Chronicles of Ahom Kingdom 6

14. Chaopha Shuhumpha or Shuhungmung or Dihingia Raja or Swarganarayan (1497-1539, 42 years) :

Chaopha Shuhumpha, son of Shupimpha became the king in 1497 AD. After the “Singarigharutha” ceremony in Charagua, he struck coins in his name and took the title of “Swarganarayan”. He was also known as “Shuhungmung.” He also constructed a city in “Bakata” along with an embankment of the Dihing river. 

He had four sons and made each of them the ruler of different regions of the Ahom kingdom. The eldest son Shuklen was made the the Deka Raja and as he was stationed in Gargaon. As he was stationed in Gargaon, he was also known as the Gargaya Raja. Shureng was made the ruler of Saring region, the Saring Raja and was also known as the Deo Raja. (Phichao by the Deodhai Priests). Shukhreng was made the ruler of the Tipan region, the Tipam Raja and was also known Dup Raja. Shuting was made ruler of the Namrup region, the Namrupia Raja. He made cities at Dihing, Saring, Tipam and Tungkhong and established his four sons in these cities. He also made four clans, namely Dinhingia, Saringia, Tipamia and Tungkhungia and himself remained in the Dihingia clan. So, he was also known as the Dihingia Raja or Upor Dihingia Raja. Apart from these four clans, there was another clan called the Porbotia clan.

Chaopha Shuhumpha came to know about his brother Konsheng in the Naga village. (The son of the queen who was sent with the Naga Khunbao). He brought him to his capital and created a new ministerial position of “Borpatragohain” and made Konsheng the first “Borpatragohain.” As the Buragohain and Borgohain refused to part with their men, the king gave the Borahi, Moran, Chutia and Lukhurakhan families to the Borpatragohain.

In 1504 AD, the Itania Nagas revolted and they were defeated by the army led by Phrashenmung Borgohain and Khampeng Buragohain. The Nagas made peace by offering a girl and four elephants.

In 1513 AD, the Chutia king Dhirnarayan with his army attacked the Ahoms at Dikhaumukh. Chaopha Shuhumpha commandering the army alongwith Chao Shukhring commandering the navy defeated the Chutias. The Chutias again attacked in 1520 AD, but were defeated by the army led by Phrashenmung Bargohain and Khampeng Buragohain and were chased upto Sadiya. The Chutia king then sent a kataki with a gold pira, two blankets and a stool to the king and a gold pira and a blanket each to the Bargohain and Buragohain. However, Chaopha Shuhumpha demanded the ancestral golden elephant, golden cat, golden bed and golden triangular throne (know as the “Kuberdatta Property”) along with golden and silver umbrella, gold and silver bracelets, elephants, wooden articles, Khamkapor (embroidered cloth) and the Chutia Princess. The Chutia king did not wish to part with their ancestral treasures and instead offered to make and send replica of the original items in gold and silver. In the meantime, they raised a fort at the mouth of the river and prepared for war. Chaopha Shuhumpha along with the Buragohain and Borgohain attacked the Chutias and captured the fort. The Chutia king fled the fort and climbed to the top of the hill Chantan (Chandangiri). As the Ahom soldiers tried to climb the hill, the Chutia soldiers dropped stones from hilltop and killed several Ahom soldiers. The Ahoms finally reached the hilltop by climbing through the help of Ghila creeper. In the battle the Chutia king and the prince was killed. Chaopha Shuhumpha in order to take full control of the Chutia kingdom stationed Phrashenmung Borgohain at Sadiya. He was the first to occupy the position of “Sadiyakhowa Gohain”. In 1530 AD the king summoned Phrashenmung Borgohain from Sadiya to the capital and made Tyaochengmung Buragohain the “Sadiyakhowa Gohain.”

In 1524 AD the Kacharis attacked the Ahom kingdom. After initial victories, they were defeated by the Ahoms. The Kachari king sent his sister Nangkhamdeng and two horses in 1525 AD to the Ahom king and made peace. Chaopha Shuhumpha too sent a girl named Nangkhampai, a tusked elephant as a sign of friendship. However, in 1526 AD the Kacharis again attacked the Ahom kingdom. Phrashenmung Borgohain under the guidance of the king and his sons defeated the Kacharis. A fort was constructed by the Ahoms at Marangi in 1531 AD. The Kacharis again attacked the Ahoms but was defeated and had to flee from their capital, the brick town (Itanagar). Later, the Kacahri king made peace by offering his sister, silver coins, an elephant, swords, cloths and Doolies (Sedans). When the Kachari king offered the items, Chaopha Shuhumpha removed a gold ring from his finger and offer it to the Kachari king saying “We are now friends. You must not quarrel with us any longer and should be straight forward in your action.” The peace did not last long and in 1536 AD, the Kacharis attacked the Ahoms. In the battle the Kachari king and his mother was killed and they retreated to Khaspur. Kajalimukh became the border of the Ahom kingdom towards the west.

Chaopha Shuhumpha returned to his capital and performed Me-Dam-Me-Phi (a ceremony in which oblations are offered to the dead and sacrifices to the Gods).

