Supaatphaa
Encyclopedia
Supaatpha or Gadadhar Singha, established the rule of the Tungkhungia clan of the Ahom kings
that ruled the Ahom kingdom
till its climactic end. He was the son of Gobar Raja, a descendant of Suhungmung
, and who had become the king for a mere 20 days. Previously known as Gadapani, Gadadhar Singha was able to stabilize the kingdom after the decade long turmoil following the Ahom victory in the Battle of Saraighat
. This period saw the ruthless power grab of Debera Borbarua and Laluk Sola Borphukan's abandonment of Guwahati and oppression via Sulikphaa Lora Roja. Gadadhar Singha retook Guwahati from the Mughals for good, and established a strong rule of 'blood and iron'. He came into conflict with the Vaishnava sattra and made way for Rudra Singha, his son and succeeding king, to take the kingdom to its zenith.
Gadadhar Singha made his capital at Barkola.
. After Laluk Sola Borphukan had Atan Burhagohain murdered in 1679, he installed Sulikphaa Lora Roja as the king and tried to become the de jure ruler of the Ahom kingdom. He began a campaign to inflict wounds on Ahom princes who were eligible for the throne. To escape this, Gadapani had to become a fugitive hiding in the Naga hills. The area that Gadapani had fled, may be some where near present day Mon district is, that was inhabited by the Konyak Naga. During this time his wife Sati Joymati
, was tortured and killed by the henchmen of Sulikphaa and Laluk Sola Borphukan.
Noted Historian and Litterateur Padmanath Gohain Baruah first characterised a Naga girl Dalimi, in his play Joymati. It was shown that it was this girl that Gadapani had come into contact while he was in exhile. Rup Konwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala's First Assamese Film also showed Dalimi, as a daughter of Naga chieftain who had fallen for the charms of Gadapani.
His first act after becoming the King was to equip an army to oust the Mughal from Gauhati. He appears to have met with very little opposition. The forts at Bansbari and Kajali fell at the first assault, and a great naval victory was gained near the mouth of Bar Nadi, the whole enemy fleet falling into the hands of Ahoms. In 1682 Gadadhar Singha waged the Itakhulir Rann (War of Itakhuli
) and captured Guwahati
back from the Mughals and brought an end to the eighty years of Ahom-Mughal conflicts
. The Fauzdar of Guwahati fled and the Ahom army pursued the Mughals as far as Manas river. A vast amount of booty was taken in Guwahati
, including gold and silver; elephants, horses and buffaloes, cannon of all sizes and guns, swords and spears. This was the last war with the Mughals. Henceforth both sides accepted the Manas as the boundary.
The Nagas were often found to be raiding the Assamese villages in the border areas. He forged matrimonial alliances with the Nagas and assured peace and tranquility at the border areas. He married the extremely beautiful daughter of the warlike Nokpu(Ao) warrior Assiring, Sentishila, fondly renamed by him as Dalimi. And renamed the ancient Asheimba- Yimuba gate as Assiringia Duar and granted a large piece of land amounting to many thousand bighas as Assiringia Khat (present day Naginijan Tea estate,under Assam Tea Corporation)near Nakachari in Jorhat district of ASSAM, valuable scarves and shawls made of finest silk, steel daos, Ahom Hats (Japees) gold and diamond ornaments and a muzzle loading gun, to his father in law, Assiring, thus ensuring good matrimonial relations with the Aos, apart from his Konyak kinsman.
and the Ahom kings. To help propagate this form of Hindu worship he built the Shiva temple Uma Nanda Temple
(Devaloi) at the Peacock island in middle of river Brahmaputra at Guwahati. Gadadhar Singha was keenly alive to the importance of public works. He built the Dhodar Ali
a 211 km. long road from Kamargaon to Joypur touching Mariani using the lazy (dhod means lazy in Assamese
) opium
addicts, Aka Ali and many other roads. Two stone bridges were built and a number of tanks were evacuated. The earliest known copper-plate grant
recording grants of land by Ahom
Kings to Brahmins or Hindu temples, date from his reign.
