Battle of Baddowal

Battle of Baddowal
	Part of the First Anglo-Sikh War
	; Siege of the fort at Baduwal (Baddowal Fort) in Ludhiana. Lithograph after an original sketch by Prince Waldemar of Prussia and published in 'In Memory of the Travels of Prince Waldemar of Prussia to India 1844-1846' (Vol.II)
Date	21 January 1846
Location	Dharmkot, Ludhiana
Result	Sikh victory
Belligerents
Sikh Empire	East India Company
Commanders and leaders
Ranjodh Singh Majithia ; Akali Hanuman Singh	Harry Smith
Strength
15,000	12,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	598

Last updated February 19, 2024

The Battle of Baddowal, known by locals as Angauli Jetu Jang (meaning "unsung war which was won"^[3]), was an attack on 21 January 1846 by troops of the Sikh Empire on a contingent of the British East India Company near Ludhiana in the present-day state of Punjab, India.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] The battle ended with a Sikh victory.^[9]^[10]

The battle

After the Sikh army was defeated in the Battle of Mudki and the Battle of Ferozeshah, the British army, led by Sir Harry Smith, marched to relieve Ludhiana.^[10] The rear of his Anglo-Indian column was attacked near Baddowal by Sikh troops under Ranjodh Singh.^[4]^[7] The British army lost baggage and stores. However a week later they defeated the Sikhs at the Battle of Aliwal.^[1]

Ranjodh Singh Majithia was the son of Desa Singh Majithia, one of the most able ministers under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Ranjodh Singh commanded a large army of ten thousand infantry and cavalry with sixty guns. They crossed the Sutlej and were joined by Ajit Singh of Ladwa.^[11] They marched towards Ludhiana and burnt a portion of the British cantonment. Harry Smith (afterwards Governor of Cape Colony), who was sent to relieve Ludhiana, marched eastwards from Ferozepur, keeping a few miles away from the Sutlej.

Ranjodh Singh Majithia attacked Smith’s column and when Smith tried to make a detour at Buddowal, attacked his rear with great vigour and captured his baggage train and stores on 21 January. Harry Smith states, "the enemy, with a dexterity and quickness not to be exceeded, formed a line of seven battalions directly across my rear, with guns in the intervals of battalions, for the purpose of attacking my column with his line. This was a very able and well-executed move, which rendered my position critical and demanded nerve and decision to evade the coming storm.”

Ranjodh Singh Majithia. Watercolour by a Company artist, Punjab, ca.1865
Equestrian miniature of Raja Ajit Singh of Ladwa, circa 19th century

Aftermath and atrocities

As retribution, the British burnt the Buddowal Fort including the Indian civilians inside it.^[3] According to local lore, British troops tied women, elderly men, and children to a banyan tree located in the village square and set them ablaze whilst they were still alive.^[3]

Legacy

The surviving structure of the Baddowal Fort was demolished though some of its bricks were later reused.^[3] The banyan tree where local civilians were burnt alive in the aftermath was cut down in the mid-1980s though a new one has been planted in its memory.^[3] A memorial was built at this place in 1997 to keep the legacy of this important event alive.^[3] Local panchayats from Baddowal, Hassanpur, Bhanohar, and Pamal villages commemorate the anniversary of the battle annually and jointly.^[3]

Related Research Articles

The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of Jammu & Kashmir as a separate princely state under British suzerainty.

The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the British East India Company in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was forged on the foundations of the Khalsa from a collection of autonomous misls. At its peak in the 19th century, the empire extended from Gilgit and Tibet in the north to the deserts of Sindh in the south and from the Khyber Pass in the west to the Sutlej in the east as far as Oudh. It was divided into four provinces: Lahore, which became the Sikh capital; Multan; Peshawar; and Kashmir from 1799 to 1849. Religiously diverse, with an estimated population of 4.5 million in 1831, it was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to be annexed by the British Empire.

Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who died fighting for India.

The Battle of Sobraon was fought on 10 February 1846, between the forces of the East India Company and the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The Sikhs were completely defeated, making this the decisive battle of the First Anglo-Sikh War.

The Battle of Aliwal was fought on 28 January 1846 between the British and Sikh forces in northern India. The British were led by Sir Harry Smith, while the Sikhs were led by Ranjodh Singh Majithia. Britain's victory in the battle is sometimes regarded as the turning point in the First Anglo-Sikh War.

The Battle of Mudki was fought on 18 December 1845, between the forces of the East India Company and part of the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The British army won an untidy encounter battle, sustaining heavy casualties.

The Battle of Ferozeshah was fought on 21 December and 22 December 1845 between the British East India Company and the Sikh Empire, at the village of Ferozeshah in Punjab. The British were led by Sir Hugh Gough and Governor-General Sir Henry Hardinge, while the Sikhs were led by Lal Singh. The British emerged victorious.

