Thursday, January 3, 2019

লাচিত বৰফুকন: ২

আমাৰ জাতীয় বীৰ জনৰ বিষয়ে দুআষাৰ মান পুণৰ লিখিবলৈ লৈছো৷ প্ৰথম লিখাটো আছিল এটি বৈকল্পিক-বুৰঞ্জী (Alternate-history), যিটো সঁচা বা মিছা বুলি কোনেও দাবীও কৰিব নোৱাৰে আৰু বৰ্তমানলৈকে মজুত থকা সমলৰে প্ৰমাণো কৰিব নোৱাৰে৷ আজি লিখিবলৈ লোৱা কথা খিনিত বুৰঞ্জী কম আৰু অসমীয়া জাতিৰ ভৱিষ্যতকলৈ শংকা বেছি৷

আজিৰ তাৰিখত অসমীয়াৰ ভিতৰতে লাচিতৰ আদৰ্শৰে আগুৱাই  যোৱাৰ মানসিকতাতকৈ লাচিতৰ বংশ পৰিচয়, জাতি আৰু ধৰ্মকলৈহে টনা-টনি বেছি৷ আহোমে কয় লাচিত নামটোৱেই আহোমৰ৷ লাচিতক মৈদাম দিয়া হৈছিল৷ চ্ছুটীয়া সকলে কয় লাচিত চ্ছুটীয়াহে আছিল৷ লাচিত লুখুৰাসন ফৈদৰ আছিল আৰু এই ফৈদৰ বুজন অংশ আদিতে বৰাহী আছিল৷ বৰাহী সকলৰ একাংশ যেনেদৰে আহোমৰ লগত মিলি গ'ল আন একাংশ চ্ছুটীয়া সকলৰে এটা অংশ হৈ থাকি গ'ল৷ বৰাহী সকল বডোমূলৰ আছিল বাবে হয়তো কছাৰীসকলেও দাবী কৰিব পাৰে লাচিতকলৈ৷ মুঠতে লাচিতৰ নামত আমি শপত খাই একগোট হোৱাতকৈ মুৰ ফলা ফলি কৰিবৰ বাবেহে বেছি আগ্ৰহী বুলি ইতিমধ্যে প্ৰমাণ কৰি দেখুৱাইছোঁ৷ এচামে লাচিতক 'হাইজেক' কৰি হিন্দুবীৰ হিচাপেও আদৰি(?) লৈছে৷ গতিকে অসমীয়া জাতিৰ ভৱিষ্যতকলৈ চিন্তা কৰা সকলোৰে মনত কিছু শংকাৰ উদ্ৰেক হোৱাটো স্বাভাৱিক৷

প্ৰশ্ন হ'ল, সমিধান ক'ত? সমাধান আমাৰ হাততেই৷ থিক আছে, আমাৰ বীৰ জনক আমি হেৰুৱাব নিবিছাৰো, কিন্তু 

Saturday, February 20, 2016

লাচিত বৰফুকন

লাচিত বৰফুকনৰ নাম নুশুনা অসমীয়া মানুহ আৰু তেখেতৰ বিষয়ে ভালদৰে জনা অনাঅসমীয়া মানুহৰ সংখ্যা নিচেই কম যেন মোৰ ভাৱ হয়৷ মই এনেদৰে কোৱাৰ এটা কাৰণ আছে৷ আমি অসমীয়া মানুহ সকলে নিজেই লাচিতৰ বিষয়ে "ভালদৰে" নাজানো৷ লাচিতৰ জন্ম বা মৃত্যু সম্পৰ্কে আমাৰ হাতত প্ৰায় কোনো তথ্য নাই৷ আমাৰ মাজত যিসকলে লাচিতৰ বিষয়ে অলপ হ'লেও জানে, তেওঁলোকে হয়তো কিধৰণে অসমৰ বাহিৰত লাচিতৰ বিষয়ে প্ৰচাৰ কৰিব তাৰ কোনো মাধ্যম সহজে ঢুকি পোৱাত নাই৷

লাচিতৰ বিষয়ে মোৰ জ্ঞান সীমিত, যি কণ জানিছোঁ, সেইয়া সূৰ্য্য কুমাৰ ভুঞা দেৱ বা আন দুই এজন বুৰঞ্জীবিদৰ কৃপাত৷ কিন্তু মোৰ কিছু প্ৰশ্নৰ উত্তৰ মই এতিয়াও বিচাৰি পোৱা নাই৷

লাচিত বৰফুকনৰ জন্ম কিদৰে হৈছিল? ক'ত? মোমাই তামূলী বৰবৰুৱা তেখেতৰ

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Weapons and nature of Warfare in Ahom Kingdom

(This blog is reposted. It appeared first here.)