A noteworthy measure of this monarch was the commencement of a detailed survey of the country. Gadadhar Singha became acquainted with the land measurement system of Mughals during the time he was hiding in Lower Assam, before he succeeded to the throne. As soon as the wars were over he issued orders for the introduction of a similar system throughout his dominions. Surveyors were imported from Koch Behar and Bengal for the work. It was commenced in Sibsagar and was pushed on vigorously, but it was not completed until after his death. According to historians, the method of survey included measuring the four sides of each field with a nal, or bamboo pole of 12 feet (3.7 m) length and calculating the area, the unit was the "pura" or 144 square feet (13.4 m²) and 14400 sq ft (1,337.8 m²). is one "Bigha". A similar land measurement system is still being followed in modern Assam-- 144 sq ft (13.4 m²). is one Lecha, 20 Lecha or 2880 sq ft (267.6 m²). is one "Katha", and 5 Katha or 14400 sq ft (1,337.8 m²). is one Bigha
.
(Hindu name Rudra Singha), the Ahom kingdom reached its zenith. The royal robes of Swargadeo Gadadhar Singha made of gold and a gold umbrella are preserved in the Bengenaati Satra of Majuli
, Assam
.
Ahom Dynasty
The Ahom Dynasty ruled the Ahom Kingdom in present-day Assam for nearly 600 years. The dynasty was established by Sukaphaa, a Shan prince of Mong Mao who came to Assam after crossing the Patkai mountains...
that ruled the Ahom kingdom
Ahom kingdom
The Ahom Kingdom was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal expansion in North-East India...
till its climactic end. He was the son of Gobar Raja, a descendant of Suhungmung
Suhungmung
Suhungmung , was one of the most important Ahom kings, who ruled at the cusp of Assam's medieval history. His reign broke from the early Ahom rule and established a multi-ethnic polity in his kingdom. Under him the Ahom Kingdom expanded greatly for the first time since Sukaphaa, at the cost of...
, and who had become the king for a mere 20 days. Previously known as Gadapani, Gadadhar Singha was able to stabilize the kingdom after the decade long turmoil following the Ahom victory in the Battle of Saraighat
Battle of Saraighat
The Battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 between the Mughal empire , and the Ahom Kingdom on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, now in Guwahati...
. This period saw the ruthless power grab of Debera Borbarua and Laluk Sola Borphukan's abandonment of Guwahati and oppression via Sulikphaa Lora Roja. Gadadhar Singha retook Guwahati from the Mughals for good, and established a strong rule of 'blood and iron'. He came into conflict with the Vaishnava sattra and made way for Rudra Singha, his son and succeeding king, to take the kingdom to its zenith.
Gadadhar Singha made his capital at Barkola.
Reign
Gadadhar Singha, known as Langi Gadapani, was the son of Gobar Gohain who was made the king by Debera Borbarua in 1675. Gobar Raja was the king for only 20 days and was executed after the fall of Debera Borbarua at the hands of the forces of Atan BurhagohainAtan Burhagohain
Atan Burhagohain was one of the most influential Burhagohains in the nearly 600 years of the Ahom kingdom. Atan Burhagohain Rajmantri Dangaria was the Prime Minister of Assam for more than seventeen years, January 1662 to March 1679...
. After Laluk Sola Borphukan had Atan Burhagohain murdered in 1679, he installed Sulikphaa Lora Roja as the king and tried to become the de jure ruler of the Ahom kingdom. He began a campaign to inflict wounds on Ahom princes who were eligible for the throne. To escape this, Gadapani had to become a fugitive hiding in the Naga hills. The area that Gadapani had fled, may be some where near present day Mon district is, that was inhabited by the Konyak Naga. During this time his wife Sati Joymati
Sati Joymati
Joymati was the wife of Ahom prince Gadapani. She is known as Sati Joymati because she endured torture and died at the hands of royalists under Sulikphaa , which enabled her husband to rise in revolt and become the king himself. Her son Rudra Singha had Joysagar dug at the spot where she was...
