Suhungmung
Encyclopedia
Suhungmung (Swarganarayan, Dihingia Raja), 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 the Sutiya and the Kachari kingdom
s. He also successfully defended his kingdom against the first Muslim invasions under Turbak Khan. During his time, the Khen dynasty
collapsed and the Koch dynasty
ascended in the Kamata kingdom
. His general, Tonkham, pursued the Muslims up to the Karatoya river, the western boundary of the erstwhile Kamarupa Kingdom, the farthest west an Ahom king had ventured in its entire six hundred years of rule.
He was the first Ahom king to adopt a Hindu name, Swarganarayana, indicating a move towards an inclusive polity. He is also called the Dihingia Raja, because he made Bakata
on the Dihing River
his capital.
s in 1504 and making them accept Ahom overlordship. He surveyed the country and annexed the Habung
region. But his biggest successes were against the Sutiya Kingdom.
but they were soon defeated. The Sutiyas were pursued further and their king and prince were killed in battle. Suhungmung took possession of the Sutiya royal heirlooms and established the office of the Sadiakhowa Gohain to look after the newly acquired region. Though this was not the end of the conflict it brought to an end the first major expansion of the Ahom Kingdom.
. In 1531 Khunkhara, the Kachari king, sent forces under his brother Detcha to drive the Ahoms away from Marangi but the Kachari army was defeated and their commander killed. The Kacharis were pursued up to the capital Dimapur
and Khunkhara had to flee. Suhungmung established a Kachari prince, Detsung, as the Kachari king. But Detsung rose in revolt in a few years, and the Ahoms pursued him till Jangmarang where he was killed. The Kachari Kingdom abandoned Dimapur permanently and established their new capital at Maibong. Unlike the Sutiya Kingdom, Suhungming did not take direct possession of the Kachari Kingdom.
Turbak, a Gaur commander, advanced against the Ahom Kingdom in April 1532 with a large force. He first faced Suklen, Suhungmung's son, at Singri. In this battle Suklen was defeated and wounded and the Ahoms retreated to Sala. The Ahoms again faced reverses at Sala and some other expeditions thereafter, but won the first significant victory in March 1533 when a naval force was defeated with heavy losses to Turbak's forces. This led to a period of stalemate with the two armies encamped on opposite banks of the Dikrai River.
The Ahoms finally attacked the invaders and defeated them in a number of battles. In the final battle fought near the Bharali River, Turbak was killed and his army pursued till the Karatoya river in present-day North Bengal
. The captured soldiers subsequently became the first significant Muslim population of the Ahom Kingdom. They were called Garia since they were from Gaur
, and the appellation was later extended to all Muslims. This population finally became well known as expert brass craftsmen.
The Buranji
s mention the first use of firearms by the Ahoms in these battles.
, who became the next king, was responsible for the death.
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, 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
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...
expanded greatly for the first time since Sukaphaa
Sukaphaa
Chaolung Sukaphaa , also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom. A Tai prince originally from Mong Mao, the kingdom he established in 1228 existed for nearly six hundred years and in the process unified the various tribal and non-tribal peoples of...
, at the cost of the Sutiya and the Kachari kingdom
Kachari Kingdom
The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...
s. He also successfully defended his kingdom against the first Muslim invasions under Turbak Khan. During his time, the Khen dynasty
Khen dynasty
The Khen dynasty of Assam replaced the Pala dynasty in the 12th century. Their accession marks the end of the Kamarupa kingdom, and the beginning of the Kamata kingdom....
collapsed and the Koch dynasty
Koch dynasty
The Koch dynasty of Assam and Bengal, named after the Koch tribe, emerged as the dominant ruling house in the Kamata kingdom in 1515 after the fall of the Khen dynasty in 1498...
ascended in the Kamata kingdom
Kamata Kingdom
The Kamata kingdom appeared in the western part of the older Kamarupa kingdom in the 13th century, after the fall of the Pala dynasty. The rise of the Kamata kingdom marked the end of the ancient period in the History of Assam and the beginning of the medieval period. The first rulers were the...
