Supaatphaa

Supaatpha (reign 1681-1696) 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.

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 Burhagohain. 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 and his wife Sati Joymati, was tortured and killed by the henchmen of Sulikphaa and Laluk Sola Borphukan.

Political/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 sprit, 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) 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.

Administrative

He was a Shaivite, as were his succeeding kings, and his reign saw the beginning of the conflict between the Sattra 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 convert|12|ft|m length and calculating the area, the unit was the "pura" or convert|144|sqft|m2 and convert|14400|sqft|m2|abbr=on. is one "Bigha". A similar land measurement system is still being followed in modern Assam-- convert|144|sqft|m2|abbr=on. is one Lecha, 20 Lecha or convert|2880|sqft|m2|abbr=on. is one "Katha", and 5 Katha or convert|14400|sqft|m2|abbr=on. is one Bigha.

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 Sukhrungphaa (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.

ee also

* Ahom Dynasty
* Sati Joymati