Bagh Hazarika

Ismail Siddique, who is popularly known as Bagh Hazarika, was a 17th-century commander who fought against the Mughals for the Ahom kingdom. He is culturally represented as "Hero of Indigenous Muslim Communities in Assam". He was born in an Assamese Muslim family at Dhekerigaon village near Garhgaon in Assam

Legend Bagh Hazarika with Ahom Hero, Lachit Barphukan and other Ahom warriors. The legend about his origin states that there was once a tiger that had entered his village and Ismail Siddique, who was unarmed, killed the tiger barehanded. The news of this valour reached the Ahom king Chakradhwaj Singha and he called the young man to his court to display his strength. The king was impressed by the show of strength and appointed Ismail as a Hazarika, an Ahom office in charge of 1000 paiks. Hazarika himself was not an Ahom. This event marks the beginning of the legend of the brave Bagh ("Tiger" in Assamese language) Hazarika that culminated in his acts of bravery during Battle of Saraighat.

Footnotes