Ahom Monarchy at its Zenith Unit 1

UNIT 1: AHOM MONARCHY AT ITS ZENITH

UNIT STRUCTURE

1.1 Learning Objectives

1.2 Introduction
1.3 Ahom - Koch Conflict
1.4 Ahom - Mughal Conflict
1.5 Rudra Singha
1.6 Let Us Sum Up
1.7 Further Readings
1.8 Answers to Check Your Progress
1.9 Model Questions

1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will be able to:

l describe the struggle between the Ahom, the Koch and the Mughal,
l discuss the various reasons for the ongoing conflicts and their
outcomes,
l explain the role of Suhungmung and Rudra Singha in making the
Ahom dynasty a supreme power in Assam.

1.2 INTRODUCTION

You have already learnt about the coming of the Ahoms to Assam
and the establishment of the Ahom dynasty by Sukapha in 1268 A.D in
your previous semester. You have also come to know of the rise of the
Koches and also of the many struggles of the Ahoms with the indigenous
tribes as well as the Turko-Afghan invaders. However, it was only with the
accession of Suhungmung (1497-1539 A.D.) that the Ahom dynasty
became the dominant power in Assam, and continued in that position till
the time of Rudra Singha (1696-1714 A.D.). This unit will look into the rise of
the Ahom dynasty.

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Unit 1 Ahom Monarchy at its Zenith

1.3 AHOM – KOCH CONFLICT

The relation between the Ahoms and the Koches were never smooth.
They were at war with each other at the slightest pretext. Again, in times of
need they entered into marital alliances. The Koch had a friendly relation
with the Ahoms as mentioned in the Ahom Buranjis. There is the mention of
a friendly visit by Visva Simha and his brother in 1537 to the Ahom king.
However, the Koch chronicles describes Visva Simha as having invaded
the Ahom territory, in which the Koch army had to retreat.
After Visva Simha, his son Malla Deva ascended the throne. He
was famous by the name of Nara Narayan. Another son of Visva Simha
was Sukhladhvaj, better known as Chilarai. During the time of Nara
Narayan, the Ahoms and the Koches came into conflict and the Ahoms
had to face a serious setback. It started with a conspiracy against Nara
Narayan by a petty chief who fled to Suklenmung when detected.
Suklenmung gave shelter to the chief. The result was that a battle was
fought between the Koch king Nara Narayan and the Ahom king. The Koch
army under Chilarai fought at the banks of the river Dikrai and was able to
defeat their rival. Another battle was fought at Kaliabor, but the Ahoms
were again routed with a heavy loss. During this time, the Koches under
Gohain Kamal, another brother of the Koch king, constructed a road from
the Koch capital to Narayanpur (North Lakhimpur sub division). This road
came to be known as the Gohain Kamal Ali. This construction was
completed in 1547, after which the Koches built a fort at Narayanpur.
Soon Suklenmung attacked and encamped at the bank of river
Pichala. This resulted in a disaster as the supplies of the Koch army were
cut off and many of them died. The Koch army was in a bad shape after
this battle. Nara Narayan soon made an attempt by burning down some
villages within the Ahom boundary. The Ahoms retaliated and in an
engagement at the mouth of the river Dikhou, the Ahoms were defeated.
Again in a second engagement at the same place, Chilarai, the Koch
commander inflicted another crushing defeat on the Ahoms. The Ahom
king and his nobles fled and soon Garhgaon, their capital city, was captured.

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Ahom Monarchy at its Zenith Unit 1

