The Ahom kingdom and the Battle of Saraighat
The dynasty that ruled Assam for six centuries and, under Lachit Borphukan, beat a huge invading army on the Brahmaputra in 1671.
What the paper can ask
- Saraighat, March 1671: Lachit Borphukan's Ahom fleet defeated the invading army of Raja Ram Singh I on the Brahmaputra near Guwahati.
- Lachit retook Guwahati in 1667; he died in 1672; the Ahoms held Guwahati from 1682 until the end of their rule.
- The Moidams of Charaideo were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2024; Rangpur, which Rudra Singha made the capital around 1700, joined the Tentative List in June 2026. (as of 23 Oct 2026)
Why exams ask
The year, the river, the commander and the power he defeated are the usual questions; Lachit Divas is 24 November.
The full story
The Ahoms, who came from the east, ruled the Brahmaputra valley from 1228 until 1826, when the Treaty of Yandabo handed Assam to the British after a Burmese occupation. Their greatest moment was the Battle of Saraighat in March 1671, a river battle near Guwahati in which the commander Lachit Borphukan, though seriously ill, rallied the Ahom fleet and routed a much larger invading force led by Raja Ram Singh.