Battle of Samdhara was the first naval battle fought betweenMughals and theAhoms in 1616.[1]
| Battle of Samdhara | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofAhom-Mughal conflicts | |||||||
 Bhomoraguri Rock inscription 1616, commemorating the victory of Ahoms over the Mughals in Samdhara | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ahom kingdom | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Pratap Singha Shamkula Borgohain Lasham Charing Gohain Ailas Gohain Lama Barua Chepta Barua Langu Deoghria Bharali Barua Piksai Hazarika | Qasim Khan Chishti Syed Hakkim khan Syed Aba bakr Sattrajit Raja Jagdeo Jamal khan Mankali | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 30,000 men 700 war elephants[2] | 10,000 troops 10,000 cavalry 400 war boats 2,000 musketeers[3] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Light | 1,700 killed | ||||||
| Part ofa series on the |
| History of Assam |
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Contemporary |
Sources |
| Categories |
The first direct clash of arms between theAhoms andMughals was occasioned by an illegal trade-affair carried by a merchant, Ranta or Ratan Shah by name, who was procuring aloes-wood forJahangir, at Singri, that lay to the east of theBarnadi and within theAhom kingdom. On detection, his goods were confiscated and he was expelled from theAhom territory. Shortly afterwards, unauthorised merchants ofBengal were found to the north of Kajali buying pulses, mustard seeds, and other commodities. Two such mechant vessels were seized by the Ahom government and two of the tradesmen killed.[4] The incident of killing the merchants was only a pretext to launch an invasion to Assam, the Mughal viceroy had long preparing for an invasion.[5]
This stern action of the Ahom government was taken exception to by the Mughal government inBengal, which was further dissatisfied with the Ahom kingPratap Singha for shelteringBalinarayan, brother of Parikshit.Seikh Qasim Khan, the governor of Bengal, sent immediately a force consisting of over 10,000 troops, and 300 well-equipped war-boats, under Syed Hakkim and Syed Aba Bakr.[1] Sattrajit, son of the zamindar of Bhusna nearDacca, who had earlier fought successfully against Parikshit and had been rewarded by his appointment as thanadar ofPandu andGuahati, also accompanied the expeditionary force. Beside, some noted officers of the central government like Raja Jagdeo, grandson of RajaTodar Mal, Jamal Khan Mankali accompanied Aba Bakr.[6] The expeditionary force started from Bajrapur in Bengal in March 1616 and reached the mouth of theKalang river in the midst of rains in May/June of that year. The Ahom fleet stationed at the Kajali Choucki attacked the invading force but suffered defeat and retreated with the loss of some boats. Elated at this victory, Sattrajit entered Sala by way of theKalang, killed a few men and looted a royal store. After three days, he crossed theBrahmaputra, moved westward and carried away three female dancers from the Siva temple atBiswanath and sailed off.[7]
Qasim Khan's campaign to extendMughal control overAssam culminated in a major expedition led by Sayyid Aba Bakr. This force, consisting of 10,000–12,000 cavalry and infantry, 200 musketeers, and 300–400 warboats, was accompanied by 1,500 imperial officers, including prominent figures like Raja Satrajit of Bhusna and Jamal Khan Mankali. The Mughal forces advanced intoAhom territory, capturing key forts at Kajali, Kalang, Kalibar, and Sala, while also looting theBishwanath Temple and seizing Ahom royal treasures.[8]
In response, the Ahoms fortified Samdhara, a strategically located fort near the confluence of theBharali andBrahmaputra rivers. TheBurhagohain,Bargohain, andBarpatragohain led efforts to reinforce the fort with 14,000 additional troops. Meanwhile, Ahkek Gohain, a former defector who returned to the Ahom side under a promise of pardon, provided critical intelligence about Mughal movements. The Mughals eventually stationed themselves on the Bharali's right bank, opposite Samdhara.[8][7]
TheAhoms, after consulting astrologers, planned a surprise night attack for January 1616. Exploiting the unpreparedness of theMughals, the Ahom forces launched a devastating offensive, quickly overpowering their enemy. Key Mughal commanders, including Sayyid Aba Bakr, Jamal Khan Kankali, and Gokul Chand, were slain, along with 1,700 Mughal soldiers.[9] The Mughal fleet initially resisted but collapsed after the death of Aba Bakr. The Ahoms captured almost the entire Mughal flotilla, including its commander Miran Sayed Masud, while Satrajit and Sona Ghazi narrowly escaped with two boats. Many Mughal officers, including Ilahdad Khan Dakhini, Raja Rai, and Karamchand, were taken prisoner.[8]
Ahom spies played a crucial role in the victory by exposing weaknesses in the Mughal defenses, including poorly fortified camps and uncleared jungles. The Ahoms used this intelligence to clear the jungle and prepare for their assault, catching the Mughals by surprise. Following the victory, the Ahoms captured vast war resources, including elephants, horses, guns, and ammunition.[8]
KingPratap Singha, upon hearing of the triumph at Samdhara, ordered that the capturedMughal officers be spared, as he wished to see them personally. However, most of the prisoners were already slain by the time he arrived. Enraged, Pratap Singha ordered the execution of the Ahom officers responsible for killing the captives. To commemorate the victory, Pratap Singha constructed a new fort at Samdhara and inscribed the achievement asVisama Samara Vijayana (Victory in Unequal Battle). This marked a decisive moment in the Ahom-Mughal conflict, showcasing the resilience and military strategy of the Ahoms.[8]
Thus the maiden attempt of theMughals to expand towards the east was successfully thwarted by the Ahoms. This defeat brought both ignominy and disaster to the Mughals.Qasim Khan was replaced byIbrahim Khan Fathjang as the governor ofBengal in April 1617 and Lakshmi Narayan, who has been placed in detention for three years, was re-installed in his kingdom on the condition that he would serve the cause of theMughals in their fight against theAhoms. On the Ahom side, this victory greatly increased their prestige and solidified their position as the master-power of modernnorth-east India. It was at this time that they brought under their control the entire tract between the Barnadi and theBharali.Pratap Singha, the Ahom king, establishedBalinarayan as the tributary raja ofDarrang and renamed him asDharmanarayan.[10] Many of the captured soldiers and commanders were sacrificed to goddessKamakhya inKamakhya Temple, including the captured son of Sattrajit.[11]