The Ahoms had to sue for peace. The Ahom king had to surrender many of
their nobles and sons of their chiefs to the Koches as hostages besides
paying a war indemnity of sixty elephants, sixty pieces of cloths and a
large amount of gold and silver as per the conditions set while making
peace with the Koch king.
However, even though Nara Narayan was successful everywhere,
yet in the case of Padshah of Gaur, the Koches had to face much trouble.
The Koch chronicle informs of the defeat of the Koch forces under Chilarai
who was taken captive. This made the Koch king, Nara Narayan very
desperate to make a good relation with the Ahoms. He, therefore, decided
to release the prisoners he had taken during the war with the Ahoms. But
this he did by a trick so that nobody could understand the real motive. He
called for a game of dice to be played with Sundar Gohain, one of the
hostages and staked the release of the hostages, in case of his loss. He
deliberately lost the game and thus released the prisoners and made
friendship with the Ahoms.
In July 1563, the Koch commander, Tipu led an invasion up to the
Brahmaputra. But the Ahoms defeated him. In 1570 again, Tipu and
Bhitarual raised an army against the Ahoms but the Ahom army was
successful in crushing their efforts. In 1577 three men revolted against
Nara Narayan, but having failed they sought the shelter of the Ahom king.
The Ahom king, Sukhampha allowed them to settle at Gajala. In 1585, the
Koch King of Koch-Hajo, Raghudeb gave his daughter Sankala in marriage
to Sukhampha with a handsome dowry. Sukhampha in his turn gifted the
Koch King generously.
After the death of Nara Narayan the Ahom-Koch relations entered
a new phase. The Koch territory was divided among the sons of Nara
Narayan and Sukhladhvaj (Chilarai). The river Sankosh became the dividing
line. The tract of land east of Sankosh was given to Raghudeb, son of
Chilarai, while the west remained with Lakshmi Narayan, son of Nara
Narayan.

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Unit 1 Ahom Monarchy at its Zenith

LET US KNOW
Nara Narayan did not marry for long and had declared
Raghudeb, his brother Chilarai’s son as his heir
apparent. But later Nara Narayan got married at the coaxing of his
brother and was blessed with a son. This made Raghudeb very
insecure. Therefore, after the death of Chilarai, Raghudeb sought
to revolt. His uncle Nara Narayan therefore decided to divide his
kingdom for the sake of peace.

However, Raghudeb was made to pay tributes to his uncle Nara

Narayan and acknowledge his lordship. But the death of Nara Narayan
gave Raghudeb the much needed opportunity to declare his independence.
Therefore, Nara Narayan’s son and successor Lakshmi Narayan instigated
Raghudeb’s son Parikshit Narayan to revolt against his father. Parikshit
revolted but was caught and imprisoned. He escaped later and took shelter
at the Ahom kingdom. He returned on the demise of his father to claim his
right over the territory in1603 A.D. Parikshit now defied the overlordship of
Lakshmi Narayan and hence they exchanged swords in which the latter
was beaten. Both now looked for Ahom friendship. Parikshit gave his
daughter Mangaldahi to the Ahom king Pratap Singha in marriage. Lakshmi
Narayan had no choice but to turn for help to the Mughals. The Nawab of
Bengal saw his chance and so sent an army under Mukkaram Khan against
Parikshit Narayan. Parikshit Narayan had to sue for peace. He turned to
the Ahoms for help, but they insisted that the Koch army join their forces at
which Parikshit chose to fight the battle alone. He had to suffer defeat and
his brother, Bali Narayan fled to the Ahom king for asylum. Pratap Singha
installed him as the Raja of Darrang as a tributary ruler and renamed him
as Dharma Narayan.
The Ahoms thus came into conflict with the Mughals because of
the Koches. The Ahoms were successful against them. However, in a new
expedition sent from Bengal in 1637, the Ahoms and their allies were
defeated. Dharma Narayan was killed in 1638 and peace was negotiated.
Parikshit’s territory now passed to the Ahoms, while the Mughals occupied
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the tract of land west of the river Barnadi. Sundar Narayan, son of Parikshit
was made the new king but he was no longer an independent king. He
was required to consult the Barphukan on all important matters. The western
Koch kingdom also, in the same way became a vassal of the Muslims.
Thus, the Koch kingdom ceased to exist on its own. However, in 1658, the
ruler of Koch Bihar, again, came into conflict with the Ahoms. With the
death of Shah Jahan, the Mughal troops were withdrawn and this
emboldened Pran Narayan to assert his independence. He defeated the
Mughal forces led by Wazir Bhabanath. Encouraged by his easy win, he
proposed for an offensive and defensive alliance with the Ahoms which
was rejected. Rather he was defeated by the Ahoms and was driven across
the river Sankosh. During the accession of Chakradhwaj Singha (163-
1670 A.D.), the Koch Raja of Darrang sent his warm wishes. Again, there
was an incident of the Koch ruler helping the Mughals. However, Chandra
Narayan or Surya Narayan, grandson of Bali Narayan was made a tributary
ruler of Darrang by the Ahom king Udayaditya Singha (1670-1672 A.D.).
Thus the Ahom–Koch relation went through different phases. The Koches
tried to establish their independence but had to submit before the power
of the Ahoms.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q 1: Name the Koch king who succeeded Visva
Simha.
................................................................................
Q 2: Sukhladhvaj was better known as ........................................
Q 3: Name the road constructed by the Koches connecting the
Koch capital in Koch Bihar and Narayanpur.
................................................................................................
Q 4: Name the Koch princess married to Pratap Singha.
................................................................................................
Q 5: Who was made the king of Darrang by the Ahoms?
................................................................................................