Mudki, also spelled as Moodkee, is a town in Punjab state of India. This town lies in Ferozepur district. Mudki has been famous for the Battle of Mudki, which took place in 1845 between the British and Sikh armies. In memory of Sikh soldiers who died in the battle, a famous Gurudwara named Shaheed ganj, or Katalgarh, stands at the site of the battle. More recently, a school named as Shahid Ganj Public School and a women's college have been started, which are providing education in the rural area, in which, being a border district, there are very few schools and colleges.

The Misls were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and is cited as one of the causes of the weakening of the Mughal Empire prior to Nader Shah's invasion of India in 1738–1740.

Malwa is a geographical region in the south of Punjab state in India. It is located between south of the Sutlej river, north of the Ghaggar river, east of Pakistan, and west of the Sivalik Hills.

Ferozepur Cantonment, also known as Firojpur Cantonment and Firojepur Cantonment, is a cantonment town in Firozpur district in the state of Punjab, India. It is located to the south of the city of Firozpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baghel Singh</span> Sikh leader of the Singh Krora Misl

Baghel Singh was a Military general in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. He rose to prominence in the area around Sutlej and Yamuna. Singh joined the Singh Krora Misl, one of the misls during Sikh Confederacy. In 1765, Singh became the leader of the misl.

Ranjodh Singh was a powerful member of the Sikh aristocracy and governor of Hazara. The Majithia family are Jat of the Shergill gotra (clan), and were particularly influential in the area near their headquarters in Majithia.

Malaudh was a Cis-Sutlej Phulkian princely state of India till 1846, after which it was merged into the Ludhiana District by the British when they annexed the territories around Ludhiana. The town of Malaudh, or Maloud, is situated at a distance of about 40 kilometres from Ludhiana on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla Road and is linked by approach road kup-payal road though village Rorian which is now part of it as Nagar Panchayat. It lies on 75°- 56' Longitude and 30° – 38' Latitude. Malaudh is a very ancient place which was known as Malla Udey or rise of the Mallas with whom Multan or Mallustan is associated and later got corrupted to Malaudh. There was a The Loharan about 1 kilometer on the southern side which has now disappeared. Malaudh has a government high school (co-educational), middle school for girls and a primary school for boys, a post office, primary health centre and a veterinary dispensary. Malaudh became a part of the Ludhiana District when it was formed out of the territories annexed by the British in 1846.

Raja Lal Singh was Wazir of the Sikh Empire and commander of Sikh Khalsa Army forces during the First Anglo-Sikh War. Along with Tej Singh, Lal Singh was in the employ of the East India Company during the course of the war. Lal Singh was regularly supplying information and even receiving instructions from Company officers, communicating through Captain Peter Nicholson.

The Nawab of Mamdot was the title of the hereditary rulers of Mamdot, a princely state, near Firozpur, in the Punjab region of British India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo Sikh War Memorial</span>

The Punjab Government built Anglo-Sikh war memorial at Ferozeshah, Ferozepur at Moga Road. The memorial was built to honor the soldiers who died fighting against British army at Chillianwala on 13 January 1849; Sabhraon on 10 February 1846; Mudki on 18 December 1845; and Ferozeshah on 21–22 December 1845.

Raja Surat Singh (1810–1881) was a Punjabi Jagirdar, a military officer in the Khalsa Army, and a member of the renowned Majithia family.

The Panchayati Revolution was fought between the Lahore Durbar and the Khalsa Panchayat between 1841 and 1844 in a wide variety of areas. It resulted in the First Anglo-Sikh War to start and the end to Sikh dominance in the Lahore Durbar.

