Battle of Jandiala

Last updated
Battle of Jandiala
Part of Afghan-Sikh wars
DateDecember 1764 [1]
Location
Jandiala, Punjab, Sikh Confederacy (Present day India)
Result Sikh victory
Belligerents
Abdali flag.png Durrani Empire
FlagofKalat.svg Khanate of Kalat 		Kattar Dhal Talwar.jpg Sikh Misls
Commanders and leaders
Abdali flag.png Ahmad Shah Abdali
FlagofKalat.svg Nasir Khan Baluch
Rahim Khan Bakhshi  † 		Unknown
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

The Battle of Jandiala took place in December 1764 between the Durrani Empire and the Sikhs Misls during Ahmad Shah Abdali's seventh campaign into India. Ahmad Shah Abdali and his army marched towards Jandiala and as soon as they reached near the town, the Sikhs opposed them and a battle took place where the Afghans were defeated and the Afghan commander Rahim Khan Bakhshi was killed. [2]

Contents

Background

Ahmad Shah Abdali marched his seventh campaign into India after hearing reports about the Sikh conquests [3] with 18,000 Afghans and adding another 12,000 soldiers under the chief of Qalat, Nasir Khan Baluch. [4] [5] When the united army marched from Eminabad to Lahore, the team of Durrani scouts were attacked near Lahore by the Sikhs, commanded by Charat Singh, and as Ahmad Shah Abdali was informed about the attack, he immediately had Nasir Khan march to assist the scout party. [6] A long furious battle took place till nightfall where Nasir Khan's horse was shot down, causing panic among his soldiers, and Nur Muhammad barely making an escape. [6] [7] The battle ended with the retirement of both parties. [6] Ahmad Shah Abdali then marched towards Amritsar and did not find any Sikh army except for 30 Sikhs in the Ramgarh fort, who came out of the fort and fearlessly attacked Durrani army, without any regard of the consequence, and willing to die for the cause of their religion. [6] [8] The thirty Sikhs engaged in a close fight against the Durrani soldiers and laid down their lives in the Battle of Darbar Sahib (1764). [6] Ahmad Shah Abdali returned back to Lahore and then marched towards Sirhind and decided to pass through the Upper Bari and the Jalandhar Doaba as this was the area where not only the Sikhs lived but also contained fertile crops for the Afghan soldiers to supply themselves with. [2] Along the way, the Afghans destroyed the homes and crops of the Sikhs and as soon as they draw closer to the town Jandiala, they were opposed by the Sikhs where a battle ensued. [2] All this time, the Sikhs were lingering in a distance behind the Afghans utilizing guerilla tactics. [2]

Battle

As Abdali and his forces got nearer to the town of Jandiala, the Sikhs opposed them and a battle took place resulting in the defeat of Afghans. [2] [9] [10] Afghan commander Rahim Khan Bakhshi was killed in the battle. [2] [11] [12]

Aftermath

After the defeat, Ahmad Shah Durrani marched towards Batala, reaching the town in 15 days of his travel from Lahore where he suffered another setback after the defeat in the Battle of Batala. [2] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durrani dynasty</span> Dynasty of the Afghan Empire

The Durrani dynasty was founded in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani at Kandahar, Afghanistan. He united the different Pashtun tribes and created the Durrani Empire. which at its peak included the modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, as well as some parts of northeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India including the Kashmir Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jassa Singh Ahluwalia</span> Sikh leader and founder of Kapurthala State (1718–1783)

Sultan-ul-Qaum Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was a Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy, being the Supreme Leader of the Dal Khalsa. He was also Misldar of the Ahluwalia Misl. This period was an interlude, lasting roughly from the time of the death of Banda Bahadur in 1716 to the founding of the Sikh Empire in 1801. He founded the Kapurthala State in 1772.

