Gaurinath held power, barbarities and persecutions ran rampant against all persons belonging to the Moamaria communion. Captain Welsh’s reports contain a pretence got the Bar Barua, his most powerful rival, arrested and put to death and raised a descendant of Gadadhar Singh, Kinaram, to the throne, saying that he had been nominated by Gaurinath Singh himself interesting information regarding the condition of the country towards the close of the eighteenth century. In December, 1794 Gaurinath Singh died. Character and legacy Gaurinath was the most incompetent of all the Ahom Kings. According to Captain Welsh, he was “a poor debilitated man, incapable of transacting business, always either washing or pray- ing, and when seen, intoxicated with opium.” He was vindic- tive and his treatment of the Moamarias and other enemies was cruel. but the stimulus of hatred or revenge was not always needed ; he would frequently perpetrate the grossest barbarities merely for the sadistic pleasure that he found in inflicting sufferings on others. He had a body of executioners ready to carry out his sanguinary orders. One of his servants having inadvertently answered a question meant for another, his eyeballs were extracted and his ears and nose were cut off. Gaurinath neglected his kingly duties and left these to his intriguing and corrupt favourites who, according to Captain Welsh, were “a set of villains, all drawing different ways”. The excesses of the king and his parasites coupled with the physical and moral deterioration of the people were responsible for the ignominious overthrow of his government by the Mayamara rebels. The signal success of Captain Welsh’s small force clearly shows what contemptible foes the Moamarias were. It is un- thinkable that the Ahoms would have been unable to repel the Moamaria rebels, had they presented a united front, undistracted by jealousy and mutual mistrust and unalienated by the excesses of their monarch and of his scheming ministers. The people had hitherto enjoyed a fair measure of happiness and prosperity but during his reign they were plunged into the depths of misery and despair Administrative work Gaurinath Singha administrative works were- Nafuki Rajmao Dol Aideo Pukhuri Kuari Pukhuri Namti Dol Barbarua Pukhuri Burhi Gosani Debalay Bibudhi Garh Aideo Ali See also Ahom dynasty Moamoria rebellion Notes References Gogoi, Padmeshwar (1968), The Tai and the Tai Kingdoms Comprehensive history of Assam, SL Baruah. 1970 Assam in the Ahom Age 1228-1826 by Basu s.