Jorhat’s Statue of Valour watches over battle for Ahom pride

Last Updated13/04/2024

Meleng-Hollongapar’s newest landmark - the Statue of Valour to be inaugurated.
The 125-foot statue depicts Lachit Borphukan, the iconic Ahom general revered for leading the Battle of Saraighat in 1671 to prevent the Mughal army from occupying Assam.

The park encompasses the maidam, or earthen pyramid, where he was buried after the battle.
Jorhat town, said to be Assam’s tea capital because of the surrounding plantations, about 300 km east of Guwahati.
The park is almost as far from the eastern edge of the town along NH-715 as the Sukhapha Samannay Kshetra is from its western edge.
Dedicated to Swargadeo (or emperor) Sukapha, who came from China’s Yunnan to establish the Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam for 600 years until the British takeover in the 1800s
This represents Ahom pride as much as the Lachit statue park.

Born on 24th November, 1622, Borphukan was known for his leadership in the Battle of Saraighat, 1671 in which an attempt by Mughal forces to capture Assam was thwarted.
The battle of Saraighat was fought on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati in 1671.
It is considered as one of the greatest naval battles on a river which resulted in the victory of Ahoms over the Mughals.
He was the inspiration behind strengthening India’s naval force and revitalising inland water transport and creating infrastructure associated with it due to his great naval strategies.
The Lachit Borphukan gold medal is awarded to the best cadet from the National Defence Academy.
The medal was instituted in 1999 to inspire defence personnel to emulate Borphukan’s heroism and sacrifices.