This book is named Atan Buragohain and His Times as the pivotal figure is Atan Buragohain who was prime minister of Assam from January 1662 to March 1679. The narrative continues up to the year 1682 when the Moguls were finally expelled from Gauhati, that event being a memorable sequel to the developments of the two preceding decades. Atan Buragohain's appointment as premier synchronised with the entrance of the Mogul forces into Assam early in 1662; and the conflict of 1682 witnessed the termination of the long-drawn hostilities between Assam and Mo- gul India. The intervening years represent a fateful period in the history of Assam, both on account of its external dangers and its internal disruptions.

To bring the narrative to its logical conclusion, I have inserted a few pages describing the reign of King Gadadhar Singha, 1681- 96, which witnessed the restoration of sanity in the counsels of the nobles and firmness in the administration of the country in contrast to the anarchy and confusion of the previous decade.

The book may be regarded as a companion volume and a sequel to my earlier work Lachit Barphukan and His Times. Assam's success in the resistance against the imperialistic menace of the Moguls during the years 1667 and 1671 was due to the efficient organisation and leadership of Lachit Barphukan the gen- eral and Atan Buragohain the premier, and the details have been. narrated in Chapters IV and V of the present volume. The Buragohain played a conspicuous part in the events of the period following the death of Lachit Barphukan in 1671, and they constitute the subject- matter of the remaining portion of this book.

I was first drawn to the personality of Atan Buragohain about the year 1925 when,, as the result of a close study of the unpub- lished Buranjis or chronicles, I realised his greatness as a patriot and a statesman. I then resolved to unravel the story of his uncommon leadership to Assam and the world, so that my brother mortals may draw inspiration from the example of his lofty char- acter and disinterested endeavour. During the winter of 1930, I spoke on Atan Buragohain at a meeting of the Assamese Students' Literary Club at the Cotton College, Gauhati. It was followed by the publication of two articles in The Cottonian for March and September 1931. I proceeded with the work during intervals of business; and I could compile the concluding chapters and give the finishing touches only during the last few years. Each chapter has now been revised and enlarged in the light of materials discovered meanwhile. The book has thus been my constant and agreeable companion for the last twenty-five years, and I have turned to it again and again whenever I obtained some relief from my other avocations and preoccupations.

**Contents and Sample Pages**