<i>Vadda Ghalughara</i> Genocide of Sikhs in 1762

Vadda Ghalughara was the mass murder of unarmed Sikhs by the Afghan forces of the Durrani Empire during the years of Afghan influence in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent owing to the repeated incursions of Ahmad Shah Durrani in February 1762. It is distinguished from the Chhota Ghalughara. Mostly non-combatants were killed in the event, and an estimated that 10,000 to 50,000 Sikhs were killed on 5 February 1762.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan–Sikh Wars</span> 1748–1837 wars between the Afghan and Sikh empires

The Afghan–Sikh Wars spanned from 1748 to 1837 in the Indian subcontinent, and saw multiple phases of fighting between the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Empire, mainly in and around Punjab region. The conflict's origins stemmed from the days of the Dal Khalsa, and continued after the Emirate of Kabul succeeded the Durrani Empire.

The Maratha conquest of Northwest India occurred between 1757 and 1759, when the Maratha Empire captured the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent from the Durrani Empire this had a long-lasting effects upon the future geopolitics of the Indian subcontinent.

The Battle of Kup was fought on 5 February 1762, between the Afghan forces of Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Sikhs, under the command of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Charat Singh.Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Afghan forces reached Malerkotla, west of Sirhind.Different sources give various estimates on how many sikhs were present.According to Tom Landsford, nearly 30,000 Sikh men, women, children, and elderly laid encamped.According to Narendra Sinha, 40,000 Sikhs were present.According to Hari Ram Gupta, 50,000 Sikh soldiers laid encamped at Kup while 5,000 non combatants laid encamped at Pind Garma.Abdali's forces outnumbered the Sikhs in hand to hand combat and the Sikhs couldn't use their usual tactics of hit and run, but had to engage in battle while protecting the civilians at the same time.With surprise attack, the Sikhs threw a human shield around civilians as protection and fought the battle killing several thousand Afghans.Abdali was able to break the ring and carried out a full scale massacre of the Sikh civilians. Ahmad Shah's forces killed several thousand Sikhs, and the surviving Sikhs fled to Barnala. According to various different estimates, as many as 5,000 to 30,000 Sikh men, women, elderly and children were killed in what is known as the second Sikh holocaust.

The Battle of Sialkot took place on 12 November 1763, between the Durrani Empire, led by Jahan Khan, and the Sukerchakia Misl, led by Charat Singh, as part of the Afghan-Sikh wars which concluded with Sikh victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani</span> Overview of 18th-century Afghan military conquests in India under Ahmad Shah Durrani

Ahmad Shah Durrani invaded the Indian subcontinent from the northwest eight times between 1748 and 1767. After the assassination of Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah Durrani succeeded the throne of Afghanistan and started plundering wealth from nearby regions. His repeated incursions brought the Mughal empire to the brink of collapse and further dealt a major blow to Maratha dominions in the North at Panipat, creating a power vacuum. His objectives were met through the raids and caused political issues in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Amritsar (1757)</span> Battle

The Battle of Amritsar, also known as the Battle of Gohalwar, was fought between the Durrani Empire and Shaheedan Misl of the Dal Khalsa on 11 November 1757. Following the fourth invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani, his army was attacked by Sikh bands under the command of Ala Singh and Baba Deep Singh. Following the attacks, Ahmad Shah desecrated the Sikh holy site known as the Shri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. The news of the desecration reached Baba Deep Singh who vowed to liberate the holy site from the Afghans. This resulted in a pitched battle being fought in the village of Gohalwar, near Amritsar. The battle resulted in Baba Deep Singh being killed. The exact result of the battle is disputed among historians.

The Battle of Mahilpur was fought between the Sikh Misls and Adina Beg Khan against the Durrani Empire in December 1757.Following the 4th invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani,he would appoint Timur Shah as the viceroy of Punjab with Jahan Khan as his deputy.The Afghans would appoint Adina Beg Khan as the faujdar of the Jalandhar Doaba and exempting him from attending court at lahore, on the condition that Adina Beg pay revenue to the Afghan government.Soon a dispute regarding the payment of revenue occurred between Adina Beg and the Afghans.This dispute soon escalated which resulted in Jahan Khan sending an Afghan force to arrest Adina Beg.Adina Beg formed a military alliance with the Sikhs under the command of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Vadbhag Singh Sodhi.Adina Beg also gained the support of Sadiq Beg Khan,Khwaja Mirza Khan,and Raja Bhup Singh.Adina Beg along with the Sikh forces fought the Afghans at Mahilpur.The battle resulted in a victory for Adina Beg and the Sikhs and resulted in the entire Jalandhar Doaba being occupied and sacked by the Sikh forces.