, was tortured and killed by the henchmen of Sulikphaa and Laluk Sola Borphukan.
Years in Exile
Gadapani's stay in the Naga Hills are shrouded in mystery, for not much is known about the 2 years in exile. However, the hills are abound with various lores, folktales and legends about Godadapani. The physical attributes of Gadapani were very robust, charming and very handsome. According to one legend Gadapani, after the death of his wife Jaimoti, he was heartbroken and had, become very brooding. It was during this time that his well wishers in fact married him a Konyak girl Watlong. Sadly though, Watlong while coming down with Gadapani from Konyak territory, died at a place named Naginimora while delivering a child. During his time in exhile his Naga friends had got him married to a very beautiful girl Zinyu.Noted Historian and Litterateur Padmanath Gohain Baruah first characterised a Naga girl Dalimi, in his play Joymati. It was shown that it was this girl that Gadapani had come into contact while he was in exhile. Rup Konwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala's First Assamese Film also showed Dalimi, as a daughter of Naga chieftain who had fallen for the charms of Gadapani.
Political/Personal/Military
At the time of Gadadhar Singha's accession to the throne, the Ahom kingdom was being sapped by internal dissensions, and patriotic feeling had become so weakened that many deserted to the Mughal side, who had re-occupied Gauhati, and were gradually pushing their frontier eastwards. The hill tribes too became emboldened and raided villages in the plains. Before he died he had quelled all internal disputes, revived the waning national spirit, driven the Mughals beyond Manas and, by prompt punitive measures, put a stop to the raiding and restored the prestige of the Ahoms among the turbulent tribes on the frontier.His first act after becoming the King was to equip an army to oust the Mughal from Gauhati. He appears to have met with very little opposition. The forts at Bansbari and Kajali fell at the first assault, and a great naval victory was gained near the mouth of Bar Nadi, the whole enemy fleet falling into the hands of Ahoms. In 1682 Gadadhar Singha waged the Itakhulir Rann (War of Itakhuli
Itakhuli
Itakhuli or Sukreswar Hill is a small hill on the south bank of the Brahmaputra at Guwahati. The present official residence of the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup District of Assam is located on top of this hill. Adjacent to it in the western side of the D.C.'s bungalow is the Sukreswar Temple...
) and captured Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
back from the Mughals and brought an end to the eighty years of Ahom-Mughal conflicts
Ahom-Mughal conflicts
Ahom–Mughal conflicts refer to the period between the first Mughal attack on the Ahom kingdom in 1615 and the final Battle of Itakhuli in 1682. The intervening period saw the fluctuating fortunes of both powers and the end of the rule of Koch Hajo...
. The Fauzdar of Guwahati fled and the Ahom army pursued the Mughals as far as Manas river. A vast amount of booty was taken in Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
, including gold and silver; elephants, horses and buffaloes, cannon of all sizes and guns, swords and spears. This was the last war with the Mughals. Henceforth both sides accepted the Manas as the boundary.
The Nagas were often found to be raiding the Assamese villages in the border areas. He forged matrimonial alliances with the Nagas and assured peace and tranquility at the border areas. He married the extremely beautiful daughter of the warlike Nokpu(Ao) warrior Assiring, Sentishila, fondly renamed by him as Dalimi. And renamed the ancient Asheimba- Yimuba gate as Assiringia Duar and granted a large piece of land amounting to many thousand bighas as Assiringia Khat (present day Naginijan Tea estate,under Assam Tea Corporation)near Nakachari in Jorhat district of ASSAM, valuable scarves and shawls made of finest silk, steel daos, Ahom Hats (Japees) gold and diamond ornaments and a muzzle loading gun, to his father in law, Assiring, thus ensuring good matrimonial relations with the Aos, apart from his Konyak kinsman.