References

1 2 Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5 . Retrieved 8 September 2017.
1 2 3 Patwant Singh (2000). The Sikhs. p. 160. ISBN 9780375407284.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mohindra, Ruchika (17 February 2000). "Villagers to celebrate Baddowal battle". The Tribune. 'The story that has come down the generations is that the only weapons our forefathers used were axes and other sharp-edged agricultural implements. However, the fort fell to the British Army and they ordered that the village be razed to the ground". One of the aides of the British, the "kiledar" of Lalton, however, took pity and asked the British officers to give the villagers time to escape. While the British did give some time, it was not enough and many people who could not escape were burnt alive', says Giani Sajjan Singh, a former SGPC member and a resident of village Hassanpur.
1 2 Grewal, J.S. (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Vol. 2–3. Cambridge University Press. p. 124. ISBN 9780521637640.
↑ Grewal, Gurdial Singh (1991). "Battle of Baddowal". Freedom Struggle of India by Sikhs and Sikhs in India: The Facts World Must Know. Vol. 1. Sant Isher Singh Rarewala Education Trust. p. 97.
↑ Gupta, Hari Ram (1999). History of the Sikhs: The Sikh Commonwealth or Rise and Fall of Sikh Misls. History of the Sikhs. Vol. 4 (3rd ed.). Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 107. There he collected as many men as he could and joined the Sikh army in the battle of Baddowal in January, 1846 .
1 2 Siddiqi, Aslam (1964). A Path for Pakistan. Pakistan Publishing House. p. 37. On 21 January 1846, Ranjaur Singh Majithia led the Sikh forces to battle at Baddowal.
↑ Sidhu, Amarpal Singh (2016). "Chronology". The Second Anglo-Sikh War. John Chapple (1st ed.). United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445650241.
↑ Seetal, Sohan Singh (1970). How Fell the Sikh Kingdom. Lyall Book Depot. p. 150. The English had been badly beaten in the battle of Baddowal.
1 2 Palat, Raghu; Palat, Pushpa (2019). The Case That Shook the Empire: One Man's Fight for the Truth about the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9789389000290. In 1845, at the Battle of Mudki, Lal Singh deserted the Sikh army and ran away. The Khalsa army did not flee, however, and inflicted heavy casualties on the British. The Battle of Ferozepur took place a few days later, and it seemed certain that the Sikhs would win. But at a crucial time, Lal Singh came to the rescue of the British and, lacking leadership, the Sikhs lost the battle. Refusing to accept defeat, the Sikhs retaliated by marching onto Ludhiana and torching the British cantonment. In the battle that followed at Baddowal, Sir Henry Smith was defeated. However, additional reinforcements soon arrived for the British, and the last battle between the British and the Sikhs took place at Sobraon in February 1846. Though betrayed by their own and fighting against overwhelming odds, the Khalsa army led by Sham Singh Attari fought till the bloody end.
↑ "Bharati Journal of Comparative Literature". Bharati Journal of Comparative Literature. Subramania Bharati Chair, Guru Nanak Dev University. 2 (1): 12. 1987. An account of the battle of Baddowal is given, where Ajit Singh of Ladua gave a brief battle to a part of the army of the British in which Ajit Singh and his contingent of a few hundred villagers from: Gill , Dhandra , Raipur and ...

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[jacques-1] 1 2 Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5 . Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[Patwant-2] 1 2 3 Patwant Singh (2000). The Sikhs. p. 160. ISBN 9780375407284.

[:0-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mohindra, Ruchika (17 February 2000). "Villagers to celebrate Baddowal battle". The Tribune. 'The story that has come down the generations is that the only weapons our forefathers used were axes and other sharp-edged agricultural implements. However, the fort fell to the British Army and they ordered that the village be razed to the ground". One of the aides of the British, the "kiledar" of Lalton, however, took pity and asked the British officers to give the villagers time to escape. While the British did give some time, it was not enough and many people who could not escape were burnt alive', says Giani Sajjan Singh, a former SGPC member and a resident of village Hassanpur.

[:1-4] 1 2 Grewal, J.S. (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Vol. 2–3. Cambridge University Press. p. 124. ISBN 9780521637640.

[5] Grewal, Gurdial Singh (1991). "Battle of Baddowal". Freedom Struggle of India by Sikhs and Sikhs in India: The Facts World Must Know. Vol. 1. Sant Isher Singh Rarewala Education Trust. p. 97.

[6] Gupta, Hari Ram (1999). History of the Sikhs: The Sikh Commonwealth or Rise and Fall of Sikh Misls. History of the Sikhs. Vol. 4 (3rd ed.). Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 107. There he collected as many men as he could and joined the Sikh army in the battle of Baddowal in January, 1846 .

[:2-7] 1 2 Siddiqi, Aslam (1964). A Path for Pakistan. Pakistan Publishing House. p. 37. On 21 January 1846, Ranjaur Singh Majithia led the Sikh forces to battle at Baddowal.

[:32-8] Sidhu, Amarpal Singh (2016). "Chronology". The Second Anglo-Sikh War. John Chapple (1st ed.). United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445650241.

[9] Seetal, Sohan Singh (1970). How Fell the Sikh Kingdom. Lyall Book Depot. p. 150. The English had been badly beaten in the battle of Baddowal.

[:3-10] 1 2 Palat, Raghu; Palat, Pushpa (2019). The Case That Shook the Empire: One Man's Fight for the Truth about the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9789389000290. In 1845, at the Battle of Mudki, Lal Singh deserted the Sikh army and ran away. The Khalsa army did not flee, however, and inflicted heavy casualties on the British. The Battle of Ferozepur took place a few days later, and it seemed certain that the Sikhs would win. But at a crucial time, Lal Singh came to the rescue of the British and, lacking leadership, the Sikhs lost the battle. Refusing to accept defeat, the Sikhs retaliated by marching onto Ludhiana and torching the British cantonment. In the battle that followed at Baddowal, Sir Henry Smith was defeated. However, additional reinforcements soon arrived for the British, and the last battle between the British and the Sikhs took place at Sobraon in February 1846. Though betrayed by their own and fighting against overwhelming odds, the Khalsa army led by Sham Singh Attari fought till the bloody end.

[11] "Bharati Journal of Comparative Literature". Bharati Journal of Comparative Literature. Subramania Bharati Chair, Guru Nanak Dev University. 2 (1): 12. 1987. An account of the battle of Baddowal is given, where Ajit Singh of Ladua gave a brief battle to a part of the army of the British in which Ajit Singh and his contingent of a few hundred villagers from: Gill , Dhandra , Raipur and ...

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