The Battle of Darbar Sahib was fought between the Shaheedan Misl of the Sikhs and the Durrani Empire of Ahmad Shah Abdali aided by the Khanate of Kalat.

The Battle of Batala took place on December 1764 as part of the Afghan-Sikh Wars between the Durrani Empire and the Sikhs Misls. Ahmad Shah Durrani and his force marched towards Batala after their defeat at Jandiala and as soon as they reached Batala, the Sikhs opposed them and a battle took place where the Durranis were defeated and Afghan commander Sarbuland Khan was wounded.

The Battle of Amritsar took place on 17 January 1767 between the Durranis and the Sikh Misls during Ahmad Shah Abdali's eighth campaign into India. Durrani commander Jahan Khan marched to the neighborhood of Chak where he was met by the Sikhs who became aware of Khan's movements. A battle ensued, resulting in the defeat of Afghans with between 5,000 to 6,000 casualties.

The Battle of Amritsar took place on 12 January 1797 between the Durranis and the Sikh Misls as part of the Afghan-Sikh wars which ended with Sikh victory and retreat of Zaman Shah Durrani.

The Battle of Qarawal was fought Between the Sikhs under the command of Charat Singh against the Afghan forces lead by Ahmad Shah Abdali and his Kalat ally Nasir Khan.The battle resulted in a victory for the Afghan forces and forced the Sikhs to withdraw to Amritsar.

TheBattle of Lahore took place in December 1764 near Lahore, between the Durranis and the Sikh Misls as part of the Afghan-Sikh wars which ended indecisively with both parties retiring due to nightfall.

The Battle of Gujrat took place in December 1765 between the supreme leader of the Chaj Doab territory, Sultan Muqarrab Khan, who owed allegiance to Ahmad Shah Abdali, and the Sikh Misls under Charat Singh and Gujar Singh. Muqarrab Khan was defeated in the battle, and the Sikhs captured the city. Gujar Singh made Gujrat his capital after repairing and rebuilding the fort with stronger walls.

The Battle on the Beas took place in March 1765, between the Durranis and the Sikh Misls as part of the Afghan-Sikh wars during Ahmad Shah Abdali's return home. The battle which took place on the seventh day of the ongoing harassment by the Sikhs, ended without any conclusion.

The Battle on the Sutlej took place in March 1765, between the Durranis and the Sikh Misls as part of the Afghan-Sikh wars during Ahmad Shah Abdali's return home. The pitched battle ended indecisively.

The battle of the Jullundur Doab took place in 1765, between the Durranis and the Sikh Misls as part of the Afghan-Sikh wars which ended with Afghan victory as the Sikhs failed to seize any plunder.

References

  1. ↑ Gupta, Hari Ram (1999). Evolution of Sikh Confederacies. Munshiram Manoharlal. pp. 215–217. ISBN   9788121502481.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gupta 1999, p. 217.
  3. ↑ Gandhi, Surjit Singh (1999). Sikhs of the Eighteenth Century. Singh Bros. p. 292. ISBN   9788172052171.
  4. ↑ Gupta 1999, p. 215.
  5. ↑ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad Shah Durrani: Father of Modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House and online by Cambridge University Press. pp. 297–300.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Gupta 1999, p. 216.
  7. ↑ Singh 1959, p. 299.
  8. 1 2 Singh 1959, p. 300.
  9. ↑ Seetal 1971, p. 331.
  10. ↑ Sandhu 2000, p. 163.
  11. ↑ Seetal, Sohan Singh (1971). Rise of the Sikh Power and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Dhanpat Rai. p. 331.
  12. ↑ Sandhu, Jaspreet Kaur (2000). Sikh Ethos Eighteenth Century Perspective. Vision & Venture. p. 163. ISBN   9788186769126.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.