Administrative
He was a Shaivite, as were his succeeding kings, and his reign saw the beginning of the conflict between the SattraSattra
Satras are socio-religious institutions in the Assam region of India that belong to the Mahapuruxiya Dharma. Monks, called bhakats, live in satras under a satradhikar. In some orders of the religion, the bhakats are celibate . The satras are not merely religious institutions but play cultural...
and the Ahom kings. To help propagate this form of Hindu worship he built the Shiva temple Uma Nanda Temple
Uma Nanda Temple
Umananda Devaloi is a Shiva Temple is located at the Peacock island in middle of river Brahmaputra just opposite the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup or the Kachari Ghat in Guwahati...
(Devaloi) at the Peacock island in middle of river Brahmaputra at Guwahati. Gadadhar Singha was keenly alive to the importance of public works. He built the Dhodar Ali
Dhodar Ali
The Dhodar Ali is a 212-km-long road starting from Kamargaon in Golaghat to Joypur in Dibrugarh touching Mariani, Jorhat. It runs through four districts of Upper Assam holding significance for several neighboring states.-Construction:...
a 211 km. long road from Kamargaon to Joypur touching Mariani using the lazy (dhod means lazy in Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
) opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
addicts, Aka Ali and many other roads. Two stone bridges were built and a number of tanks were evacuated. The earliest known copper-plate grant
Copper-plate grant
One of the most important sources of history in the Indian subcontinent are the royal records of grants engraved on copper-plates...
recording grants of land by Ahom
Ahom kingdom
The Ahom Kingdom was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal expansion in North-East India...
Kings to Brahmins or Hindu temples, date from his reign.
A noteworthy measure of this monarch was the commencement of a detailed survey of the country. Gadadhar Singha became acquainted with the land measurement system of Mughals during the time he was hiding in Lower Assam, before he succeeded to the throne. As soon as the wars were over he issued orders for the introduction of a similar system throughout his dominions. Surveyors were imported from Koch Behar and Bengal for the work. It was commenced in Sibsagar and was pushed on vigorously, but it was not completed until after his death. According to historians, the method of survey included measuring the four sides of each field with a nal, or bamboo pole of 12 feet (3.7 m) length and calculating the area, the unit was the "pura" or 144 square feet (13.4 m²) and 14400 sq ft (1,337.8 m²). is one "Bigha". A similar land measurement system is still being followed in modern Assam-- 144 sq ft (13.4 m²). is one Lecha, 20 Lecha or 2880 sq ft (267.6 m²). is one "Katha", and 5 Katha or 14400 sq ft (1,337.8 m²). is one Bigha
Bigha
The bigha is a unit of measurement of area of a land, commonly used in Nepal, Bangladesh and in a few states of India including Uttaranchal, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc. The precise size of a bigha appears to vary considerably...
.
Death
Gadadhar Singha died in February, 1696, after a reign of fourteen and a half years. Gadadhar Singha left two sons, Lai and Lechai, and his elder son Lai succeeded him. Under Lai, who took the name SukhrungphaaSukhrungphaa
Sukhrungphaa , or Rudra Singha, was a Tungkhungia king of the Ahom kingdom under whom the kingdom reached its zenith of power and glory. Rudra Singha, known as Lai before he became the king, was the son of the previous Ahom king Gadadhar Singha...
(Hindu name Rudra Singha), the Ahom kingdom reached its zenith. The royal robes of Swargadeo Gadadhar Singha made of gold and a gold umbrella are preserved in the Bengenaati Satra of Majuli
Majuli
200px|thumb|Way To Majuli From [[Jorhat]] City Majuli or Majoli is a large river island in the Brahmaputra river, in the Indian state of Assam...
, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
.