Arrival of the Ahoms to Assam did change the course of Assam's history. For a long time they gave a political stability to the kingdom and successfully checked the eastward expansion of the Mughals. Why they were so successful against their much more powerful adversary can be atributed partly to the location, topography and the climate of the region they ruled and partly to their millitary prowess.

I am not aware, how much information is available for the students of Indian History about the use of guns and gunpowder in this eastern part of India! Because of the proximity to China (where gunpowder was discovered) and the fact that many tribes themselves migrated from the east, this region gained the knowledge of making gunpowder very early compared to many other parts of India. The battle of Panipath between Babar's and Ibrahim Lodhi's forces is said to be the first battle where big guns were used. Almost simultaneously (in fact few years earlier than the battle), there was an ongoing war between two tribes in eastern Assam, Ahoms and Sutiyas. After this war is over, which resulted in the inlcusion of the Sutiya kingdom to the Ahom kingdom, the Ahoms acquired a lot of things from the Sutiyas. One of those were the type of big gun, called Mithaholong. In fact, this was the one of the largest classes of big guns which were produced in this part of the country. This proves that not only the Ahoms, but other tribes of Assam already knew about guns and gunpowder by that time and must have used it in the battles. I should also mention here that some local history books say about Chaolung Siukapha carrying guns with him when he entered Assam from east, that was in 1228 AD.

Mithaholong is one of the five different classes of big guns made in Assam. The other types are Biyagom bortop, Hatimuriya bortop, Tubukee bortop and Baghmora bortop. (Bortop is the Assamese word for big guns!) There are another few classes of guns, they were called hilois. They are smaller in size and some of them can even be fired from hand. (I have seen the balls used in these guns. One I saw was only 1 inch in diameter and the one I have with me at home is nearly 3 inches in diameter!) There were 11 important classes of hilois, they are- Gonthiya, Jombur, Pohlongi, Ramchangi, Xoru Hatnoliya, Kamayon, Jomur, Kecai, Tonwa, Khoka and Bochadari hiloi.

I have already mentioned that Mithaholong type of guns were the biggest class of bortops prepared in the Ahom kingdom. One of these bortops were sent by Bohi Khowa Borphukan of guwahati to Swargadeu Rajeshwar Singha. The length of the bortop was 12 hats (hat is the distance from the finger tips to the elbow, nearly 18 inches) and the circumference at the back was 4 hats. Legend says that when this gun was fired, people standing nearby had their eardrums got damaged. So these types of guns were fired by the hiloidaris (gunners) hiding in a trench nearby. Swargadeu Swarganarayan (or Dihiniya Roja) first said to have made and used bortops in Assam, in somewhere near 1427 Saka. Innumerable bortops were made in the Kingdom since then and when Mirzumla, the Nawab of Bengal attacked Assam, he took along with him 675 hilois. The biggest hiloi he carried off had the charge weighing 3 Maunds. Moreover he took 343 jomburs, 1200 Ramchangis, 6570 Hatnoliya bonduk (smaller guns) 7828 shields. And not only that... all these guns were decorated and made with tenacious creativity.

Gean Baptista Tavernier says about the Ahoms that "It is believed that it is the same people who, in ancient time, first discovered gun-powder and guns, which passed from Assam to Pegu, and Pegu to China; this is the reason why the discovery is generally ascribed to the Chinese". He also says that the quality of the gun-powder prepared in Assam is very good, just like the powders prepared in France, with smooth round shape and highly explosive in nature. Though whatever he said is a matter debate, it only emphacises the expertise of the Ahoms in preparing gunpowder. It should be mentioned that Mirzumla, when he left from Assam, took along with him many experts of gun-powder preparaiton and 340 Maunds of gun-powder and 1960 boxes, each full of 2 to 2 and half Maunds of gun-powder. The technique used to prepare gun-powder is now lost forever. But some informations says that the Kings used to keep very big cow-sheds and the cows are kept inside them for six months. After six months they are taken to some othar place. Urine from these cows are collected in the shed or just allowed to remain there, without cleaning. In a years time a white layer appears over those places. From this material itself gun-powder was said to be prepared.

(Most of these informations are collected from historical books written in Assamese. People may refer Hiteswar Barbaruah's "Ahomor Din" and Sir Edward Gait's "History of Asam" for most of the original informations.)

The First Post

History is my passion. Probably if I'd have studied humanities, I'd have gone for history. May be my being an Ahom has something to do with my interest in history. Or may be my upbringing.. my father also has a lot of interest in history and often we use to discuss things. Even though I am far away from home, I use to discuss matters of historical importance with him over phone. I cannot claim I know too much about the topic, at best I am a student of history. But there is nothing lacking in interest.

I have few other blogs. In one of them I posted few blogs on Oxom Buranji (History of Assam. Buranji is the synonym for history in Assamese). First I'll shift all those related to history to this particular blog and may be edit.. and later on I'll keep on adding more. Hope people who stumble upon here may find these interesting.