Sunyeopha also Lakshmi Singha ( – 13 December 1780), was the 34th Ahom

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

, who reigned from 1769 to 1780. After the death of

Suremphaa Suremphaa (reign 1751–1769), or Rajeswar Singha, the fourth son of Rudra Singha, became the king of the Ahom kingdom after the death of his brother King Pramatta Singha. Rudra Singha's third son, Mohanmala Gohain, was considered ineligible f ...

, he married the Queen

Kuranganayani Kuranganayani was a Manipuri princess who became Queen of the Ahom Kingdom. She was the daughter of Jai Singh, she was married to Rajeswar Singha. She was instrumental in killing Moamoria rebel Raghab Borbarua. Life and marriages The Ahom Ki ...

and became the king of the Ahom kingdom. Shortly after he was installed he became a captive of the rebels of the

Moamoria rebellion The Moamoria rebellion (1769–1805) was an 18th-century uprising in Ahom kingdom of present-day Assam that began as power struggle between the Moamorias (''Mataks''), the adherents of the Mayamara Sattra, and the Ahom kings. This uprising ...

for a few months but soon managed to regain his kingdom. With the help of

, after destroying all the Moamoria rebels including Borbaruah Ragho, Lakshmi Singha was once again crowned as king of Ahom kingdom.

Reign

Despite his alleged illegitimacy, Kalsiliya Gohain at the age of 53, was made king by Kirti Chandra Borbarua in 1769. After his accession, he took the Hindu name of Lakshmi Singha and Ahom name of Sunyeopha, soon after he took measures to exile the sons of

Rajeswar Singha Suremphaa (reign 1751–1769), or Rajeswar Singha, the fourth son of Rudra Singha, became the Ahom Dynasty, king of the Ahom kingdom after the death of his brother King Pramatta Singha. Rudra Singha's third son, Mohanmala Maladev Gohain, Mohanma ...

to Namrup. His reign witnessed the first challenge to the Ahom government in the form of

. The

Moamoria The Moamoria (also Matak) were the adherents of the egalitarian, proselytizing Mayamara Satra of 18th-century Assam, who initiated the Moamoria rebellion against the Ahom kingdom in the 18th century. The rebellion weakened the Ahom kingdom to su ...

s started their rebellion towards the close of October 1769, allied themselves with banished princes and nobles ( Mohanmala Gohain and two sons of Rajeswar Singha.) Through their help they managed to gain the support even of the royalist. The Moamorias managed to captured

Rangpur Rangpur may refer to: Places In Bangladesh *Rangpur Division, one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. *Rangpur District, district of Bangladesh in Rangpur Division. *Rangpur, Bangladesh, metropolis and a major city in northern ...

, and captured the king along with most of his nobles and executed many of them. But Lakshmi Singha was spared at the intercession of Mayamara Mahanta. In 1770, the surviving royalists struck back, killed the chief

leaders, restored the monarchy and initiated a general massacre of the rebels and their associates. After his restoration, Lakshmi Singha ordered fresh settlement in Darrang, by increasing the rate of assesement. This created dissension among the Darrangis, accordingly four thousand inhabitants of Darrang marched in a body and forcibly appeared in front of the

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, protested and yeiled their demand. King Lakshmi Singha, having no way out, ordered suspension of the settlement of

Darrang Darrang () is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldoi. The district occupies an area of 1585 km2. Etymology The etymology of Darrang reflects its historical significance ...

. The remaining years of Lakshmi Singha reign were spent suppressing various minor rebellions and conspiracies, many of them organised by exiled Ahom princes. Kekura Kalita Phukan, who had previously obtained high favour of the Ahom king, after being driven away at the suggestion of the Patra Mantris (council ministers), organised a rebellion and procalimed himself as the king. But he was executed at time. A group of Muslims under the leadership of one Hazari Dewan, attempted to place an acclaimed son of Mohanmala Gohain to the throne, however they were unsuccessful and were let go with a light punishment. In 1779, the Chutias of Sadiya under a chief of Nara raised a rebellion and killed the Sadiya–Khowa Gohain, but were subdued. Lakshmi Singha died on 13 December 1780, and was succeeded by his son

Gaurinath Singha Suhitpangphaa also Gaurinath Singha ( – 19 December 1794), was the 35th king of Ahom kingdom who reigned from 1780–1794. His reign is marked by the rise of the Moamoria rebellion and the decentralization of Ahom power. He was forced ...

, who was already declared Juvaraj (hier–apparent) in 1777. He's body was cremated according to Hindu rituals and his ashes and bones were then entombed in a Maidam, after being taken to Charaideo.

Religious Policies

After being refused the initiation of Parvatiya Gosain on the grounds of his based illegitimacy, Lakshmi Singha took initiation of one Assamese Brahman named Ramananda Acharya and established him at Pahumara. Parvatiya Gosain with the view of deposing Lakshmi Singha supported the claims of other Ahom princes like Bhudar Singha and Malau Gohain, when revealed, King Lakshmi Singha expelled the Parvatiya Gosain. Eventually, the order of expulsion was withdrawn, but the schism once created couldn't be wiped out.

Civil works

Lakshmi Singha is credited with the construction of– *Bogi Dol, currently exists in ruins. * Rudrasagarar Dol, last temple built during the Ahom era which represents grandeur before its overall decline in temple building and architectural building. *Hajor Jay Durga Mandir *Janardan Mandir *Bogi Dolor Pukhuri *Gauri Ballabh Dol, constructed by the son of Na–Gosain and currently exists in Jaysagar. *Iswaneswar, lies in ruins near

Talatal Ghar The ''Talatal Ghar'' ) is an 18th-century palace and military base located in Rangpur (Ahom capital), Rangpur, from present-day Sivasagar, Assam, India. It is the largest of the monument built during the Ahom dynasty, Ahom era. King Rudra Sin ...

campus. *Rudrasagar Pukhuri *Gauri Ballabh Pukhuri *Ligiri Pukhuri.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sunyeophaa Ahom kingdom Ahom kings 1710s births 1780 deaths Hindu monarchs 18th-century Indian monarchs

Reign

Religious Policies

Civil works

See also

Notes

References