Sulikphaa (1665 – August 1681) also, Ratnadhwaj Singha was the twenty-eighth king of the Ahom Kingdom. He was only 14 years of age when Laluksola Borphukan, the Ahom viceroy of Guwahati and Lower Assam, raised him to the throne, after deposing the former king, Sudoiphaa. Due to his young age at the time of his accession, he was generally known as Lora Raja or the Boy-king. His reign was characterized by the atrocities committed by Laluksola Borphukan, who held the real authority behind the throne, in his name. The most notorious act which occurred during his reign was the mutilation of Ahom princes belonging to different phoids or clans of the Royal Ahom Dynasty. While most of the Ahom princes suffered mutilation, Prince Gadapani, the future king Gadadhar Singha, from the Tungkhungia branch of the Royal Ahom Dynasty, escaped, due to the efforts of his illustrious wife, Joymoti Konwari, who refused to divulge any information regarding her husband's whereabouts even in face of the tortures inflicted by the henchmen of Lora Raja. After Laluksola Borphukan was assassinated in court intrigues, the nobles at Kaliabar decided to get rid of the incompetent Lora Raja and put an able prince on the throne. Prince Gadapani, who was living incognito at a place called Rani in Kamrup at that time, was nominated for the throne. Sulikphaa or Lora Raja was deposed and exiled to Namrup, only to be executed later on.
Ancestry and accession
Sulikphaa hailed from the Samuguria branch of the Royal Ahom Dynasty. His early name was Sarugohain. He was the grandson of Narayan Tipam Raja, who was the younger brother of the former Ahom king Suhung. In 1679 CE, after having some differences with Atan Burhagohain, the prime-minister of the Ahom kingdom, Laluksola Borphukan, the Ahom Viceroy of Guwahati and Lower Assam, decided to seize power in the Royal Court at Garhgaon. He therefore held treasonable correspondence with the Mughal Subedar of Bengal Subah, Muhammad Azam Shah, son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who had already married his niece Ramani Gabharu, alias Rahmat Banu, the daughter of the Ahom king Jaydhwaj Singha, in February 1679, in order to take possession of Guwahati. In return, Borphukan sought assistance from the Mughal prince against Atan Burhagohain, to which the prince readily agreed. In March 1679, Borphukan surrendered Guwahati to the Mughals, and himself marched to the capital, Garhgaon. Atan Burhagohain and his supporters were taken captive. Borphukan initially came to terms with King Sudoiphaa, but when the king later tried to arrest him for his treasonable act of negotiating with the Mughals, Borphukan deposed the monarch. The original ambition of Borphukan was to declare himself king, but he feared opposition from the orthodox section of the Ahom nobility and Ahom priests, since by the customs of the Ahom kingdom only the members of the Royal Ahom Dynasty, the direct descendants of the first Ahom king, Sukaphaa, were eligible for the throne. Therefore, in order to maintain control in the court and also to satisfy the other nobles, Borgphukan decided to install a prince whom he could control at will. In October 1679, he fetched 14-year-old Prince Sarugohain from Samaguri, and made him king at Barnaosal. The Ahom priest named the new king Sulikphaa, while the Hindu priest named him Ratnadhwaj Singha. On account of his youth at the time of his accession, he was commonly known among the people as Lora Raja or the Boy-King.Dr. S.K. Bhuyan, Tunkhungia Buranji or A History of Assam (1681-1826), second edition 1968, Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam, Guwahati, page 13
Reign
Laluk consolidates power in the Royal Court
After the accession of Sulikphaa to the throne, Laluksola Borphukan became Rajmantri Phukan, or Prime Minister, vested with executive power over the whole administration. Laluk then appointed his supporters to positions of responsibility. Sandikoi Neog was appointed Dakhinkulia Phukan; Bandar Chetia Phukan made Deka Phukan; Bihparua made Neog Phukan; and Jatakari Hazarika named Bhitarual Phukan. Dihingia Kari Deka and Anka, both related to Laluk, were sent down to Kaliabar with the rank of Phukans. Laluk appointed his own younger brother Bhatdhara as Borphukan and sent him down to Kaliabar. Another brother of Laluk, Marangi, was appointed Borbarua. Laluk dismissed many old officers and appointed new ones in their place.
To cement the friendship of the royal house of Samuguri to which Sulikphaa or Lora Raja belonged, with the Lukhurakhun clan of which Laluk Rajmantri Phukan was a member, the latter's daughter, who was bald-headed, was given in marriage to Lora Raja, as well as Bhatdhara's daughter. Laluk's daughter was only five years old, and Bhatdhara's daughter, described as being on the verge of youth, was twelve. These matches between minors were intended to increase Laluk's hold on the monarch, and also to serve as a medium through which Laluk would receive prompt intimation of what was going on at the palace.
