Statue of Valour - Current Affairs UPSC

‘Statue of Valour’ was unveiled by the Prime Minister at the Lachit Barphukan Maidam.

The statue is a 125-foot bronze statue of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan at his maidam (burial site) in eastern Assam’s Jorhat district.
The foundation of the statue was laid by former President Ram Nath Kovind in February 2022.
It was built by Veteran sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar (Padma Bhushan awardee). He had earlier crafted the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.
The Statue is a part of the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project that also includes a museum, a 500-seating capacity auditorium and a hostel.

Lachit Borphukan was a legendary army commander of the Ahom kingdom (1228-1826), best known for his leadership in the ‘Battle of Saraighat’ of 1671.
He defeated the Mughal forces, led by Raja Ramsingh-I, in this battle, and thwarted a drawn-out attempt by them to take back Assam.
He was buried at the ‘maidam’ — burial grounds for Ahom royals and nobles — at Hollongapar, after passing away a year after the battle at the age of 49 due to illness.

It was a naval battle fought in 1671 between the Mughal Empire and the Ahom Kingdom.
It was fought on the Brahmaputra River, which flows through their entire territory, divides the kingdom almost into two halves, and then enters present-day Bangladesh.
At that time, Aurangzeb was the ruler of the Mughal Empire and the Mughal army headed by Raja Ram Singh-I (son of Mirza Raja Jai Singh) fought with the Ahom Kingdom led by Lachit Borphukan in Saraighat, Guwahati.
The battle played a significant role in determining the history of the Brahmaputra valley and the north-east region.