Burmese invasion of Assam
Encyclopedia
The Burmese invasion of Assam denotes the period between 1817 and 1826 when the Ahom Kingdom
in Assam
was under the control of the Burmese
rulers. This period, called the manor din by the Assamese
and Chahi-Taret Khuntakpa (seven years of devastation) in Manipuri, is remembered with horror. It was the climactic period of the 600-year old Ahom kingdom
. The period ended with the defeat of the Burmese in the First Anglo-Burmese War and the subsequent annexation of the kingdom to British territory.
entered Assam with the guidance of Badan Chandra Borphukan, a fugitive governor of Guwahati
. The first battle took place on March 27, 1817 at Ghiladhari. The Assam forces were led by Daman Gogoi, Hao Bora and Jama Khan. The battle continued for a week when Purnananda Burhagohain died due to natural causes. This, according to chronicles, led to the division in the ranks of the Ahom nobility, and due to lack of reinforcements the Assam army surrendered. Ruchinath, the son of Purnananda, became the Burhagohain but left for Guwahati when the Burmese army advanced toward the Ahom capital at Jorhat. The king, Chandrakanta Singha
, stayed behind, received Badan Chandra Borphukan and made him the Mantri Phukan. This led Ruchinath to suspect that Chandrakanta Singha was in alliance with Badan Chandra Borphukan.
The Burmese army was paid 100,000 rupees and the commanders were given suitable presents. Hemo Aideo, a daughter of an Ahom prince was sent to the king of Burma with 50 elephants and dowry. The Burmese army left Assam in April 1817. According to the Weissali Hukong, the retreating army committed many atrocities.
Soon after, Badan Chandra was assassinated. Ruchinath marched against Chandrakanta Singha and made Purandar Singha the king.
, on hearing this news, sent an army of 20,000 under the command of Kiamingi (Alumingi Borgohain) and guided by Patalang Senapati (Momai Barua). This army was met by an army led by Jaganath Dhekial Phukan on February 15, 1819 at Phulpanisiga, near Janji. The Burmese army was defeated and retreated a short distance. The Assam army returned to the Ahom capital Jorhat leading to much confusion. The Burmese army was able to occupy the capital two days later.
Chandrakanta was reinstated as the king and Patalang became the Borbarua
.
became the king and decided to annex Assam to Burma. He sent Mingimaha Tilwa to Assam in February 1821. Patalang Borbarua was killed and Chandrakanta Singha fled to Guwahati. Mingimaha killed a number of Ahom officials and installed Punyadhar (Jogeshwar Singha), a brother of Hemo Aideo, as the king.
There followed a period of triangular conflicts between the forces of Mingimaha Tilwa, Purandhar Singha and Chandrakanta Singha. At the end of this period, Chandrakanta was able to reach Mahgarh near Jorhat in March 1822. Bagyidaw
sent in reinforcements under Mingi Maha Bandula who finally defeated the forces of Chandrakanta in April 1822. Chandrakanta fell back to Guwahati
, and finally to Assam chaki, where he encountered Mingi Maha Thilawa in June 1822. He was defeated and had to further retreat into the British territory. After this victory, the Burmese invasion of Assam was complete.
This period is remembered in Assam
as very difficult, with the soldiers committing atrocities on the common people leading to thousands leaving Assam for Bengal
. Much of the neighboring state of Manipur
was also laid waste by the marauding armies.
By 1825, the Meitei
s had repulsed the Burmese and drove them past the Chindwin river
. The occupation led to frequent contacts between the Burmese and the British and finally to the First Burmese war
and the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. This treaty marked the end of Burmese rule and the beginning of British rule in Assam.
The sort of fighting and bloody killings that took place between 1812-19 when the Burmese kings of Mandalay tried to conquer and subdue the Shan Ahom kingdom in Assam, India, where the Burmese General Maha Bandula's troops committed indescribable cruelties and barbarities as to decimate something like 2/3 of the population and certainly 1/3 of the men and boys - disemboweling them, eating their flesh and burning them alive in cages to intimidate and suppress the Shan Ahom of Assam,India.
