About Lachit Divas
Lachit Divas, also written Lachit Dibox, is observed in Assam every 24 November, the birth anniversary of Lachit Borphukan, the Ahom commander who defeated a Mughal army at the Battle of Saraighat on the Brahmaputra in 1671. The state government marks it with tributes, school programmes and a holiday, and in 2026 it falls on Tuesday, 24 November 2026.
Lachit Divas remembers one man and one river battle. Lachit Borphukan was born on 24 November 1622 and commanded the Ahom forces when a Mughal army tried to take Guwahati in 1671. Assam has marked his birthday for about a century, first at village fairs in Upper Assam and now as a state observance.
Who was Lachit Borphukan?
Lachit was the youngest son of Momai Tamuli Borbarua, a commoner who rose to one of the highest offices in the Ahom kingdom. Lachit was born in what is now Sivasagar. "Borphukan" is a title, not a surname: it was the Ahom viceroy in charge of the western part of the kingdom, the frontier facing Mughal Bengal. King Chakradhwaj Singha gave Lachit that post, and command of the army, as the Ahoms prepared to recover Guwahati from Mughal control.
Lachit did not live long after his victory. He died at Kaliabor, in present-day Nagaon district, on 25 April 1672, aged 49. King Udayaditya Singha had a maidam, an Ahom burial mound, raised for him at Hollongapar, about 16 km from Jorhat. That site is now the Lachit Maidam.
What happened at Saraighat in 1671?
The Battle of Saraighat was fought on the Brahmaputra at Guwahati in mid-March 1671. The exact day is not recorded. The Mughal force was led by Raja Ram Singh I of Amber and came with cavalry, infantry and heavy war boats, some carrying up to 16 cannons. Accounts of its size vary widely, so treat any single figure you see with caution. Historians agree only that it was much larger than the Ahom force.
The Ahoms fought from the river and its banks, using the narrow stretch near the Kamakhya and Itakhuli hills. Lachit was seriously ill during the battle. He still led a small flotilla of six war boats into the fight; more Ahom boats joined, and the Mughals were attacked from front and rear. The Mughal admiral Munnawar Khan was killed, and Ram Singh's army was pushed back to the Manas river.
- 24 November 1622Lachit is born
Son of Momai Tamuli Borbarua, in present-day Sivasagar
- Before 1671Appointed Borphukan
King Chakradhwaj Singha gives him command of the army
- Mid-March 1671Battle of Saraighat
Ahom river fleet defeats Ram Singh's Mughal force at Guwahati
- 7 April 1671Mughals leave Kamrup
Ram Singh withdraws after being pushed back to the Manas
- 25 April 1672Lachit dies at Kaliabor
Buried in a maidam at Hollongapar, near Jorhat
- 1682Guwahati retaken
Lost to the Mughals in 1679, recovered at the Battle of Itakhuli
The best-known story about Lachit is about his maternal uncle. Tradition says the uncle was put in charge of building an earthen rampart overnight and let the work slip, and Lachit had him beheaded, saying the country was greater than his uncle. The line is quoted on almost every Lachit Divas stage. It is worth knowing that historians have not found the episode in any contemporary record; it belongs to Assam's oral and popular history.
Dekhotkoi mumai dangor nohoy. (My uncle is not greater than the country.)
How is Lachit Divas observed?
Lachit Divas began in the early twentieth century as a local fair in a few Upper Assam villages, centred on Charing Gaon. Today the Government of Assam observes 24 November as a state holiday, and the Chief Minister and Governor issue tributes. Schools, colleges and government offices hold programmes where students tell stories from Lachit's life and garland his portrait.
The main public tributes take place at his statues: at Lachit Ghat on the Brahmaputra in Guwahati, near the Saraighat battlefield, and in Sivasagar, Tezpur and many district towns. Some places go further. In Jamugurihat in Sonitpur district, more than a thousand young people in Ahom dress, carrying the hengdang sword, marched about 15 km in 2025 behind a replica war boat, joined by Bodo, Mising, Adivasi and Gorkha groups in their own traditional dress.
Two newer landmarks have shaped the day. The 400th birth anniversary in 2022 took Lachit Divas to New Delhi and other cities beyond Assam. In March 2024, the Prime Minister unveiled a large statue of Lachit at Hollongapar near Jorhat, where his maidam stands. Doordarshan reported it as 125 feet tall and All India Radio as 84 feet; the gap is most likely the pedestal.
Lachit's name also travels with the armed forces. A bust of him stands at the National Defence Academy in Pune, and the academy's best passing-out cadet receives the Lachit Borphukan gold medal, an award that followed lobbying by Lt Gen S. K. Sinha, a former Governor of Assam.
| Date | Occasion | What it marks |
|---|---|---|
| 24 November | Lachit Divas | Lachit Borphukan's birth and the victory at Saraighat |
| 2 December | Asom Divas | Sukaphaa and the founding of the Ahom kingdom |
| Mid-October | Kati Bihu | Lamps in the paddy fields as the crop ripens |
| Mid-April | Bohag Bihu | The Assamese New Year and spring festival |
For more of Assam's year, see Assam Day, Kati Bihu and Bohag Bihu, or the 2026 calendar.
