Supaatpha (reign 1681-1696) or Gadadhar Singha established the rule of the Tungkhungia clan of the Ahom kings that ruled the Ahom kingdom till its climactic end. He was the son of Gobar Raja, a descendant of Suhungmung, and who had become the king for a mere 20 days. Previously known as Gadapani, Gadadhar Singha was able to stabilize the kingdom after the decade long turmoil following the Ahom victory in the Battle of Saraighat. This period saw the ruthless power grab of Debera Borbarua and Laluk Sola Borphukan's abandonment of Guwahati and oppression via Sulikphaa Lora Roja. Gadadhar Singha retook Guwahati from the Mughals for good, and established a strong rule of 'blood and iron'. He came into conflict with the Vaishnava sattra and made way for Rudra Singha, his son and succeeding king, to take the kingdom to its zenith. Events March 4 - Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. ... The year 1696 had the earliest equinoxes and solstices for 400 years in the Gregorian calendar, because this year is a leap year and the Gregorian calendar would have behaved like the Julian calendar since March 1500 had it have been in use that long. ... The Ahom Dynasty ruled parts of Assam for nearly 600 years, from the thirteenth century to the nineteenth century. ... The Ahom Kingdom (1228-1826) was established by Sukaphaa, a Tai prince from Mong Mao, in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra river, between the extant Chutiya kingdom in the north and the Kachari kingdom in the south. ... Suhungmung (reign 1497-1539) (Swarganarayan, Dihingia Raja), was an important Ahom king under whom the Ahom Kingdom expanded greatly for the first time since Sukaphaa. ... The Battle of Saraighat was fought between the Mughal forces lead by Raja Ram Singh and the Ahoms lead by Lachit Borphukan, the Ahom governor of Guwahati in 1671. ... Sukhrungphaa (reign 1696-1714), or Rudra Singha, was a Tungkhungia king of the Ahom kingdom under whom the kingdom reached its zenith of power and glory. ...

Gadadhar Singha made his capital at Barkola.

Reign

Gadadhar Singha, known as Gadapani, was the son of Gobar Gohain who was made the king by Debera Borbarua in 1675. Gobar Raja was the king for only 20 days and was executed after the fall of Debera Borbarua at the hands of the forces of Atan Burhagohain. After Laluk Sola Borphukan had Atan Burhagohain murdered in 1679, he installed Sulikphaa Lora Roja as the king and tried to become the de jure ruler of the Ahom kingdom. He began a campaign to inflict wounds on Ahom princes who were eligible for the throne. To escape this, Gadapani had to become a fugitive. Events January 5 - The Battle of Turckeim June 18 - Battle of Fehrbellin August 10 - King Charles II of England places the foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London - construction begins November 11 - Guru Gobind Singh becomes the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. ... Events January 24 - King Charles II of England disbands Parliament August 7 - The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes. ...

Political/Military

At the time of Gadadhar Singha's accession to the throne, the Ahom kingdom was being sapped by internal dissensions, and patriotic feeling had become so weakened that many deserted to the Mughal side, who had re-occupied Gauhati, and were gradually pushing their frontier eastwards. The hill tribes too became emboldened and raided villages in the plains. Before he died he had quelled all internal disputes, revived the waning national sprit, driven the Mughals beyond Manas and, by prompt punitive measures, put a stop to the raiding and restored the prestige of the Ahoms among the turbulent tribes on the frontier.