This event so weakened and disorganized the Shan Ahom that by 1839 the kingdom was completely annexed by the British. Before that from about 1220 - 1812 AD they maintained themselves under one Dynasty, (that of Mong Mao 568-1604 AD when its descendants ruled Hsenwi or Theinni in Burmese). Indeed the Shan Ahom resisted conquest by the Mughals who had conquered much of India before the British incursion.
http://www.tayzathuria.org.uk/bd/2006/2/12/dialouge.htm
Burmese translation of above interview
http://www.tayzathuria.org.uk/bd/2007/2/11/b/soab.htm
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...
in 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...
was under the control of the Burmese
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
rulers. This period, called the manor din by the 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...
and Chahi-Taret Khuntakpa (seven years of devastation) in Manipuri, is remembered with horror. It was the climactic period of the 600-year old 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...
. The period ended with the defeat of the Burmese in the First Anglo-Burmese War and the subsequent annexation of the kingdom to British territory.
First Burmese invasion
In January 1817, after an extensive preparation, a general of BhamoBhamo
Bhamo is a city of Kachin State in northernmost part of Myanmar, located 186 km south from the capital city of Myitkyina. It is on the Ayeyarwady River. It lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China. The population consists of Chinese and Shan, with Kachin peoples in...
entered Assam with the guidance of Badan Chandra Borphukan, a fugitive governor of 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...
. The first battle took place on March 27, 1817 at Ghiladhari. The Assam forces were led by Daman Gogoi, Hao Bora and Jama Khan. The battle continued for a week when Purnananda Burhagohain died due to natural causes. This, according to chronicles, led to the division in the ranks of the Ahom nobility, and due to lack of reinforcements the Assam army surrendered. Ruchinath, the son of Purnananda, became the Burhagohain but left for Guwahati when the Burmese army advanced toward the Ahom capital at Jorhat. The king, Chandrakanta Singha
Sudingphaa
Sudingphaa was a Tunkhungia king of the Ahom dynasty, who ruled at the climactic of the Ahom kingdom. His first reign ended when Ruchinath Burhagohain deposed him and installed Purandar Singha in his stead. His second reign ended with his defeat at the hands of the invading Burmese army...
, stayed behind, received Badan Chandra Borphukan and made him the Mantri Phukan. This led Ruchinath to suspect that Chandrakanta Singha was in alliance with Badan Chandra Borphukan.
The Burmese army was paid 100,000 rupees and the commanders were given suitable presents. Hemo Aideo, a daughter of an Ahom prince was sent to the king of Burma with 50 elephants and dowry. The Burmese army left Assam in April 1817. According to the Weissali Hukong, the retreating army committed many atrocities.
Soon after, Badan Chandra was assassinated. Ruchinath marched against Chandrakanta Singha and made Purandar Singha the king.
Second Burmese invasion
BodawpayaBodawpaya
Bodawpaya was the sixth king of the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma. Born Maung Shwe Waing and later Badon Min, he was the fourth son of Alaungpaya, founder of the dynasty and the Third Burmese Empire. He was proclaimed king after deposing his nephew Phaungkaza Maung Maung, son of his oldest brother...
, on hearing this news, sent an army of 20,000 under the command of Kiamingi (Alumingi Borgohain) and guided by Patalang Senapati (Momai Barua). This army was met by an army led by Jaganath Dhekial Phukan on February 15, 1819 at Phulpanisiga, near Janji. The Burmese army was defeated and retreated a short distance. The Assam army returned to the Ahom capital Jorhat leading to much confusion. The Burmese army was able to occupy the capital two days later.
Chandrakanta was reinstated as the king and Patalang became the Borbarua
Borbarua
Borbarua was one of the five patra mantris in the Ahom kingdom, a position created by the Ahom king Prataap Singha...
.
