He stopped the persecution of the Neo-Vaisnava sect and built temples, several public works, and patronized art, literature, and culture.
[2] He giving up the isolationist policy of his predecessors forged diplomatic ties with various states of that time and established extensive trade with Bengal.
He remodeled the administrative structure and army and carried on aggressive warfare upon the neighboring chiefdoms and countries, the Jaintias and Dimasas submitted and became vassals.
Rudra Singha strengthened by various factors built a coalition of rulers in the region and raised a vast composite army against the Mughal Empire.
During Rudra Singha's reign, the Ahom nobility was far better organized than ever and stood behind the king representing the cherished feudal values and aspirations.
[citation needed] Dihingia Deka Borbarua, in order to maintain communications and facilitate the transmission of supplies, forts were constructed and garrisoned on the route.
The Babaura's men at Namira Ahom victory Total: 71,000 Bobarua's army: 37,000 fort defeated the defenders and made them flee.
[citation needed] In March 1707 the king recalled the Pani Phukan who brought back the whole force after demolishing the brick fort at Maibang, burning down houses there and erecting a thirteen feet high pillar to commemorate his success.
Fortifications were made at Demera where a strong garrison was left, which had to be withdrawn by the king owing to sickness and mortality with the setting in of the rains.
Terrified by the advancing Ahom armies, Tamradhvaj fled to Bikrampur and sent an urgent appeal for help to Ram Singh, King of Jaintia Kingdom.
[8] In December 1707, Surath Singha Borbarua with a force of 43,000 men and number of commanders, was to march towards Jaintiapur via the Kopili valley and the Dimasa country[9] And the other division under the Borphukan advanced from the Barkharoi camp by the Gobha route, he was accompanied by the king of Darrang and the Phukan under the Buragohain, a Dafla and a Miri contingent and two Deodhai pandits accompanied him.
He proceeded to Bikrampur and during his march, he sent messengers in advance to reassure the people who came and paid their respects and were glad that the forces needed no supplies of provisions from them.
In certain engagements, the Jaintias fared well but were ultimately worsted by the Ahoms who had the advantage of superior numbers and strength and reinforcements at crucial moments.
The Ahom subjects who had fled to Khaspur during Mir Jumla II invasion were brought back and an army of occupation under the Borbarua and the Borphukan was stationed at Jaintiapur.
These measures greatly irritated the Jaintia nobles who induced the Bar Dalai, the Raja of Khairam, and the inhabitants of two hundred independent Khasi villages to join them in expelling the invaders.
The Borbarua and Borphukan sent reinforcements from Jaintipur, no doubt, but with the approach of the rains, it was thought unwise and dangerous to remain in hostile territory, and retreat to Gobha was decided upon.
Rudra Singha lost his patience and launched another expedition to Jaintia Kingdom, by dispatching two divisions along the routes of Gobha and Kopili.
But later on, the Barkonwar refrained from accepting Ahom vassalship and refused to pay tribute, leading Rudra Singha to undertake a third expedition.
[15] Historian Surya Kumar Bhuyan sought to explain the objectives of this proposed invasion of Bengal by the following points– i) Rudra Singha was informed of the plight to which Hindus had been rendered; ii) He himself was humiliated by Murshid Quli Khan who sent to him robes as presents which were meant for the vassal chiefs;[16] iii) Assamese pilgrims also received obstruction from the Mughal officers in their visits to the Hindu shrines in India, specifically in connection with the pilgrimages to the Ganges.
[17][18] He then began to make elaborate preparations for a fresh war against Mughals with two ends in view namely, to oust them from their sovereign power in eastern India and to expand their territory to the Ahom kingdom as far as the Karatoya river to the west.
He appealed to their religious sentiments, which is evident from the letters sent to the king of Tripura Ratna Manikya II, where he wrote:[19] This has become very widely current among the people that owing to the hostile actions of the Mughals, the religion as inculcated in the Vedas does not get any protection.
For this, if it appears to you to be the right thing to put a stop to this situation by some action, then please write to me in detail about your strength and aptitude after discussing with the big personage with whom you have friendship...[20] Thus he took the initiative to form a Hindu union against the Mughals.
However, he soon created dissension in the Vaisnava camp by promulgating a synod, which debarred the Shudra Mahantas from initiating Brahmins, and which was completely against the principles of creed propagated by Sankardeva.
[24][25] Rudra Singha during his reign recognized the four Satras: Auniati, Dakhinpat, Garamur, and Kuruabahi as Rajasatra, bestowed preferential treatments and seniority.
[28]He introduced Mughal dress to Ahom court and sent Brahman boys to study at great centers of learning in Bengal and Bihar.
It is said that it was he,who for the first time had the Bihu celebrated in the palace courtyard and organised varied performances for full seven days including competitions of many kinds or sports and games and cultural shows[29] For the promotion of sports and games he created offices like those of Sen-Chowa Barua, who was in charge of training of hawks and Kukura-Chowa Barua, in charge of training of cocks.
Rudra Singha had created a new clan called khound consisting of some selected Sanyasis, for the duty of immersion of the ashes of the kings in the Ganges, they were employed as spies.
Of them the most notable was Kabiraj Chakravarty, who composed the famous drama Sankha-Chura-Bandha, and had translated the Abhiyana Sukuntalam and the Brahma-Vaivrata Purana into Assamese.
It is also said that he received the submission of all the tribes, and to have established extensive trade with Tibet, abandoning the policy of isolation of his predecessor to some extent, he encouraged intercourse between the different countries and sent envoys to them of India.