Susenphaa was the king of Ahom kingdom from 1439 CE to 1488 CE. Contemporary Ahom chronicles described him as a good king and the people under him were happy and prosperous. He ruled for a long period of 49 years. The only trouble which was recorded during his reign was the raids of Tangsu Nagas, which was dealt with the use of force, but not without losses.

Ancestry and accession

Susenphaa was the eldest son of Ahom king Suphakphaa by a Tipam princess. His parents named him Tyaophasuphuk. After the death of his father, he ascended the throne in 1439 CE and was named as Susenphaa.

Reign

Expedition against Tangsu Nagas

The ''Tangsu Nagas'' were conducting frequent raids on the people of Ahom kingdom, causing much harm to the lives and properties of the people. They also attacked neighbouring Naga tribes and inflicted heavy casualties. One of the Naga tribe, the ''Akhampa Nagas'' (also known as Akhampani Nagas) came to Susenphaa with a present of swords as a token of their submission. They complained Susenphaa about the atrocities committed by ''Tangsu Nagas'' and sought his help to defend them from these frequent raids of the Tangsu Nagas. Susenphaa immediately rallied his men and personally led an expedition against the strongholds of the Tangsu Nagas. The battle was fierce and bloody and the Ahoms lost one hundred and forty men, but, finally they managed to rout the Tangsu Nagas at the end. According to one account, the Ahoms almost lost the battle and was forced to retreat. Susenphaa himself was forced to flee from the battlefield in a litter, being so overcome with panic that he was purged as he sat there. In that moment of chaos, an Ahom officer, Banrukia Gohain, rallied the troops, attacked and defeated the Tangsu Nagas with heavy loss. The Ahoms destroyed the villages of Tangsu Nagas and forced them to submit. A victorious Susenphaa returned to the capital.

Birth of Sankardev

It was during the reign of Susenphaa,

Sankardev Srimanta Sankardev (, ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of ...

, the most revered and renowned Vaishanava reformer was born in Borduwa or Batadroba in

Nagaon Nagaon is a city and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Assam. It is situated east of Guwahati. With a population of 1,16,355 as per 2011 census it is an AMRUT City and 4th biggest city ...

, in 1449 CE. He was the son of Kusumbar Bhuyan, who was a

Bhuyan The Bhuiyan or Bhuiya are an indigenous community found in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They are not only geographically disparate but also have many cultural variations an ...

chieftain of the region.

Death and legacy

Susenphaa died in 1488 CE after a long reign of forty-nine years. The scanty references to his long reign in the Ahom Buranjis may perhaps be taken as proof that he was a good king and that under his rule the people were contended and prosperous.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Susenphaa Ahom kings Ahom kingdom 15th-century births 1480s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain