A History of Assam c13.13

c13.13

There had been so many conspiracies during the last few years that the new king resolved to protect himself by exacting an oath of fealty from all his officers. Cannon were posted at the gates of the city and the streets were lined with soldiers; the various officers of State were then summoned to attend and take the prescribed oath. Many of them, however, were so incensed by the order, and by the want of confidence in them that it implied, that, instead of going to the capital, they entered into a conspiracy with the Burhā Gohāin. This noble secretly collected some men and, in the dead of night, entered the city and surrounded the palace. At this moment the king woke up and saw them in the courtyard. He at once grasped the position and, rushing out, sword in hand, attacked them with such vigour that they fled leaving several of their number dead upon the ground. When morning came, many of the conspirators were caught. They were pardoned on their swearing to be faithful in the future. They were required to take a two-fold oath, one in the presence of Brāhmans before a Sālgrām of Lakshmi Nārāyan, a copy of the *Bhāgavat* and a *tulsi* plant, and the other according to the old Ahom method, by the shedding of blood before the great drum The Burhā Gohāin was not amongst those that were caught; he escaped in a boat and went down the Dikhu river to Lakhau, where he was joined by a number of disaffected people from Gauhāti. The king sent the Bar Gohāin and the Barpātra Gohāin to induce him to come in, under a solemn promise of pardon, but he was not convinced of the sincerity of these assurances and refused to submit. He tried to win over to his side the officers who had been sent to fetch him, and persuaded the Bar Gohāin to desert the king's cause; he was unable to seduce the Bar Pātra Gohāin from his allegiance, although he was his son-in-law, and so sent him under a guard to Koliābar. He himself advanced to Sinātali, where he met and defeated a force which the king had sent against him. The king thereupon fled to Garhgāon. He was seized, and his eyes were put out; and he was afterwards stoned to death.* His body was buried at Charāideo. This was in July 1677. Of the king's four sons the eldest, Dighala, managed to escape; the second was blinded and sent to Nāmrup, and the two youngest were put to death.