. His general, Tonkham, pursued the Muslims up to the Karatoya river, the western boundary of the erstwhile Kamarupa Kingdom, the farthest west an Ahom king had ventured in its entire six hundred years of rule.
He was the first Ahom king to adopt a Hindu name, Swarganarayana, indicating a move towards an inclusive polity. He is also called the Dihingia Raja, because he made Bakata
Bakata
Bakata was the capital of the Ahom kingdom established by the Ahom king Suhungmung. Since this capital was by the Dihing river, Suhungmung is also known as the Dihingia Raja. The next king, Suklenmung, moved the capital to Garhgaon....
on the Dihing River
Dihing River
Dihing or Burhi Dihing is a large tributary of the Brahmaputra in Upper Assam. The river originates in the Eastern Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh and flows through Tinsukia and Dibrugarh Districts in Assam to its confluence with the Brahmaputra at Dihingmukh. The Dihing has created number of...
his capital.
Expansion
Under Suhungmung the Ahom Kingdom acquired a vision of an extended polity and consolidated rule. He began by suppressing the revolt of the Aitonia NagaNaga people
The term Naga people refers to a conglomeration of several tribes inhabiting the North Eastern part of India and north-western Burma. The tribes have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority ethnic group in the Indian state of Nagaland...
s in 1504 and making them accept Ahom overlordship. He surveyed the country and annexed the Habung
Habung
-History:The earliest reference to Habung comes in the 10th century copper plate grant of Ratnapala of the Pala dynasty, when it was a principality of the Kamarupa Kingdom ruled by brahmins. After the downfall of the Kamarupa Kingdom it became a dependency of the Sutiya kingdom...
region. But his biggest successes were against the Sutiya Kingdom.
Against Sutiya Kingdom
The conflict began in 1513 under the Sutiya king Dhir Narayana when Suhungmung annexed Mungkhrang and Namdang. The Sutiya counter attack came in 1520 when the newly established fort at Mungkhrang was taken. But the Ahoms fought back, retook the fort and extended the Ahom Kingdom to the mouth of the Tiphao River, where a new fort was constructed. This fort was soon attacked by the Sutiyas, but in the expedition led by Suhungmung itself, they were routed. By this time Suhungmung clearly wanted to annex the Sutiya Kingdom, and was not interested in a treaty. The Sutiyas fortified SadiaSadia
This Food Company was created in Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Its headquarters are also located in the same city.Sadia S.A. is a major Brazilian food producer...
but they were soon defeated. The Sutiyas were pursued further and their king and prince were killed in battle. Suhungmung took possession of the Sutiya royal heirlooms and established the office of the Sadiakhowa Gohain to look after the newly acquired region. Though this was not the end of the conflict it brought to an end the first major expansion of the Ahom Kingdom.
Against Kachari Kingdom
In 1526, Suhungmung marched against the Kachari KingdomKachari Kingdom
The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...
. In 1531 Khunkhara, the Kachari king, sent forces under his brother Detcha to drive the Ahoms away from Marangi but the Kachari army was defeated and their commander killed. The Kacharis were pursued up to the capital Dimapur
Dimapur
Dimapur in Nagaland is bounded by Kohima district on the south and east, Karbi Anglong district of Assam on the West, the Karbi Anglong and stretch of Golaghat District of Assam, in the west and the north...
and Khunkhara had to flee. Suhungmung established a Kachari prince, Detsung, as the Kachari king. But Detsung rose in revolt in a few years, and the Ahoms pursued him till Jangmarang where he was killed. The Kachari Kingdom abandoned Dimapur permanently and established their new capital at Maibong. Unlike the Sutiya Kingdom, Suhungming did not take direct possession of the Kachari Kingdom.
