Who among the following were famous for their metal-casting skills and used to cast excellent matchlocks during the medieval period?
- (a)Marathas
- (b)Rajputs
- (c)Ahoms
- (d)Gonds
Correct — C, Ahoms. The Ahom kingdom of the Brahmaputra valley was the firearms power of the medieval north-east, and its reputation rests on metal-work. The Ahoms were using firearms as early as the 1530s, and by the 1660s they could make gunpowder and cast cannon of high quality themselves rather than buying them — a capability that few Indian states of the period possessed, and the reason their small kingdom held off repeated Mughal invasions for the better part of a century. The matchlock, the shoulder firearm of the age, came out of the same workshops and the same skill in casting and boring metal. That is why the Ahoms, and not the Marathas, Rajputs or Gonds, are the answer here; the other three were formidable military powers, but their reputation is built on cavalry, forts and light artillery rather than on a domestic firearms industry.
- (a)Marathas — Maratha military reputation rests on light cavalry, mobility and hill forts, and their artillery was very largely bought or manned by European gunners rather than cast at home.
- (b)Rajputs — The Rajputs are remembered for cavalry, armour and fortification; no Rajput state built the firearms manufacture that made the Ahom army distinctive.
- (d)Gonds — The Gonds ruled substantial kingdoms in central India, at Garha-Katanga and elsewhere, but they are not associated with metal-casting for matchlocks.
The Ahom state was founded in 1228 when Sukaphaa, a Tai prince, crossed the Patkai hills into the Brahmaputra valley. It rested on the paik system, under which adult men were registered in units and owed the state labour or military service in rotation, giving the kingdom a large army without a large standing payroll. Its historical writing, the buranjis, was kept first in the Ahom language and then in Assamese, and its rulers took the title Swargadeo.
The way into this item is to ask which of the four powers had a manufacturing base rather than only an army. Marathas, Rajputs and Gonds are all famous for how they fought; the Ahoms are famous for what they made. The military payoff is the Battle of Saraighat in 1671, where Lachit Borphukan used the Brahmaputra itself, a fleet of light boats and prepared earthworks to break a much larger Mughal force under Ram Singh — a naval action won by a kingdom that made its own guns. Present-day line worth carrying: in July 2024, weeks before this paper was set, the Moidams, the mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty at Charaideo, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the first cultural property from the North-East to be so listed.
- The Ahom kingdom was founded in 1228 by Sukaphaa, a Tai prince who crossed the Patkai hills into the Brahmaputra valley.
- The Ahoms used firearms from the 1530s and by the 1660s were making high-quality gunpowder and casting cannon themselves.
- The state ran on the paik system of registered labour and military service, and its rulers were styled Swargadeo.
- Ahom historical chronicles are called buranjis, written first in the Ahom language and later in Assamese.
- Lachit Borphukan defeated the Mughal force under Ram Singh at the Battle of Saraighat on the Brahmaputra in 1671; the Moidams at Charaideo were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2024.
- Assuming a north-eastern kingdom must have been technologically behind the great empires of the plains; the Ahoms made their own guns.
- Attributing artillery skill to the Marathas because of their military success; their guns were largely imported or foreign-manned.
- Confusing the founding of the Ahom kingdom in 1228 with the arrival of the Mughals in Assam, four centuries later.
As a who-was-known-for item over medieval Indian powers, or as a statements item on Ahom administration and the buranjis.
Which of the following statements about Lachit Borphukan is/are correct ? 1. He was a General of the Ahom Force. 2. He is known for his leadership in the Battle of Saraighat. 3. Lachit Borphukan Gold Medal is given to the best cadet at the National Defence Academy. Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- (a) 1, 2 and 3
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 only
- (d) 2 only
Answer(a) 1, 2 and 3
The same kingdom seen through its most famous commander. The guns and the boats that won Saraighat in 1671 came out of the metal-working capability this question is about, and the medal named after him is still awarded at the National Defence Academy.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Ahom kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley was founded in 1228 by
- (a)Sukaphaa
- (b)Lachit Borphukan
- (c)Chakradhwaj Singha
- (d)Rudra Singha
Answer(a) Sukaphaa — a Tai prince who crossed the Patkai hills into the valley.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Battle of Saraighat, fought on the Brahmaputra in 1671, was won by the Ahoms under
- (a)Sukaphaa
- (b)Lachit Borphukan
- (c)Bir Chilarai
- (d)Momai Tamuli Borbarua
Answer(b) Lachit Borphukan — against a much larger Mughal force under Ram Singh.