The Mussalmans attacked the Ahom kingdom. The king sent Shenglung who was the Rajmantri to attack the enemy and in the battle the enemy was defeated and horses and canyons were captured. The king was very happy and said to Shenglung “I am very much pleased to find that I made you, a deserving man, Shenglung (Rajmantri)”. The enemy again attacked under their general Bitmalik who was killed in the battle by Shenlung. In 1532 AD, a fort was constructed at Teomani. The Nawab of Bengal then sent an expedition under his general Turbak with a large number of soldiers with guns, cannons and other weapons together with a large number of elephants and horses. In the battle at Kapiliganga, Shuklenmung was wounded and eight Ahom generals were killed. The Ahom army retreated to fort at Sala.

Turbak advanced and camped at Kaliabar and then advanced to Ghiladhari. From there, the enemy advanced by land and water and attacked the fort at Sala. Shuklenmung and Shenglung came with reinforcements and attacked the enemy at Duimunihila (near Silghat, Tezpur) and defeated them. However,  Hashankha arrived with reinforcements for Turbak and their cavalry attacked the Ahoms with guns and the Ahoms retreated to Sala. The king became angry and removed Phrashenmung from the Borgohain position and made Kilingkham the Borgohain and Tyaochangrai the Buragophain. But as they did not want to fight against the enemies they were removed and Langi Dhupdhora was appointed as Buragohain and Tonkham as Borgohain. Turbak attacked and laid seize to the fort at Sala. the king then reinstated Phrashenmung Borgohain. Before proceeding to the battlefield he asked for the “Kabash Kapur” (a sacred cloth that is prepared by the wife of the warrior by peeling cotton, preparing cotton threads, sewing the threads and making it ready within a night) to his wife, Mula Gabharu. However, his wife could not prepare the sacred “Kabash Kapur” as she was under mensural cycle. She requested her husband to wait for a day. However, Phrashenmung Borgohain left for the battlefield the next morning without the “Kabash Kapur.” In the battle at Kapiliganga, Phrashenmung Borgohain was killed and Shuklenmung was severely injured. Chaopha Shuhumpha then made Konsheng Borpatragohain the commander-in-chief who defeated the enemy and they retreated to Hajo. Mula Gabharu along with the wives of the deceased generals fought side by side with the Ahom army. Konsheng Borpatragohain then attacked the enemy at Hajo and in the battle killed Turbak. He chased them upto the Kartua river and made it the western border post of the Ahom kingdom by constructing a temple and a tank there in the year 1532 AD.

The king returned to his capital and performed Rik-Khanmungkhanban. (a religious ceremony in which Lengdan, the Lord of heaven is worshipped by offering sacrifices to grant long life and prosperity to the king and the country.) The heads of Turbak and Hashankha were entombed in Charaideo. After this war, the Ahoms captured “Hiloi” from the Mussalmans and the use of “Hiloi” in battles by the Ahom army started from then.

The captured Mussalmans were employed as “Ghahi” (grass suppliers/ grass feeders) to elephants. But, they did not know how to feed grass to the elephants and tried to feed the elephants through their tails. As they could not do this job they were asked to do wet paddy cultivation. Instead of ploughing and making the fields ready they collected wet clay and tried to plant paddy there. Thus, their wet paddy cultivation also failed. The king after finding them useless in these jobs named them as “Morias” who later engaged themselves as potters making brass utensils.    

The Bhuyans of Bordua fled to Belguri Dhuahat due to frequent attack by the Kacharis. The king went to catch elephants and asked the Bhuyans to secure a side so that the wild elephants cannot escape. However, the wild elephants escaped through their side. The king became furious and got the Bhuyans arrested. Shankardeva could escape but Madhavdeva and Hardeva, the son-in-law of Shankardeva was captured. Madhavdeva was released being a Bairagi (Bachelor) but Harideva was put to death.

A pestilence (plague) broke out which killed a huge number of cattle. In 1535 AD, the Nagas of different villages in the Patkai mountains conspired to attack the Ahoms. Shuleng defeated them and they surrendered to him at Khamjang by offering Methons.

Chaopha Shuhumpha offered a girl to the Raja of Keshe (Manipur) who in return sent a princess, elephants with howdas and large quantity of golds and silver as a sign of friendship.

Chaopha Shuhumpha and his eldest son Shuklenmung quarreled and Shuklenmung became angry and went to Garhgaon. The king went to Bakatha and called Shuklenmung’s mother from Charaideo and made her take an oath of fidelity in the name of Gods by plunging her hand in holy water. Hearing this, Shuklenmung became very furious and hatched a plot to kill the king. A Kachari person was chosen who disguised himself, enter the capital city and stabbed the sleeping king to death.

Chaopha Shuhumpha was killed in 1539 AD and ruled the Ahom kingdom for 42 years. During his long rule towns were made at Pachnai (1611 AD), Kathalbari (1617), Tengabari, Marangi (1624) and forts at Suffry (1612), Tulasijan (1619),  Lakhai (1628).