Life of Bagh Hazarika
Bagh Hazarika (born as Ismail Siddique in the 17th century) was originally an inhabitant of Delhi, Mughal Empire. He came from Hindustan (Mughal empire) as a messenger to Assam on the orders of Rahmat Banu Begum (formerly known as Ramini Gabhuru, the Ahom princess). He than decided to settle in Assam near Dikhow river.
According to legends, a village was in
terror of a Tiger. Ismail, showcasing his skill, strength and agility, killed
the Tiger single handedly. He became a revered hero for the people. This
remarkable event reached the ears of the then Ahom King Chakradhwaj Singha
(also known as Swargadeo Supangmung, who ruled the Ahom Kindom from 1663 until
his death in 1670). Chakradhwaj was impressed by Ismail’s capability and
bravery, appointed him as a ‘Hazarika’ (commanding official of 1000 soldiers).
The name ‘Bagh Hazarika’ was bestowed on him, ‘Bagh’ meaning ‘Tiger’ in the
Assamese language. It is said that his name was his identification as a brave
man who killed a Tiger.
By 1662, Mir Jumla had captured the Ahom capital and
King Jayadhwaj Singha was forced to surrender. A treaty was concluded at
Ghilajharighat in January 1663, in which Jayadhwaj Singha ceded western Assam
to the Mughals, accepted Mughal vassalage and also promised payment of a war
indemnity and annual tributes. The Treaty of Ghilajharighat was signed out of
desperation for peace but went against the interest and pride of the Ahoms, who
were reduced to tributary status. Jayadhwaj Singha's successor, Chakradhwaj
Singha, stopped paying the war indemnity as soon as he came to power in 1663.
Chakradhwaj immediately advanced his armies to recapture the lost territories
of the Ahoms. Chakradhwaj had appointed the legendary Lachit Borphukan as the
commander in chief of the Ahom army. In this war, Bagh Hazarika was one of the
leading warriors who held command of the Ahom's naval fleet. He was appointed
most probably because of his knowledge of Mughal war tactics.
Ahoms had reached Itakhuli after some great success
against the Mughal forces by August of 1667. The enemy forces came up with the
idea of a chain of gigantic cannons to tackle with the Ahoms. Itakhuli was a
small hill on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. The Mughals established
themselves on a fort atop the hills of Itakhuli. Ahoms had besieged the gateway
leading to Itakhuli. They captured small chowkis of the Mughals - Pandu and
Jaidur. But the capturing of Itakhuli’s fort seemed difficult for the Ahoms,
due to the gigantic cannons of the Mughals. At this point, Bagh Hazarika came
up with a brilliant strategy. He suggested a plan that if the Ahom army can
disable the gigantic cannons, they could easily vanquish the Mughal forces. His
plan was appreciated by all the Ahom generals including Lachit Borphukan, as
well as the then Ahom’s royal minister named Atan Borgohain. They entrusted
Bagh Hazarika with the command to carry out the operation. Bagh was made the
leader of a special Ahom battalion named ‘Sur-Bosa’.
On 2nd of November, Bagh Hazarika and this
special battalion disguised themselves as the well-wishers of the Mughals,
since Bagh himself was a Mughal. They advanced towards the Mughal position at
night, crossing Brahmaputra by boat and landed on the northern bank of the
river. They waited for the right moment to disable the gigantic cannons. They
got the opportunity moments before dawn when the Mughal soldiers were praying
the Fajr salah. The Ahoms led by Bagh, climbed up the embankment and poured
water inside the Mughal cannons. This made them useless, and these Ahom spies
had left unnoticed. Immediately, the Ahom army announced their advance by
blowing the trumplets and Lachit Borphukan led the Ahom army towards the Mughal
position. The Mughals reached out towards their cannons but to their horror,
they were utterly rendered useless by the Ahom spies. Mughal forces were left
with no choice but to advance without the cannons. They too advanced towards
the Ahoms on boats. The Ahoms used their cannons to the full strength. The
Mughal forces could not stand a chance against the cannonade and retreated. The
Ahoms captured Itakhuli due to the brilliant tactics of Bagh Hazarika.
When the Ahom-Mughal war came to its peak, Lachit
became ill and unfortunately was no longer capable of leading the Ahom army.
The leadership of the Ahom army was than transferred to the Lachit’s trusted
lieutenant, who was none other than Bagh Hazarika. He gallantly led the Ahom army
against the Mughal forces which were led by Ram Singh Kochwaha. The Ahoms
emerged victorious against the Mughal forces, and the battle of Saraighat left
a remarkable shaping of the course of history. The Ahom king Udayaditya Singha
(also known as Sunyatphaa, the younger brother of Chakradhwaj Singha) highly
rewarded Bagh Hazarika. He was gifted a vast tract of land at Goriajan in
Sivsagar. Bagh Hazarika married an Ahom noblewoman named Sengpha Rupohi and
spent the rest of his life at Goriajan. He had a son named Keramuddin Hazarika.
Sources –
1. Cultural identity of indigenous Assamese Muslims,
by Wasbir Hussain, page 16
2. Bravehearts of Bharat : Vignettes from Indian
history, by Vikram Sampath
3. Indian Journal of Secularism: IJS a Journal of
Centre for Study of Society & Secularism, Volume 10, page 23
4. Bagh Hazarika and the Buranji puthis, by Zarid
Hussain, page 83, 140
5. Smritir Jilingonit keygorakiman axomor musolman,
volume 1 page 25-31
6. Sangmisranat Assamiya Sanskriti, by Abdus Sattar,
page 179
7. The Ahom-Mughal conflict : a brief introduction, by
Saudiptendu Ray, page 21-23
8. Swargadeo Rajeshwar Singha, by Dr. S.K Bhuyan, page
204
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