The new king, Lora Raja, frequently complained about illness, so astrologers were consulted in the matter. The royal astrologers suggested the monarch should change his residence to a healthier place. Accordingly, Lora Raja set up his residence at a place called Meteka.Hiteswar Barbaruah, Ahomar-Din or A History of Assam under the Ahoms, 1981, page 217 Laluk Rajmantri Phukan fixed his abode in its immediate vicinity. He mounted guns on the wall of his compound and lived with great vigilance and caution. The Phukans and other officers had to attend the court of the Swargadeo and the Rajmantri Phukan and pay their obeisance to both.S. K. Bhuyan, Atan Buragohain and His Times, Lawyers book stall, 1957, page 172-173
Execution of Atan Burhagohain
Immediately after consolidating his hold on the court, Laluk Rajmantri Phukan proceeded to execute his archrival Atan Burhagohain, who was held captive in Kaliabar. During the reign of the former ruler, Sudoiphaa, he had been unable to obtain the approval of the monarch for the execution of Atan Burhagohain. Besides, at that time Laluk had not fully consolidated his power, and the execution of a popular and respected leader like Atan Burhagohain would place Laluk in bad odour with the nobles and the masses. But after Lora Raja became king Laluk's position was very much strengthened, and therefore he renewed his plan for the destruction of Atan Burhagohain. “A number of men, including the Burhagohain, are confined at Kaliabar”, said Laluk. “What is Your Majesty’s intention with regard to these prisoners?” Lora Raja, who understood the drift of Laluk's question, had no alternative but to order their execution.Dr. S.K. Bhuyan, Tunkhungia Buranji or A History of Assam (1681-1826), second edition 1968, Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam, Guwahati, page 13-14
Two emissaries, Metekatalia Khona Chaudang Barua of the Borgohain family and Rangason Chaorak Saikia of the Banchengia Borpatrogohain family, were dispatched to Kaliabar to carry out the order of execution. Atan Burhagohain and his elder brother Naobaisa Phukan were put to death in the garden of Solal Gohain in Kaliabar. Langkham Deka, son of Atan Burhagohain, was taken as a prisoner to his family residence at Bahgara near Garhgaon, where he was subsequently put to death under the orders of the king.S. K. Bhuyan, Atan Buragohain and His Times, Lawyers book stall, 1957, page 185 Meanwhile, one Dighala, son of Sukulahudu Burhagohain, was appointed as the new Burhagohain of the Ahom kingdom.Hiteswar Barbaruah, Ahomar-Din or A History of Assam under the Ahoms, 1981, page 217
Embassy from the Mughal Subedar of Bengal; Laluk dons the Regalia
After successfully capturing Atan Burhagohain and his supporters, Laluk sent messages to the Mughal prince Muhammad Azam expressing his intention of becoming king of the Ahom kingdom and seeking military assistance from the Mughals. Laluk also sent many gifts and presents to Muhammad Azam and his wife Ramani Gabharu, alias Rahmat Banu, who happened to be his own niece. But before the messengers arrived in Dacca, the Mughal headquarters of Bengal, Prince Azam left for Rajputana under the orders of his father, Emperor Aurangzeb. The new Mughal Subedar, Nawab Shaista Khan, who happened to be the brother of the famous Mumtaz Mahal and the uncle of Aurangzeb, received the envoys sent by Laluk. Owing to disturbances in Rajputana and Deccan, Shaista Khan was unwilling to send a fresh military expedition to Assam. He therefore sent his own envoy Govindram along with a letter addressed to Laluk, in which Laluk was addressed as the King of Assam. This was a great occasion for Laluk Rajmantri Phukan, since Mughal envoys from the Subedar of Bengal arrived in Assam with letters and gifts specifically addressed to him, but not to the monarch, a very rare action. Laluk Rajmantri Phukan dressed himself for the occasion in the robes and ornaments worn by Ahom monarchs and decided to receive the Mughal envoy at a place called Sakbari. He removed from the royal storehouse the canopy used by the kings for the ceremony of receiving foreign ambassadors. Laluk dressed himself in the royal attire, sat under the royal canopy and thus received the Mughal envoy Govindram at Sakbari. The envoy delivered the gifts and presents sent by Shaista Khan to Laluk Rajmantri Phukan and read out the contents of the letter, in which Laluk was addressed as the king of Assam. Laluk also turned over presents and letters to his envoy Bhusan Kandali Kataki to be delivered to Nawab Shaista Khan. The Assamese envoy left for Dacca in the company of the Mughal envoy Govindram.S. K. Bhuyan, Atan Buragohain and His Times, Lawyers book stall, 1957, page 174-181Dr. S.K. Bhuyan, Tunkhungia Buranji or A History of Assam (1681-1826), second edition 1968, Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam, Guwahati, page 14
Mutilation of the princes of the Royal Ahom Dynasty