Bull digs into hillock, cannon balls of Ahom era tumble out

Guwahati, June 1 (PTI) A slice of India's northeastern
state Assam's history came tumbling out of a hillock after a
bull gored at a portion, exposing 165 cannon balls that appear
to be dating to the 17th century, in the outskirts of the
state capital known during ancient times as Pragjyotishpur.

As the animal smashed its horns into the hillock
located near a construction site at the Kajolichowki area last
Friday, a chunk of earth came down exposing the cannon balls,
which researchers believe could be linked to the Battle of
Saraighat of 1671, that was fought between the Ahoms and
Mughals.

Police was informed about the discovery and the
cannon balls were subsequently handed over to the Assam State
Museum.

The cannon balls, made of a granite like substance and
of different sizes, appeared to belong to the 16th or 17th
century as they were identical to the ones kept in the museum,
its director Dr Sarharuddin Ahmed told PTI.

Ahmed said, the cannon balls would be chemically
treated to date them.

According to the Museums' assistant curator Jiten
Shyam, there were over 1000 cannon balls estimated to be at at
Kajolichowki, which could throw light on the battle strategies
and armoury of the Ahoms, who established their kingdom in the
13th century.

The Mughals made their last unsuccessful attempt to
extend their empire at the Battle of Saraighat in 1671, he
said.

The name chowki, he said, suggested that it was a
sentry post of the Ahom period and, therefore, a place of
military importance.

According to history, the Ahoms, though weakened
following successive attacks by the Mughals under Aurangzeb,
defeated their enemy in the Battle of Saraighat by smart use
of hilly and forest terrain, military intelligence, guerrilla
tactics, strategic planning, psychological warfare and naval
prowess, which was a Mughal weakness.

The Ahoms renewed their forces under king Chakradhwaj
Singha with the army reorganised under new commander Lachit
Borphukan.

Borphukan reclaimed Ahom territory on both sides of
the Brahmaputra river while Guwahati was defended by five
chokis on either bank of the river.

Aware of the Mughal might and weakness of his own
soldiers, Borphukan had constructed high mud embankments as
defensive ramparts to protect Guwahati.

The site of the new findings could have been one of
the ramparts of the Ahoms on the river bank and close to the
site of the Saraighat battle site, Shyam said.

He also said that the cannon balls were perfectly
shaped spheres that could kill foot soldiers, cavalry,
elephants and even sink ships.

Local said they often came across stray cannon balls
while farming or when construction activities took place.

They were sore that Archeology department officials were
yet to visit the site despite being repeatedly asked to do so.

The Ahom kingdom was established in the 13th century
by Sukaphaa, a Shan prince, at Charaideo near present-day
Sibsagar in upper Assam.

The Ahoms ruled Assam for 600 years, before their
territory was annexed by the British with the Treaty of
Yandaboo in 1826. PTI ESB
AM
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