Battle of Itakhuli
| Battle of Itakhuli | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ahom-Mughal conflicts | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Ahom kingdom | Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Supreme commander Dihingia Alun Borbarua[2] |
Faujdar Jayanta Singh[5] | ||||||
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Assam |
|---|
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| Categories |
The Battle of Itakhuli was fought in August 1682 between the
Ahom preparations
After
Mughal defences and battles
The Mughals were at a disadvantage, with the faujdar Mansur Khan ill, and widespread discontent among the soldiers.
The only contested battle was fought when Ali Akbar, the commander of Itakhuli, attacked the Ahom forces at the Sarania fort, but he had to retreat after heavy losses. This prompted the faujdar Mansur Khan to desert the fort (17 July 1682). At this, the Ahoms advanced to Itakhuli and besieged it.[10] A naval battle was fought at Paniduar on 15 August 1682 between the Dihingia Rajkhowa (Ahom) and Jayanta Singha (Mughal), with the defeat and surrender of Jayanta, leaving the garrison at Itakhuli without any naval support.[11]
Unable to sustain his position, Ali Akbar abandoned Itakhuli with his forces the next day at dawn, met with Masur Khan at Guwahati and retreated to Rangamati secretly by boat. The cavalry—under Indradaman, Dalan Singh and Kabir Khan—retreated by land, pursued by the Borbarua by land and water up to the Manas river. The evacuated fort of Itakhuli was then occupied by the Chetia Borphukan.[12]
Aftermath of the war
The war spoils were enormous—pearls, gold, silver, copper, brass, lead, weapons and animals of war. Among the prisoners, the cousins of Raja Ramsingh were released, but the Bhatdhara Phukan, brother of the late Laluksola Borphukan who had abandoned Guwahati, was ghoulishly killed.[13]
With the fall of Itakhuli, the Ahom kingdom quickly occupied the region up to Manas river, and set up administration under the Borphukan, with his headquarters at Guwahati.[14]
Notes
- ^ a b "In the Battle of Itakhuli in September 1682, the Ahom forces chased the defeated Mughals nearly one hundred kilometers back to the Manas river. The Manas then became the Ahom-Mughal boundary until the British occupation." (Richards 1995, p. 247)
- ^ Sarkar (1992, p. 253)
- ^ Sarkar (1992, p. 254)
- ^ Sarkar (1992, p. 254)
- ^ Sarkar (1992, p. 254)
- ^ (Sarkar 1992, p. 253)
- ^ (Sarkar 1992, p. 254)
- ^ (Sarkar 1992, p. 256)
- ^ (Sarkar 1992, p. 254)
- ^ (Sarkar 1992, p. 254)
- ^ (Sarkar 1992, p. 255)
- ^ (Sarkar 1992, p. 255)
- ^ Bhatdhara Phukan was made to eat the flesh of his sons and then killed. (Sarkar 1992, p. 255ff)
- ^ (Sarkar 1992, p. 256)
References
- Richards, John F. (1995). The Mughal Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521566037. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- Sarkar, J N (1992). "Assam-Mughal Relations". In Barpujari, H K (ed.). The Comprehensive History of Assam. Vol. 2. Guwahati: Publication Board Assam. pp. 148–256.