Bir Lachit Barphukan, the pride and symbol of courage and valour in Assam who crushed the mighty Mughal army in the last battle of Saraighat, was never given his due credit by the Indian historians. The Ahom Kingdom which ruled the undivided Assam for over 600 years and had the legacy of defeating Mughals for 17 times, for which the Mughal couldn’t conquer the North Eastern part of the country, was never mentioned by Left historians in Indian history books. But the truth cannot be covered with a veil of falsehood. With the rising of selfhood and nationalism amongst the citizens, the valour of Bir Lachit is getting its due importance in recent times. The year-long 400th birth anniversary of Ahom General Lachit Barphukan organised in Delhi by the Assam Government was graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both the BJP-led State and Central Governments are taking steps to highlight the courage, leadership and valour of Lachit Barphun before the new generation of the country. The new generation should know the inspiring story of this brave son of the soil, which was lost in the darkness created by the Left historians.
The Lachit Memorial (Alaboi Ranakshetra)
Along with the 400th birth anniversary celebration, the Assam Government has decided to establish a state of the art memorial of Bir Lachit in Jorhat district in upper Assam. Renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar is creating a 125 feet tall bronze statue of Lachit Barphukan to be installed in Lachit the ‘Alaboi Ranakshetra’
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently visited renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar’s factory in Industrial Area Site 4 in Ghaziabad and reviewed the progress of the world’s largest statue of Bir Lachit Barphukan which is being built in.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is personally monitoring the progress of the project, said, “Bir Lachit Barphukan was chosen to command the army in the fight against the Mughals by King Supangmung, also known as Chakradhwaj Singha, the king of Guwahati. The Mughals were defeated by him. The statue will be put up in the war memorial ‘Alaboi Ranakshetra’ in Jorhat’s Hollongapar by January next year. This statue would remind the people of Assam as well as India of the defeat of the Mughals by the Ahoms.”
Notably, veteran sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar has crafted some of the most iconic monuments in the country including the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.
Bir Lachit’s Untold Story
The courage, war strategy and the great leadership of Bir Lachit is an untold story for the people of the country. How a small army of local people led by Lachit crushed the mighty Mughals army of over 50, 000 powered by horses, elephants, fire weapons, big guns in the battle of Saraighat needs to be told to the new generation. The supreme sacrifice of 10,000 Assamese soldiers in the Alaboi Battle near Guwahati against the Mughal needs its due recognition.
The Project
The memorial campus of 16 acres will feature a 100-foot ‘Hengdang’ (sword used by Ahom army). A 125-foot-bronze statue of Bir Lachit Phukan, a war museum and other facilities at his memorial at Hollongapar in Jorhat will be a new tourist destination in the State. The Assam Government has allocated Rs 120 crores for the construction of the memorial at Hollongapar in Jorhat district. The memorial will house one state of the art Ahom Dynasty museum which will have details of the 600-year-long Ahom rule in Assam. Once completed, it will not only be a place to roam around, every nook and corner of the Veer Lachit memorial will tell us about the bravery and courage of an Indian hero who was ignored for a longer period by Indian historians.
