Statue of Valour
The Statue of Valour is a bronze statue of Lachit Borphukan, a commander of the Ahom kingdom, located at the Lachit Borphukan Maidam, in Hollongapar near Teok in Jorhat district, Assam, India. The statue is tall, comprising a figure on a pedestal. It was designed by the sculptor Ram V. Sutar and was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 March 2024.
The statue stands near the maidam (burial mound) of Lachit Borphukan and forms part of the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project, which also includes a museum, an auditorium and a hostel.
Background
Lachit Borphukan (1622–1672) was a military commander of the Ahom kingdom, which ruled much of the Brahmaputra Valley from 1228 to 1826. He is known for his role in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat, in which Ahom forces repelled a Mughal army led by Raja Ram Singh I that had attempted to retake Assam. He died the following year and was buried at the maidam at Hollongapar, a burial ground for Ahom royalty and nobility.
Since 1999, the National Defence Academy has awarded the Lachit Borphukan Gold Medal to its best graduating cadet each year.
History
Foundation
On 25 February 2022, President Ram Nath Kovind launched a year-long commemoration of the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Borphukan at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati. During the event he laid, by video link, the foundation stones for the Alaboi War Memorial in Kamrup district and for works at the Lachit Barphukan Maidam in Jorhat. At the same event, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced plans for a memorial at Hollongapar with a bronze statue of Lachit Borphukan, together with a museum, an auditorium, guest houses and a refreshment hall. The completed statue is tall including its pedestal.
Construction
The statue was made by Ram V. Sutar, who also designed the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, at his studio in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. It was transported to Assam in parts over several months and assembled at Hollongapar.
Unveiling
Narendra Modi unveiled the statue on 9 March 2024 during a two-day visit to Assam. He arrived in Jorhat from Arunachal Pradesh by helicopter and took part in an Ahom ritual for the unveiling, accompanied by Himanta Biswa Sarma. Before the unveiling he offered prayers at the Lachit Maidam.
Memorial complex
The statue was installed in the first phase of the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project, which covers about at Hollongapar. Work on the second phase was under way at the time of the unveiling, including an auditorium with a capacity of 500. According to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the total cost of the project is 214 crore.
See also
- Lachit Borphukan Maidam
- Statue of Unity
- List of tallest statues