38 Facts About Sudoiphaa

Sudoiphaa's reign witnessed the end of the ministerial dictatorship of Atan Burhagohain and rise of Laluksola Borphukan, the Ahom Viceroy of Guwahati and Lower Assam, as the real authority behind the throne.

Sudoiphaa belonged to the Parvatia line of Royal Ahom Dynasty.

Sudoiphaa was the grandson of Parvatia Deka Raja, who was the son of Prince Sukrang, founder of Parvatia line of Royal Ahom Dynasty and grandson of Ahom king Suhungmung.

Sudoiphaa found prince Khamcheo suitable for the office of king and placed his proposal in front of the other nobles.

Sudoiphaa was commonly known as Parvatia Raja from the fact of his residence at Charaideo Parvat.

Sudoiphaa expressed his gratefulness to Atan Burhagohain for having secured the throne for him, though the premier himself could have taken possession of it if he had so desired.

The monarch issued an order to the effect that the estates settled on Atan Burhagohain should be enjoyed in perpetuity by him and his descendants as long as members of Sudoiphaa's family remained in occupation of the Ahom throne.

Sudoiphaa received the homage in due form, but when the Burhagohain and his two colleagues approached the seat of the Barkuanri or Chief Queen, who happened to be the daughter of Atan Burhagohain, she left her seat being unwilling to see her father kneeling down before her.

Sudoiphaa rebuked the Chief Queen as well for the un-queenly demeanour shown by her in her unwillingness to receive the obeisance of her father; she was described by her royal consort as the daughter of "a king-making and king unmaking rebel".

Sudoiphaa never visited the premier's residence and ridiculed the nobles who paid court to Atan Burhagohain.

Previously, Sudoiphaa rebuked his Chief Queen or Barkuanri, who happened to be the daughter of Atan Burhagohain, as the daughter of "a king-making and king unmaking rebel".

The Tamuli, who was a personal attendant of king Sudoiphaa, undertook to see to the annihilation of his royal master.

Sudoiphaa crawled into the king's bed-chamber, and put out the light.

Sudoiphaa's aunt removed the cloth which covered the king's person and exposed it to the blows of the assassin.

Atan Burhagohain and the other nobles sought permission from Swargadeo Sudoiphaa to execute Jadu Tamuli and other suspects, which Sudoiphaa had given much against his will, as he was still not determined regarding their involvement in his assassination attempt.

Sudoiphaa held secret consultation with his two brothers, Bhatdhara Phukan and Marangi Barua for their future course of action.

Sudoiphaa issued orders to Nawab Mansur Khan, the Faujdar of the Mughal outpost of Rangamati, a place near the frontier of Ahom Kingdom to proceed to Guwahati and take delivery of the fortification of Guwahati from Laluksola Borphukan.

Sudoiphaa then sent report to Swargadeo Sudoiphaa about the entrance of the Mughals into Guwahati, obviously concealing the part he had played in the game.

Sudoiphaa realized that a direct attack on Burhagohain's forces would result in failure.

Sudoiphaa sent a message to Atan Burhagohain advising him to stay at Biswanath and send up his subordinate Phukans to Kaliabar to join his forces in an attack upon the Mughals at Guwahati.

Laluksola Borphukan then fixed his headquarters at Kaliabar, where he began to act in an independent manner totally ignoring the authority of king Sudoiphaa, appointing and dismissing officers at will.

King Sudoiphaa was deeply alarmed and being afraid he fled to his ancestral village in Charaideo hills.

Sudoiphaa explained the reason of evacuating the garrison of Guwahati due to dissatisfaction of the people against the maladministration of Atan Burhagohain and his adherents.

Sudoiphaa blamed the Burhagohain of ignoring the authority of the king and wielding power at will.

The aunt of Chikan Tamuli, who was a junior consort of Sudoiphaa and had assisted in the assassination attempt was taken prisoner and put to death.

Laluksola Borphukan advised king Sudoiphaa of sending an embassy to Dhaka offering the Swargadeo's felicitations to Mughal prince Muhammad Azam Shah, then Subedar of Bengal, who was in sense the son-in-law of the king of Assam as he had married late Ahom king, Swargadeo Jaydhwaj Singha's daughter Ramani Gabharu alias Rahmat Banu Begum.

Sudoiphaa sent with the official envoys secret messages of his own reviving his claim for the kingship of Assam and accordingly seeks military aid from the Mughals for his purpose.

Sudoiphaa accordingly appointed the son of Garhgayan Sandikoi Phukan as Neog and sent him to Kaliabar with instruction to assist Kirkiria Phukan in capturing Laluksola Borphukan.

Back in the capital Garhgaon, Sudoiphaa began to crack down on the supporters of Laluksola Borphukan.

Sudoiphaa informed Sudoiphaa through a messenger named Ram Saraswati Kataki that he would capture his brother Laluksola Borphukan provided he would be appointed to the consequent vacancy in the office of Borphukan.

Sudoiphaa failed to see through the hoax and made promise on the line of Bhatdhara's proposal.

Sudoiphaa opposed the insurgents in an armed conflict, but his soldiers were defeated with heavy casualties.

Sudoiphaa hinted at the treacherous move of the Lukhurakhuns to seize the kingship of Assam, and he predicted their destruction as a punishment for their treachery.

Sudoiphaa was forcefully deposed and placed as house-prisoner at the palace.

The daughters of Mecha and Halwa who were the consorts of Swargadeo Sudoiphaa were put to death.

Sudoiphaa was a disciple of Dakhinpat Satra or Vaishnavite Monastery and took the Satradhikar or head of the monastery, Banmali Gosain as his spiritual and religious mentor.

Sudoiphaa came to throne of the Ahom Kingdom in a troubled time, when the real power lies in the hands of the ministers, who often indulged in power struggle among them to obtain supremacy over each other and the kings became mere puppets at the hand of their ministers.

Sudoiphaa's reign witnessed the intense power struggle between Prime-minister Atan Burhagohain and Laluksola Borphukan, in which the latter emerged victorious, but at the price of surrendering Lower Assam and Guwahati to the Mughals.