Battle of Bilaspur (1711)

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Battle of Bilaspur
Part of Banda Singh Bahadur's invasion of the Hill States
DateEarly 1711
Location
Result Sikh Victory [1]
Belligerents
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png First Sikh State Bilaspur flag.svg Kahlur
Assisted by:
21 Hill States
Commanders and leaders
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png Banda Singh Bahadur
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png Baghar Singh
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png Ranjor Singh
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png Bajar Singh
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png Kehar Singh
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png Ranjit Singh
Bilaspur flag.svg Raja Ajmer Chand  White flag icon.svg
Strength
5 accompanied voluntary by a large number of Sikhs 1,300 Mian Rajputs
7 war elephants
Casualties and losses
Unknown Entire Army [2]

The Battle of Bilaspur was fought in 1711 by Sikh forces led by Banda Singh Bahadur and the rulers of the Sivalik Hills led by Raja Ajmer Chand of Princely State of Kahlur (Bilaspur).

Contents

Background

After fighting for Punjab against the Mughal Empire and suffering defeat in the Battle of Lohgarh, Banda Singh Bahadur launched an attack towards the Hill States. [3] He established his headquarters at Kiratpur Sahib and positioned his troops at Anandpur Sahib. [4] He warned Kahlur to prepare for battle, feeling frustrated that this state always helped Mughals against Guru Gobind Singh. [5] [6]

After hearing this, the Raja of Kahlur positioned around 1,300 Mian Rajputs and seven war elephants. [2] [7]

Battle

Banda Singh first sent only five Sikh warriors towards the fort who were accompanied voluntarily by a large number of Sikhs. [3] These five Sikhs were Baghar Singh, Ranjor Singh, Bajar Singh, Kehar Singh and Ranjit Singh. [8] [9] Kehar, Ranjor and Ranjit Singh managed to slay all the war elephants. Bajar Singh broke down the fort's door and started to kill the enemy along with Baghar Singh. Then a large number of Sikhs arrived and assaulted the fort. [3] At last, Kahlur was defeated with a heavy cost of 1,300 lives. [10] [11]

Aftermath

After this crushing defeat, the Sikhs ruthlessly plundered Bilaspur. [12] Mandi was the next target of the Khalsa. Raja Sudh Sain of Mandi declared himself as a follower of Guru Nanak and turned himself to Banda Singh. [13]

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References

  1. Kapoor, Sukhbir (1988). The Ideal Man: The Concept of Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Prophet of the Sikhs. The University of Virginia: Khalsa College London Press. p. 177.
  2. 1 2 D.S Saggu VSM (2018). Battle Tactics And War Manoeuvres of the Sikhs. Notion Press. ISBN   9781642490060.
  3. 1 2 3 Bhangu, Rattan Singh (1914). Panth Prakash Vol.2 English Translation. pp. 265–287.
  4. Gupta, Hari Ram (1978). History Of The Sikhs Vol. II Evolution Of Sikh Confederacies (1707-69). p. 21.
  5. Singh, Ganda (1935). Life Of Banda Singh Bahadur Based On Contemporary And Original Records. Sikh Digital Library. Sikh Digital Library. pp. 154–155.
  6. Gurdev Singh Deol (1972). Banda Bahadur. p. 76.
  7. Sagoo, Harbans Kaur (2001). Banda Singh Bahadur and Sikh Sovereignty. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 190. ISBN   9788176293006.
  8. Louis E. Fenech (14 January 2021). The Cherished Five in Sikh History. Oxford University Press. p. 222. ISBN   9780197532867.
  9. Sohan Singh Seetal (2 September 2008). Rise of the Sikh Power and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. p. 94.
  10. Harajindara Siṅgha Dilagīra (1997). The Sikh reference book. p. 257. ISBN   9780969596424.
  11. Raj Pal Singh (1998). Banda Bahadur and His Times. Harman Publishing House. p. 43. ISBN   9788186622254.
  12. Harish Dhillon (May 2013). First Raj of the Sikhs. Hay House. ISBN   9789381398395.
  13. Surjit Singh Gandhi (1999). Sikhs In The Eighteenth Century. Singh Bros. p. 46. ISBN   9788172052171.

See also