of the Battle of Alaboi and Lachit Samadhi.
Guwahati: Veer Lachit Borphukan was one of the tallest and brave warriors in the history of India, who fought for the sovereignty of the country, said President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday (February 25) in Guwahati. He inaugurated the year-long 400th birth anniversary of Ahom General Veer Lachit Borphukan, who defeated the huge Mughal force in the last battle of Saraighat. President Kovind said, " I pray my sincere gratitude to the land of Assam who produced such a legendary brave warrior."
He said the gathering in the Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati is indeed a historic coincidence when India is celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the National War Memorial in Delhi and the 400th birth anniversary of the brave son of Bharat Mata Veer Lachit Borphukan on the same day. The great devotion, poetry and art of Shrimant Sankardev and the great patriotism and bravery and sacrifices of Veer Lachit Borphukan show the two sides of the great tradition of Assam. Assam was one of the few lands in the country that defeated the Mughals' invasion in the medieval period. Until the invasion of the Britishers, Assam was ruled by the local rulers of the land only, said President Kovind.
He said the Mughal tried to expand their empire in the North East by continuously attacking Assam. 10 thousand Assamese warriors sacrificed their lives in the Battle of Alaboi in 1669. The feeling of patriotism rose further after the defeat in the Alaboi Battle. The patriotic warriors learned a lesson from the defeat and didn't give up until they brought back their rights in the land. In 1671 brave warrior Veer Lachit attacked the Mughal force. In the battle of Saraighat, not only the army of Aurangzeb was defeated, but it was also proved to be the last nail in the coffin of the Mughal empire's aggression.
It was the accurate and intelligent war strategy of General Lachit Borphukan, which defeated the huge Mughal Army in the Battle of Saraighat. All prominent historians of the country accept this without any refutes. This was why the Mughal emperors did not occupy this land of our country. The best cadet of NDA has been given the Lachit Borphukan gold medal every year since 1999. His statue was also established on the NDA campus.
"I believe that Veer Lachit will remain an inspiration for the brave army of India," Presiden Kovind mentioned. "The portrait of Lachit Borphukan which was given to me today by the Chief Minister will be displayed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan museum with respect," he added. We are celebrating the 75th year of independence. While remembering the independence struggle, we always think about our great freedom fighters like Rashtrapita Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Gopinath Bordoloi. But this also reminds us that the freedom struggle was not started only in 1857. War to make our nation free was started in the 17th century by Veer sons of India like Lachit Borphukan and Satrapati Sivaji. We should try more to make Veer Lachit Borphukan Lokpriya in every household in the country for his immense contribution to nation-building. I thank CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and his colleagues for organising the 400th birth anniversary of the brave son of the country," President Kovind concluded.
The President of India also laid the foundation stones of the War Memorial of the Battle of Alaboi and Lachit Samadhi in Jorhat. Earlier, President Kovind offered puja in Maa Kamakhya temple. He said, "I pray for the well being of the people of the country and especially for the bright future of the youth of the nation."
President Kovind, on Saturday, will join the convocation ceremony of the Central University in Tezpur and visit the Kaziranga National Park.
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