His first act after becoming the King was to equip an army to oust the Mughal from Gauhati. He appears to have met with very little opposition. The forts at Bansbari and Kajali fell at the first assault, and a great naval victory was gained near the mouth of Bar Nadi, the whole enemy fleet falling into the hands of Ahoms. In 1682 Gadadhar Singha waged the Itakhulir Rann (War of Itakhuli) and captured Guwahati back from the Mughals and brought an end to the eighty years of Ahom-Mughal conflicts. The Fauzdar of Guwahati fled and the Ahom army pursued the Mughals as far as Manas river. A vast amount of booty was taken in Guwahati, including gold and silver; elephants, horses and buffaloes, cannon of all sizes and guns, swords and spears. This was the last war with the Mughals. Henceforth both sides accepted the Manas as the boundary. Events March 11 – Chelsea hospital for soldiers is founded in England May 6 - Louis XIV of France moves his court to Versailles. ... Itakhuli or Sukreswar Hill is a small hill on the south bank of the Brahmaputra at Guwahati. ... Guwahati   (Assamese: গুৱাহাটী) is a major city in eastern India, often considered as the gateway to the North-East Region (NER) of the country and is the largest city within the region. ... Ahom-Mughal conflicts refer to the period between the first Mughal attack on the Ahom kingdom in 1615 and the final Battle of Itakhuli in 1682. ... Guwahati   (Assamese: গুৱাহাটী) is a major city in eastern India, often considered as the gateway to the North-East Region (NER) of the country and is the largest city within the region. ...

Administrative

He was a Shaivite, as were his succeeding kings, and his reign saw the beginning of the conflict between the Sattra and the Ahom kings. To help propagate this form of Hindu worship he built the Shiva temple Uma Nanda Temple(Devaloi) at the Peacock island in middle of river Brahmaputra at Guwahati. Gadadhar Singha was keenly alive to the importance of public works. He built the Dhodar Ali a 211 Km. long road from Kamargaon to Joypur touching Mariani using the lazy (Dhod means lazy in Assamese) opium addicts, Aka Ali and many other roads. Two stone bridges were built and a number of tanks were evacuated. The earliest known copper-plate grant recording grants of land by Ahom Kings to Brahmins or Hindu temples, date from his reign. Shaivism, also Saivism, is a branch of Hinduism that worships Siva as the Supreme God. ... Umananda Devaloi, a Shiva Temple is located at the Peacock island in middle of river Brahmaputra at Guwahati. ... Assamese (অসমীয়া) or Asamiya is the language spoken by some of the natives of the state of Assam in northeast India. ... Opium, or opïum is a narcotic analgesic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L. or the synonym paeoniflorum). ... One of the most important sources of history in the Indian subcontinent are the royal records of grants engraved on copper-plates (tamra-shasan or tamra-patra). ... The Ahoms established the Ahom kingdom (1228-1826) in parts of present-day Assam and ruled it for nearly 600 years. ... Young Indian brahmachari Brahmin A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ...

A noteworthy measure of this monarch was the commencement of a detailed survey of the country. Gadadhar Singha became acquainted with the land measurement system of Mughals during the time he was hiding in Lower Assam, before he succeeded to the throne. As soon as the wars were over he issued orders for the introduction of a similar system throughout his dominions. Surveyors were imported from Koch Behar and Bengal for the work. It was commenced in Sibsagar and was pushed on vigorously, but it was not completed until after his death. According to historians, the method of survey included measuring the four sides of each field with a nal, or bamboo pole of 12 feet length and calculating the area, the unit was the "pura" or 144 square feet and 14,400 Sq.ft. is one "Bigha". A similar land measurement system is still being followed in modern Assam-- 144 Sq.ft. is one Lecha, 20 Lecha or 2880 Sq.ft. is one "Katha", and 5 Katha or 14,400 Sq.ft. is one Bigha. Bigha (Nepali: बिघा) is a unit of measurement of area of a land, commonly used in Nepal, Bangladesh and in a few states of India like West Bengal, Assam, etc. ...

Death

Gadadhar Singha died in February, 1696, after a reign of fourteen and a half years. Gadadhar Singha left two sons, Lai and Lechai, and his elder son Lai succeeded him. Under Lai, who took the name Sukhrungphaa (Hindu name Rudra Singha), the Ahom kingdom reached its zenith. The royal robes of Swargadeo Gadadhar Singha made of gold and a gold umbrella are preserved in the Bengenaati Satra of Majuli, Assam. Sukhrungphaa (reign 1696-1714), or Rudra Singha, was a Tungkhungia king of the Ahom kingdom under whom the kingdom reached its zenith of power and glory. ... Majuli or Majoli is a river island in the Brahmaputra river, in the Indian state of Assam. ... Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur - now a part of Guwahati. ...

See also

• Ahom Dynasty
• Sati Joymati