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Unit 1 Ahom Monarchy at its Zenith

1.4 AHOM – MUGHAL CONFLICT

It was during the time of Suhungmung that we hear of the

Muhammedan invasion. Their attacks were repulsed. The next invasion by
the Mughals took place in the time of Susengpha (Pratap Singha). The reason
was the shelter provided to Bali Narayan (brother of Parikshit Narayan) and
the murder of a Mughal trader near Kaliabor. The Nawab of Bengal, Sheikh
Qasim sent an expedition against the Ahoms, in which they were
accompanied by Sattarjit and Akhek Gohain. The enemies met each other
at the bank of the river Bharali. Initially the Mughals had an upper hand due
to the fog but ultimately due to the treachery of Akhek Gohain, the Mughal
forces were taken by surprise in an attack by the Ahoms, both by land and
by water and the Mughals had to face defeat. Many of the generals and
soldiers were killed or taken captive. The rest were put to death and a huge
booty earned. Soon, the Ahom commanders ignoring the orders of the king
pursued the Mughals to Hajo, but they were defeated and had to retreat to
Srighat. The Burha Gohain was taken captive. Many ships, elephants, and
booty were taken away by the Mughals. Many Ahom soldiers were wounded.
Fresh hostilities began in September 1612 when the Mughals besieged
Dharma Narayan in his fort, south of the river Brahmaputra. The Ahoms
soon came to his rescue and in the battle that ensued, the Mughals were
severely routed. There were attempts for a friendship pact but it could not
be materialized because of foul play by Sattarjit. After some years the relation
became strained because of Sattarjit and his tricks and also because
Harikesh, a defaulting officer under the Nawab of Bengal, was given
protection by Pratap Singha. The Mughals tried to seize Harikesh to which
the Ahoms replied by force and in the battle the Mughals were defeated.
Pratap Singha now decided to fight the war in his enemy’s territory and
hence sought the friendship of local chiefs. Soon he occupied the Mughal
forts at Deomiah, Bantikot, Chamaria, and Nagarbera. At Hajo the Mughals
were reinforced by additional troops sent by the Nawab of Bengal. In the
engagement that followed the Ahoms were defeated. But soon Pratap Singha
sent more forces and the Ahoms once more advanced and pushed the

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Ahom Monarchy at its Zenith Unit 1