What to write on Lachit Divas
A Lachit Divas message is a tribute. Name him in full, mention Saraighat or the Brahmaputra, and keep the focus on courage and duty. "Lachit Divasor shubhechha" (greetings on Lachit Divas) is the common Assamese line; "Bir Lachitoloi shraddhanjali" (tribute to the brave Lachit) suits more formal messages. Among friends, a simple "Happy Lachit Divas" is common and fine.
Lachit Divasor shubhechha, Ma and Deuta. I will think of the Brahmaputra at Saraighat today and of all the stories you told me about Bir Lachit when I was small.
Wishing you a proud Lachit Divas. Remembering Lachit Borphukan, who led a small river fleet against a far larger army at Saraighat in 1671, and put duty before everything.
Happy Lachit Divas. Lachit Borphukan was ill on the day of Saraighat and still led from the front. Hope your school programme goes well. Tell the story with pride.
On Lachit Divas, a salute to you. The NDA's best cadet wears a medal in Lachit Borphukan's name for a reason. May his courage and his sense of duty go with you.
Lachit Divasor shubhechha. No Lachit Ghat where you are, but light a lamp, read a page of Assam's history, and call home tonight.
Lachit Divasor shubhechha. Bir Lachit Borphukanoloi shraddhanjali. Saraighator sahas aru tewr kortobyo-nistha amar babe prerona hoi thakok. (Greetings on Lachit Divas. Tribute to the brave Lachit Borphukan. May the courage of Saraighat and his devotion to duty keep inspiring us.)
লাচিত দিৱসৰ শুভেচ্ছা। বীৰ লাচিত বৰফুকনলৈ শ্ৰদ্ধাঞ্জলি। শৰাইঘাটৰ সাহস আৰু কৰ্তব্যৰ প্ৰতি তেওঁৰ নিষ্ঠাই আমাক সদায় পথ দেখুৱাই থাকক।
Do
- Use his full name, Lachit Borphukan, and mention Saraighat; it shows you know whose day it is.
- Keep the message about Assam as a whole. Lachit's day is marked by Assamese, Bodo, Mising, Bengali-medium schools and many others.
Avoid
- Don't turn the battle into a message against any community or faith. The Mughal army was led by a Rajput, Ram Singh of Amber, and tradition remembers Bagh Hazarika, a Muslim commander, on the Ahom side.
- Don't confuse Lachit Divas with Asom Divas on 2 December, which honours Sukaphaa.
- Borphukan
- Ahom viceroy and commander for the western part of the kingdom
- Borbarua
- A senior Ahom office; Lachit's father held it
- Maidam
- Earth-covered burial mound of Ahom royalty and nobles
- Hengdang
- The traditional Ahom sword, carried in Lachit Divas processions
- Shraddhanjali
- A respectful tribute, often paired with a garland or lamp
How to wish someone on Lachit Divas
Lachit Divas is a day of tribute, not a festival. A good message honours Lachit Borphukan by name, recalls Saraighat or his sense of duty, and speaks to Assam as a whole. Tribute lines such as Lachit Divasor shubhechha or a short shraddhanjali suit family, colleagues and students. Keep the wish about courage and service; do not turn a seventeenth-century battle into a message against any community or faith.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Assamese.
When is Lachit Divas in each year?
Lachit Divas is on 24 Nov every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
Frequently asked questions
When is Lachit Divas in 2026?
Lachit Divas 2026 falls on Tuesday, 24 November 2026.
Why is Lachit Divas observed on 24 November?
Lachit Divas is observed on 24 November because Lachit Borphukan, the Ahom commander who won the Battle of Saraighat, was born on 24 November 1622. The date is fixed in the Gregorian calendar and does not move year to year.
Who won the Battle of Saraighat?
The Ahom kingdom won the Battle of Saraighat in March 1671. Its forces under Lachit Borphukan defeated a larger Mughal army led by Raja Ram Singh I of Amber on the Brahmaputra at Guwahati, and the Mughals withdrew from Kamrup by early April.
Is Lachit Divas a holiday in Assam?
Yes. The Government of Assam observes 24 November as a state holiday for Lachit Divas, and offices, schools and colleges hold tribute programmes. It is not a national holiday, so offices outside Assam stay open.
What is the Lachit Borphukan gold medal?
The Lachit Borphukan gold medal is awarded to the best passing-out cadet of the National Defence Academy in Pune. It was introduced after Lt Gen S. K. Sinha, a former Governor of Assam, asked the Ministry of Defence to honour Lachit at the academy.
Where is Lachit Borphukan buried?
Lachit Borphukan is buried in a maidam at Hollongapar, about 16 km from Jorhat in Upper Assam. King Udayaditya Singha built it after Lachit's death in 1672, and a large statue of Lachit was unveiled at the same site in March 2024.
Did Lachit Borphukan really behead his uncle?
The story that Lachit beheaded his maternal uncle for neglecting work on a rampart is part of Assamese tradition and is widely retold on Lachit Divas. Historians have not found it in any contemporary record, so it is best described as tradition rather than documented fact.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .