Tura : The tomb of Mir Jumla, one of the Mughal generals, at Thakurbari on the Assam-Meghalaya border in the westernmost part of West Garo Hills would be developed as a tourist destination in the state, Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, who recently visited the place has announced.

Interacting with the people of the area, the governor recalled his visit to Mankachar in Assam when he was serving as the director-general of BSF, where he was told about the existence of the tomb.

Later, during a visit to Bangladesh, he had also come across another memorial set up in the name of Mir Jumla with claims that the general s body was buried there. This, the governor said, "Made me particularly keen to visit the place and find out for myself whether his remains were actually buried there or not".

One of the members of Mir Jumla Mazar Sharif Committee, Ichaguri-Thakurbari showed the governor some documents to prove that the Mughal general was buried in the hillock under the erstwhile kingdom of Kamarupa in Assam, which now falls under Ampati Sub-division of West Garo Hills.

History has it that Mir Jumla, who was appointed the governor of Bengal in 1659 by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, invaded Assam heading a vast army. But the difficult terrain and the malaria prone climate of the area took a heavy toll on the Mughal Army. This forced Mir Jumla to retreat during 1663 without having fully accomplished the subjugation of Assam.

Before he could return to Bengal, the general himself was stricken with malaria and succumbed to the disease in the same year near Mankachar in the Garo Hills. His body was buried in the same place on a hillock and his tomb has been maintained over the centuries.