Muslim invasions
The first Muslim invasion of the Ahom Kingdom occurred in 1527, but it was defeated and pushed back to the Burai River. A few years later, there was another attempt when a commander advanced up the Brahmaputra in fifty vessels. This too was defeated. In yet another expedition, the Barpatra Gohain slain the commander, Bit Malik, and captured cannons and guns. The most successful among these initial raids on the Ahom Kingdom was the one led by Turbak.Turbak, a Gaur commander, advanced against the Ahom Kingdom in April 1532 with a large force. He first faced Suklen, Suhungmung's son, at Singri. In this battle Suklen was defeated and wounded and the Ahoms retreated to Sala. The Ahoms again faced reverses at Sala and some other expeditions thereafter, but won the first significant victory in March 1533 when a naval force was defeated with heavy losses to Turbak's forces. This led to a period of stalemate with the two armies encamped on opposite banks of the Dikrai River.
The Ahoms finally attacked the invaders and defeated them in a number of battles. In the final battle fought near the Bharali River, Turbak was killed and his army pursued till the Karatoya river in present-day North Bengal
North Bengal
North Bengal is a term used for the northern parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal. The Bangladesh part denotes the Rajshahi Division. Generally it is the area lying west of Jamuna River and north of Padma River, and includes the Barind Tract. The West Bengal part denotes Cooch Behar, Darjeeling,...
. The captured soldiers subsequently became the first significant Muslim population of the Ahom Kingdom. They were called Garia since they were from Gaur
Gaur, West Bengal
Gour, or Gaur , as it is spelt mostly in modern times, or Lakhnauti is a ruined city, in the Malda district of West Bengal, India, on the west bank of the Ganges river, 40 kilometers downstream from Rajmahal.-History:...
, and the appellation was later extended to all Muslims. This population finally became well known as expert brass craftsmen.
The Buranji
Buranji
Buranjis are a class of historical chronicles written in the Ahom and Assamese languages. The first such Buranji was written on the instructions of the first Ahom king Sukaphaa who established the Ahom kingdom in 1228...
s mention the first use of firearms by the Ahoms in these battles.
Death of Suhungmung
Suhungmung was assassinated by a servant, Ratiman, who stabbed him as he slept in his palace. It is suspected that Suhungmung's son SuklenmungSuklenmung
Suklenmung was a king of the Ahom kingdom in medieval Assam. Since he established his capital at Garhgaon , he is also called the Garhgaiya roja in the Buranjis...
, who became the next king, was responsible for the death.
New offices
Suhungmung established new Ahom positions.- BorpatrogohainBorpatrogohainBorpatrogohain was the third of the three great Gohains in the Ahom kingdom. This position was created by Suhungmung Dihingia Raja specially for an Ahom prince who grew up in a Naga chieftains house. This position was reserved for the descendant of the first Borpatrogohain, Kancheng, who was the...
is the third of the great Gohains (the others being BurhagohainBurhagohainBurhagohain was the first of the two original counsellors in the Ahom kingdom. He was selected by the Ahom king from members of the Ahom nobility , who was not eligible for the position of Ahom kingship. The other original counsellor is the Borgohain. Both the positions existed from the time of...
and BorgohainBorgohainBorgohain was the second of the two original counsellors in the Ahom kingdom. He was selected by the Ahom king from members of the Ahom nobility , who was not eligible for the position of Ahom kingship. The other original counsellor is the Burhagohain. Both the positions existed from the time of...
, instituted by SukaphaaSukaphaaChaolung Sukaphaa , also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom. A Tai prince originally from Mong Mao, the kingdom he established in 1228 existed for nearly six hundred years and in the process unified the various tribal and non-tribal peoples of...
). The first Barpatra Gohain was an Ahom prince brought up by a NagaNaga peopleThe term Naga people refers to a conglomeration of several tribes inhabiting the North Eastern part of India and north-western Burma. The tribes have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority ethnic group in the Indian state of Nagaland...
chief. - Sadiakhowa Gohain looked after the Sadia region taken from the Sutiyas in 1523.
- Marangikhowa Gohain looked after the lower Dhansiri river valley taken from the Kacharis.