Sukhrangpha or Tao Shukhampha was the king of Ahom kingdom from 1332 to 1364. He had to face the revolt led by his youngest brother Chao Pulai or Tai Sulai (there are confusion in Ahom historians whether Chao Pulai and Tai Sulai were same or different personality. Eventually he came in terms with Chao Pulai (or Tai Sulai) by appointing him as Charing Raja, a newly created official post to administer the region of Charing. Later the post of Charing Raja was usually conferred to the heir apparent to the throne. It can be compared with the title of Prince of Wales of England, where the heir apparent to the throne was conferred with this title.
Ancestry and accession Sukhranphaa was the eldest son of Ahom king Sukhaangphaa's four sons. After the death of his father, Sukhrangpha ascended the throne as the king of Ahom kingdom.
Reign At the onset of his reign, Sukhrangpha faced a serious threat from his youngest brother Chao Pulai (or Tai Sulai). Chao Pulai hatched a conspiracy to overthrow the regime of Sukhrangpha. The plot was detected, and Chao Pulai, being the son of Kamata princess Bhajani (some accounts say Rajani), fled to Kamateswar. The king of Kamata, being the uncle of Chao Pulai, came to his aid. Chao Pulai and Taphikhen Bargohain subsequently fled to the ruler of Kamata, who advanced with them against Sukhrangpha. The parallel Tai text of the Ahom-Buranji states that the force first halted at Banphang-Athagaon (likely near the present-day Kaziranga) and then proceeded to Charing (in present-day Sibsagar district), where a fort was constructed. Sukhrangpha was alarmed by these developments and sent a messenger to the Kamata ruler asking the reason for his coming to Charing-Namdang. He had already received intelligence that his regime was unpopular among certain sections of people, and was not sure regarding the loyalty of his troops. Therefore, he avoided confrontation and reconciled with Chao Pulai.
He appointed Chao Pulai as the Charing Raja, a newly created post to administer Charing, although the office was still located at the capital. During the Ahom period in Assam, the heirs apparent to the throne were appointed as Charing Raja. The objective of this appointment was to let the prince gain some experience of administration before finally ascending the throne.Even though the official post of Charing Raja was created by Sukhrangpha, the town of Charing or Charing Nagar was established by Ahom king Suhungmung or Dihingia Raja. Therefore, all the Charing Rajas appointed during the reign of Sukhrangpha to Suhungmung used to administer the Charing region from the capital. After the establishment of Charing Nagar, during the reign of Suhungmung, the Charing Raja’s headquarters moved from the capital to Charing Nagar. According to some historical accounts, the conspiracy of Chao Pulai was instigated by Chaopang Banduk Borgohain, while others say that it was he who had poisoned the king's mind against Chao Pulai. But all agree that Chaopang Banduk Borgohain was the one to suffer, as he was dismissed from his office. His ultimate fate differs in different accounts, as some stated that Sukhrangpha had him executed for his crime while another account stated that Chaopang Banduk Borgohain escaped being put to death under the king's orders by concealing himself until the affair had blown over, and later he was subsequently forgiven and taken back into favour. The remaining period of Sukhrangpha's reign was peaceful and without any major events. Eminent Assamese historian Gunaviram Barua stated in his documents that Sukhrangphaa expanded his kingdom towards the banks of the Brahmaputra river by defeating the neighbouring tribal chieftains.
Death Sukhrangpha died in 1364 CE after a reign of thirty-two years. Accounts differ regarding the events followed by his death. While earlier accounts claimed that after the death of Sukhrangpha, his brother Sutuphaa ascended the throne, later historians Padmeshwar Gogoi and S. L. Baruah claimed that Sukhrangpha's death was followed by a period of interregnum from 1364 CE to 1369 CE, before the nobles finally installed Sukhrangpha's brother Sutuphaa on the throne. Dr. Romesh Buragohain wrote about the reason for the first interregnum as Sukhrangpha died without leaving a male heir to succeed him, the nobles took advantage of it and instead of inviting Sutuphaa to the throne, they went for an interregnum.
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