Prime Minister Narendra Modi will Friday address the closing ceremony of year-long celebrations of the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Barphukan, the 17th century general of the army of Ahom Kingdom in Assam who defeated the Mughals.
It has been the constant endeavour of the prime minister to honour the unsung heroes in a befitting manner and in line with this, the country is celebrating 2022 as the 400th birth anniversary year of Barphukan, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.
Barphukan (November 24, 1622-April 25, 1672) was the famous General of the Royal Army of the Ahom Kingdom of Assam who defeated the Mughals and successfully halted their ever expanding ambitions under Aurangzeb.
Barphukan inspired the Assamese soldiers in the Battle of Saraighat fought in 1671, and delivered a crushing and humiliating defeat on the Mughals, the statement said. The heroic fight of Barphukan and his army remains one of the most inspiring military feats of resistance in the history of our country, it said.
In the recent past, the prime minister has attended several programmes on unsung heroes. In November, Modi attended a public programme ‘Mangarh Dham ki Gaurav Gatha’ and paid homage to Bhil freedom fighter Govind Guru. In the same month, he also unveiled the 108-foot-long bronze statue of Sri Nadaprabhu Kempegowda in Bengaluru which commemorates the contribution of Kempegowda, the founder of the city.
In July, Modi launched the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebration of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh. While in June, 2022, the PM inaugurated 'Kranti Gatha', a newly created Gallery of Indian Revolutionaries inside the underground British-era bunker at Raj Bhavan Mumbai, and in November last year the PM inaugurated a Birsa Minda memorial in Ranchi.
Ten tribal freedom fighter museums, cherishing the memories of tribal freedom fighters from various states and regions, are also being constructed across the country. In February last year, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh.
In February, 2019, Modi laid the foundation stone of ‘Battles of Panipat Museum’, Panipat to honour the heroes of the various battles of Panipat. In 2015, he had issued commemorative coin of hundred rupees and circulation coin of five rupees on Rani Gaidinliu.
(With PTI inputs)
