The Ahom kingdom was established in 1228 CE, by Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha from a Shan tribe from Yunnan, China. Infact, both the dynasty’s name ‘Ahom’ as well as the region’s name ‘Assam’ comes from the word ‘Asama’ or invincible, a local name for this mighty tribe which ruled here for almost 600 years. The Ahoms ruled a rich land. The Brahmaputra valley was rich in timber and elephants and so under constant attack.

Assam was invaded several times by the armies of the Delhi Sultanate in the 16th century with no success. The only invader, who managed to conquer some parts of Assam was the Mughal Governor of Bengal Mir Jumla who had occupied large parts of the Ahom kingdom including Guwahati and the capital, Garhgaon. Yet, within five years, the Ahoms took back control of most of the lost territories.

In August 1667, the Ahom general Lachit Borphukan had recaptured Guwahati. This outraged Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and he sent the Mughal commander Ram Singh of Amer (Jaipur) with a large force in what would be the last Mughal attempt to conquer Assam.