Mughals back to Sualkuchi. In an interesting encounter the Ahoms also

inflicted a heavy defeat on the Mughal fleet at the bank of Brahmaputra, near
Hajo. The Ahom chronicles record the capturing of three hundred cannons,
boats, guns and other spoils too. Hajo was soon infested by the Ahoms and
supplies were all cut off leaving the Mughals with no other option but to
surrender.
Another fresh invasion soon was made by the brother of the Nawab,
Mir Zainuddin. On his way he heard of what had happened to his compatriots
but he marched forward and he was assisted by Pran Narayan, ruler of
Koch Bihar. The enemies camped at Jogighopa and at Hirapur. In the
many engagements that followed the Ahoms were defeated. In October
1637, the Ahoms attacked the Mughal army but they were defeated. At
Barpeta, the Ahoms were surrounded from all sides by the Mughals and
were beaten. The Mughals soon occupied the fort at Agiathuti and Srighat.
The Kajali fort was soon captured by the Mughals and the Ahoms had to
suffer a serious naval defeat. In 1638, the Mughals along with Pran Narayan
came up to the river Bharali. Hostilities soon began in which the invaders
had to retire back to Guwahati after undergoing a defeat. Peace was made
between both the camps by which the Bar Nadi on the north bank of
Brahmaputra and Asurar Ali on the south were fixed as the boundary
between them.
The next Ahom-Mughal conflict took place during the reign of
Sutamla or Jayadhvaj Singha. The death of Shah Jahan gave opportunities
for those who were desirous of power and thus a long feud began for
succession. Taking this chance Jayadhvaj Singha made an advance
towards Guwahati. The Mughal Faujdar of Guwahati had fled leaving
horses, cannons, guns etc. Pran Narayan the ruler of Koch Bihar sought
alliance against the Mughals from the Ahoms but the Ahoms did not agree.
They marched against the Koches who were driven across the river
Sankosh. Thus, the whole of the Brahmaputra Valley came under the
Ahoms. The Mughals under Mir Jumla who was the governor of Bengal
marched against the Ahoms in 1662. He was accompanied by Rashid
khan. After a long march he arrived at the fort of Jogighopa with a large
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army. The Ahom garrison at Jogighopa could not give resistance to the
Mughal force and hence they retreated to Srighat. On hearing this
Jayadhwaj Singha sent reinforcement to Srighat and Pandu, but the
Mughals had already reached and the Ahoms gave no fight. The fort of
Srighat was destroyed by the Mughals and Guwahati fell to the hands of
the invaders. The troops on the North bank of the Brahmaputra fled to
Kajali while those on the South bank were killed. The Ahom forces at Kajali
were so upset with the news that came that they chose to retreat to
Samdhara. The Ahoms began strengthening the forts at Samdhara and
Simlagarh.
Meanwhile Mir Jumla marched towards Garhgaon, the Ahom capital.
Many chiefs and rajas submitted to him, among those were the Raja of
Dimarua and the Raja of Darrang. Mir Jumla next camped close to the fort
of Simlagarh. The Ahoms after a feeble resistance gave up and fled. Thus,
the fort of Simlagarh fell to the Mughals very easily. At this news the Ahom
garrison at the fort of Samdhara lost heart. They fled, after destroying the
store of gun powder. Mir Jumla appointed a Faujdar in charge of the fort
and proceeded further. The Ahoms next attacked the Mughal fleet which
was isolated as Mir Jumla moved ahead with his foot soldiers. The battle
continued the whole night but when the Ahoms heard the trumpets of the
coming of the Mughals the next day, they fled. As many as three hundred
ships were captured by the Mughals. The Ahom forces under the Bar Gohain
gained some success but they kept on retreating. The Ahoms next
established themshelves at Lakhau or Lakhugarh but as the invaders
arrived, the Ahoms retreated again. The Ahom king Jayadhvaj Singha
ordered the Burha Gohain to remain at Garhgaon and himself along with
the Bar Phukan and the Bar Barua and five thousand men fled to Namrup.
On reaching Gajpur, Mir Jumla heard of the flight of the Ahom king. He at
once sent his forces to Garhgaon.
On 17 March, 1662 Mir Jumla entered the Ahom capital, Garhgaon
and occupied it. A large booty of eighty two elephants, gold and silver
worth three lakhs of rupees and 170 storehouses, each being able to contain
one to ten thousand mounds of rice fell into their hands. But slowly the
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rainy season set in. Taking advantage of it, the Ahom army launched some
surprise attacks on the invaders. The garrison at Gajpur was overpowered
by the Ahoms. But they failed at Deopani. As the rains continued Mir Jumla
found it difficult to maintain his outposts and therefore retreated to
Garhgaon. Most of the country had been re -occupied by the Ahoms and
Jayadhwaj Singha returned to take charge. Negotiations for peace were
made, but they failed. The Ahoms renewed their attack on the capital,
Garhgaon. The Mughals gave up after a tough fight. The Ahoms attacked
the Mughal army day in and day out. Moreover, the food supplies had
decreased and fever and dysentery plagued the Mughal army. Meanwhile,
in Lower Assam, the Mughal garrison was driven away by Pran Narayan,
the ruler of Koch Bihar.
By the end of September, rains had ceased to fall and
reinforcements started pouring in. When the floods receded, the supplies
started flowing lending mobility to the Mughal troops, the Mughals again
prepared for a fresh attack. The Ahom king and his nobles fled to Namrup
again. Mir Jumla attacked the Baduli Phukan who submitted and joined
the Mughals in pursuing the Ahom king. But due to the famine in Bengal,
supplies were not reaching the Mughal forces. Mir Jumla also fell ill and
his soldiers were not at all ready to risk another rainy season and hence
threatened to desert him. Thus the Nawab was compelled to negotiate for
peace with the Ahom king. The famous Treaty of Ghilajhari Ghat was
concluded on January 9th 1663 by which the country west of the river Bharali
on the north bank of the Brahmaputra and to the Kalang on the south was
ceded to the Emperor of Delhi. Soon after this, Mir Jumla gave orders for
returning to Bengal. But on 30th march 1663, he died just before reaching
Dacca.
When Jayadhwaj Singha died, he had no direct heir and the nobles
invited the Charing Raja to occupy the throne. He was named Supungmung
and assumed the Hindu name Chakradhvaj Singh. New hostilities began
with the Mughals on the question of payment of the indemnities as promised
in the peace treaty made by Jayadhvaj Singha. Rashid Khan was
succeeded by Saiad Firuz Khan as the Faujdar of Guwahati. Firuz Khan
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demanded the payment which was due from the Ahom king. Chakradhvaj
Singh now decided to go to war and after more than a year of due
preparation, on August, 1667 the Ahom army under Lachit Barphukan set
out to take Guwahati from the Mughals. The outposts at Kajali and
Bansabari were taken by the Ahoms. After a siege of two months, Guwahati
and Pandu were captured too. The Mughal forces were routed and Firuz
Khan was killed. Even though fresh reinforcements arrived, yet the Mughals
could not make much headway. They had to retreat from Agiathuti and fell
back on the Manas River. They were surrounded from all sides. Many of
them were killed and some were sent as captives to the Ahom capital,
Garhgaon.
In 1668, fresh conflict began with the Mughals. Aurangzeb, the Mughal
ruler sent one Raja Ram Singh as the commander of the imperial army to
avenge the death of Firuz Khan and the loss of Guwahati. Raja Ram Singh
was accompanied by Rashid Khan. In the battle near Tezpur, the Ahoms
were routed but they soon gained a naval victory and also took over the fort
at Rangmahal. The Mughals were again defeated near Sualkuchi, both on
land and in water. At Sessa the Ahoms won a double engagement. Next, the
fort at Agiathuti fell into the hands of the Ahoms. But very soon Ram Singh
routed the Ahoms and the Bar Phukan had to retreat with a heavy loss. Raja
Ram Singh now sued for peace. For some time hostilities between both the
rival camps were halted.
Meanwhile, Chakradhwaj Singha was succeeded by Sunyatpha or
Udayaditya Singha. Raja Ram Singh again presses for the recognition by
the Ahoms of the old boundary. As he was desperate he started his march
to Sitamary. The Ahoms also marched from Samdhara to Srighat. In an
engagement the Ahoms were successful but due to their naval defeat the
army had to retreat. But when reinforcements arrived the Ahoms were
able to defeat the Mughals in a naval battle and a second land victory was
also gained by them. After leading the Ahoms to victory at the decisive
battle of Saraighat, Lachit Barphukan who was ailing succumbed to his
illness. By March 1671, Ram Singh due to repeated losses had retreated
to Rangamati. For some years there was peace. During the time of
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Sudaipha (1677-1679 A.D.), Guwahati was lost to the Mughals. In March,

1679 it was handed over by the new Barphukan who had allied with the
Mughals on his falling out with the Burhagohain.
The last Muhhamedan war was fought during the time of Gadadhar
Singha (1681-1696 A.D.). His first course of action on his accession was
to oust the Mughals from Guwahati. At the first assault, the forts at Kajali
and Bansabari fell into the hands of the Ahoms. Another naval victory was
gained near the bank of the Bar Nadi. The Mughal Faujdar of Guwahati
was too weak to give resistance and fled. Thus, Gauhati was re- occupied
by the Ahoms along with a huge booty. From now onwards the river Manas
was accepted as the boundary by both the parties.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q 6: In which year did Mir Jumla invade Assam?
...................................................................
Q 7: During whose reign did Mir Jumla invade
Assam?
................................................................................................
Q 8: Name the capital of the Ahoms when Muhammedans came to
Assam.
................................................................................................
Q 9: What was the outcome of the invasion of Mir Jumla?
................................................................................................
Q 10: During whose reign was the last Muhammedan war fought?
................................................................................................

1.5 RUDRA SINGHA

Sukhrungpha (1696- 1717 A.D.) ascended the Ahom throne after his
father Gadadhar Singha (1681-1696 A.D.) with the Hindu name Rudra Singha
in 1696. The Kacharis under Tamradhvaj asserted independence. Therefore,
Rudra Singha dispatched the Ahom army under the Bar Barua and the Pani
Phukan to subdue the Kacharis. Both the officers took a separate route to
invade the enemy country. The Barbarua started his expedition in December
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Unit 1 Ahom Monarchy at its Zenith

1706, and during this long march he had to fight the Nagas. The Kachari
capital, Maibong was occupied and a huge booty taken. While the Pani Phukan
proceeded to Raha, he occupied Demera without any resistance from the
Kacharis because they were afraid of the Ahom army. Very soon, the Pani
Phukan joined the Bar Barua at Maibong. But due to bad weather, the soldiers
were unable to proceed further.
But Rudra Singha was bent on moving up to Khaspur. The Bar
Barua fell ill and died on the way of his return to Demera, while the Pani
Phukan continued to march and reached Sampani. However, by the end
of March 1707, Rudra Singha was compelled to call back the forces due to
the sickness and death caused by the rainy season. In the meantime,
Tamradhvaj had fled to Bikrampur, and on the coming of the Ahoms he
had asked for help from the Raja of Jayantia, Ram Singh. But when he
heard of the withdrawal of the Ahom forces, he informed Ram Singh not to
come to his aid. Ram Singh had however other plans. He made the Kachari
king and several of his family members captives and he overran the frontier
forts at Bandasil and Icchamati. Tamradhvaj now asked for help from Rudra
Singha and begged for pardon for his wrong doings.
Rudra Singha thus marched to the Jayantia territory to free the
Kachari king. The army again was divided into two groups. The Barbarua
and the Barphukan led the Ahom forces. On reaching Mulagul, the Barbarua
sent a message to Ram Singh for the immediate surrender of Tamradhvaj
and his family, to which Ram Singh replied in the positive but on condition
that both the Ahom forces of the Barbarua and Barphukan should stay
their advance. Ram Singh gave up the captives but the Ahom forces
continued with their march to Jayantia. Ram Singh prepared for a tough
battle but he had to surrender to the Barbarua and was taken captive. In
the meantime, the Barphukan marched towards the Jayantia kingdom.
On the way, the Jayantias tried to give a tough time to him but on
more than one occasion they fled away. When the Jayantia nobles got to
know of the capture of their ruler, they sought help from the Bar Dalai, the
Raja of Khairam and the inhabitants of the two hundred independent Khasi
villages, to expel the invaders. While the Jayantia Raja was being taken to
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Gobha, the Ahom army had to face a stiff resistance from the Jayantia
army. They often made surprise attacks on the Ahoms. In such
engagements, the Ahom soldiers were forced to flee. Rudra Singha soon
sent reinforcements under the Burhagohain but the Jayantia army could
not be subdued. The Ahoms, however, did destroy many villages and killed
many of their enemies. With the onset of the rainy season the Ahom army
started to retreat. In these engagements the Ahom side lost 2366 men that
included 12 high officers.
After accepting his submission the Ahom king released Tamradhvaj.
However, the Jayantia Raja died due to dysentery. It is presumed that his
son was released by the Ahoms. Rudra Singha now planned to wage war
against the Mughals. He was assisted in this campaign by the Kachari and
the Jayantia kings and also the Dafalas. With a big army he proceeded to
Guwahati but he died due to illness in August, 1714.
Rudra Singha caused the construction of the brick city of Rangpur,
bridges over the river Namdang and Demow and the Kharikatiya, Dubariyam
and Meteka roads. The Jaisagar temple and tank, as well as the tank and
temple at Rangnath were made by him. Unlike his predecessors, he did
not prefer a policy of isolation; rather he sent his envoys to other parts of
the country. Many of the hill tribes submitted to him. He is said to have
taken sharan (initiation) from Krishna Ram Bhattacharyya, Mahant of the
Sakta sect from the district of Nadia, Bengal. He reversed his father’s
policy of persecuting the Vaishnava Gossains. He gave them their old
position and honoured them. He was regarded as one of the greatest
rulers among the Ahoms.

LET US KNOW
Chronology of the Ahom kings from Suhungmung
to Rudra Singh.
1. Suhungmung/Dihingiya Raja ———————1497-1539 A.D.
2. Suklenmung/ Garhgaya Raja ———————1539-1552 A.D.
3. Sukhampha/Khora Raja ———————1552-1603 A.D.
4. Susengpha/Burha Raja ———————1603-1641 A.D.
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5. Surampha/Bhaga Raja ———————1641-1644 A.D.

6. Sutyinpha/Nariya Raja ———————1644-1648 A.D.
7. Sutamla/Jayadhwaj Singha ———————1648-1663 A.D.
8. Supungmung/Chakradhvaj Singha ————1663-1669 A.D.
9. Sunyatpha/Udayaditya Singha ——————1669-1673 A.D.
10. Suklampha/Ramdhwaj Singha ——————1673-1675 A.D.
11. Suhung ———————1675-1675 A.D.
12. Gobar ———————1675-1675 A.D. (for 20 days)
13. Sujinpha ———————1675-1677 A.D.
14. Sudaipha ———————1677-1679 A.D.
15. Sulikpha/Lara Raja ———————1679-1681 A.D.
16. Supatpha/Gadadhar Singha ——————— 681-1696 A.D.
17. Sukhrungpha/Rudra Singha ———————1696-1714 A.D.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q 11: What was the Ahom name of Rudra
Singha?
...................................................................
Q 12: Name the Kachari king who fought with the Ahoms.
................................................................................................
Q 13: Name the Jayantia king who was contemporary of Rudra
Singha.
................................................................................................
Q 14: Under whom Rudra Singha took Sharan?
................................................................................................
Q 15: In which year did Rudra Singha die?
................................................................................................

18 History of Assam from the 17th Century till 1947 C.E.

Ahom Monarchy at its Zenith Unit 1

1.6 LET US SUM UP

After going through this unit we have learnt that,

l from the time of Suhungmung the Ahom dynasty started its
expansionist policy and was able to establish itself as a dominant
power in the Brahmaputra valley.
l we have seen that during the time of Suhungmung, there were conflicts
with the Mughals, Chutias, and Nagas, etc.
l throughout the rule from Suhungmung to Rudra Singha, the Ahoms
were fighting and had been successful in compelling their neighbours
to submit to them. This period is very important as it marks the rise of
the Ahoms and it can also be termed as the golden age of the Ahom
dynasty. The inroads made by the Mughal army were reversed.
l the Ahoms also made friends with the tributary Rajas through
matrimonial alliances. This period also saw the use of gun powder,
flourishing of art and architecture and the emergence of a new
religious order and social culture. But soon after Rudra Singha, the
Ahom dynasty started to decline.

1.7 FURTHER READING

1) Barpujari, H.K (2004), The Comprehensive History of Assam, Volume-

II, Publication Board Assam.
2) Baruah, S.L (2014), A Comprehensive History of Assam, Munishram
Manoharlal.
3) Gait, Edward (2004), A History of Assam, Eastern Book House.

History of Assam from the 17th Century till 1947 C.E. 19