Third Burmese invasion
In 1819, BagyidawBagyidaw
Bagyidaw Bagyidaw's reign saw the First Anglo-Burmese War , which marked the beginning of the end of the highly militaristic Konbaung dynasty. Bagyidaw inherited the largest Burmese empire, second only to King Bayinnaung's, but also one that shared a long ill-defined borders with British India...
became the king and decided to annex Assam to Burma. He sent Mingimaha Tilwa to Assam in February 1821. Patalang Borbarua was killed and Chandrakanta Singha fled to Guwahati. Mingimaha killed a number of Ahom officials and installed Punyadhar (Jogeshwar Singha), a brother of Hemo Aideo, as the king.
There followed a period of triangular conflicts between the forces of Mingimaha Tilwa, Purandhar Singha and Chandrakanta Singha. At the end of this period, Chandrakanta was able to reach Mahgarh near Jorhat in March 1822. Bagyidaw
Bagyidaw
Bagyidaw Bagyidaw's reign saw the First Anglo-Burmese War , which marked the beginning of the end of the highly militaristic Konbaung dynasty. Bagyidaw inherited the largest Burmese empire, second only to King Bayinnaung's, but also one that shared a long ill-defined borders with British India...
sent in reinforcements under Mingi Maha Bandula who finally defeated the forces of Chandrakanta in April 1822. Chandrakanta fell back to 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...
, and finally to Assam chaki, where he encountered Mingi Maha Thilawa in June 1822. He was defeated and had to further retreat into the British territory. After this victory, the Burmese invasion of Assam was complete.
This period is remembered in 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...
as very difficult, with the soldiers committing atrocities on the common people leading to thousands leaving Assam for Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Much of the neighboring state of Manipur
Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
was also laid waste by the marauding armies.
By 1825, the Meitei
Meitei people
The Meeteis or Meiteis are the majority ethnic group of Manipur, India, and because of this are sometimes referred to as Manipuris. Generally speaking, Meitei is an endonym and Manipuri is an exonym...
s had repulsed the Burmese and drove them past the Chindwin river
Chindwin River
The Chindwin River is a river in Burma , and the largest tributary of the country's chief river the Ayeyarwady . It flows entirely within Burma and is known as Ning-thi to the Manipuris.-Source:...
. The occupation led to frequent contacts between the Burmese and the British and finally to the First Burmese war
First Burmese War
The First Anglo-Burmese War was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese Empires in the 19th century. The war, which began primarily over the control of northeastern India, ended in a decisive British victory, giving the British total control of Assam, Manipur, Cachar and...
and the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. This treaty marked the end of Burmese rule and the beginning of British rule in Assam.
Alleged atrocities
In Buranji-vivek-ratna, Maniram Dewan, an eyewitness writes:
...in attacking the house of a rich man, would tie him with ropes and then set fire to his body. Some they flayed alive, others they burnt in oil and others again they drove in crowds to village Naamghars or prayer-houses, which they then set on fire... It was dangerous for a beautiful woman to meet a Burmese even on the public road. Brahmans were made to carry loads of beef, pork and wine. The Gosains were robbed off all their possessions. Fathers of damsels whom the Burmese took to wives rose speedily to affluence and power.
The sort of fighting and bloody killings that took place between 1812-19 when the Burmese kings of Mandalay tried to conquer and subdue the Shan Ahom kingdom in Assam, India, where the Burmese General Maha Bandula's troops committed indescribable cruelties and barbarities as to decimate something like 2/3 of the population and certainly 1/3 of the men and boys - disemboweling them, eating their flesh and burning them alive in cages to intimidate and suppress the Shan Ahom of Assam,India.
This event so weakened and disorganized the Shan Ahom that by 1839 the kingdom was completely annexed by the British. Before that from about 1220 - 1812 AD they maintained themselves under one Dynasty, (that of Mong Mao 568-1604 AD when its descendants ruled Hsenwi or Theinni in Burmese). Indeed the Shan Ahom resisted conquest by the Mughals who had conquered much of India before the British incursion.
http://www.tayzathuria.org.uk/bd/2006/2/12/dialouge.htm
Burmese translation of above interview
http://www.tayzathuria.org.uk/bd/2007/2/11/b/soab.htm