Battle of Kiratpur

Last updated
Battle of Kiratpur
Part of Early Mughal-Sikh Wars
Date1638
Location
Kharkar to Kiratpur Sahib route
Result Sikh victory [1]
Belligerents
Akal Sena Flag.svg Akal Sena (Sikhs) Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Akal Sena Flag.svg Guru Hargobind
Akal Sena Flag.svg Tegh Bahadur
Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Ruler of Ropar
Pathans of Ropar
Gujjars of Nangal Gujjaran
Ranghars of Malakpur [2]
Strength
23 (during the siege - later reinforced with larger army) [1] Unknown (Larger than Sikh army during the siege)
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown, but high

The Battle of Kiratpur, also known as Battle of Kiratpur Sahib, took place between the Sikhs commanded by Guru Hargobind and the Mughal Empire commanded by the Rulers and Pathans of Ropar. It was also the last skirmish between the Sikhs and the Mughals. [1]

Contents

Battle

The Mughals, Pathans, Gujjars and other locals at Ropar were jealous of Guru Hargobind's popularity and wanted to avenged an earlier defetar of theirs. The Pathans launched a supries attack on Guru Hargobind who was only accompanied with 22 Sikhs. [3] [1]

Guru Hargobind was forced to take shelter in Brhaman Majra where he and the Sikhs held off the Mughal and coalition forces until reinforcements from Kiratpur could arrive. [1] [3] [2]

Legacy

A Gurdwara was constructed at the location of the battle by Sant Kartar Singh Bhindranwale in 1975. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Hargobind</span> Sixth Sikh guru from 1606 to 1644

Guru Hargobind was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He had become Guru at the young age of eleven, after the execution of his father, Guru Arjan, by the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Tegh Bahadur</span> Ninth Sikh guru from 1665 to 1675

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675. He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru. Considered a principled and fearless warrior, he was a learned spiritual scholar and a poet whose 115 hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the main text of Sikhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baba Gurditta</span> Son of Guru Hargobind, father of Guru Har Rai (1613–1638)

Baba Gurditta was the son of Guru Hargobind, and the father of Guru Har Rai of Sikhism. There is a gurudwara in Kiratpur Sahib, Punjab which is in remembrance of Baba Gurditta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dal Khalsa (Sikh Army)</span> Sikh military confederation during the 18th century in Punjab

Dal Khalsa was the name of the combined military forces of 11 Sikh misls that operated in the 18th century (1748–1799) in the Punjab region. It was established by Nawab Kapur Singh in late 1740s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anandpur Sahib</span> City in Punjab, India

Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur, is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Sikhism, being the place where the last two Sikh Gurus, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, lived. It is also the place where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699. The city is home to Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, the third of the five Takhts in Sikhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhai Mani Singh</span> 18th-century Sikh religious leader and martyr

Bhai Mani Singh was an 18th-century Sikh scholar and martyr. He was a childhood companion of Guru Gobind Singh and took the vows of Sikhism when the Guru inaugurated the Khalsa in March 1699. Soon after that, the Guru sent him to Amritsar to take charge of Harmandir Sahib, which had been without a custodian since 1696. He took control and steered the course of Sikh destiny at a critical stage in Sikh history. He was also a teacher of the Gianian Bunga, later becoming known as the "Amritsari Taksal", currently located in Sato Ki Gali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mata Gujri</span> Sikh martyr

Mata Gujri, also spelt as Mata Gujari, was the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhism, and the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism. She played a central role in the history of Sikhism and is one of the four consorts bestowed with the title of Guru-Mahal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidhi Chand</span> Sikh commander and preacher (1579–1638)

Bidhi ChandChhina was a Sikh religious preacher and military commander, from Chhina Bidhi Chand village, 37 kilometers south of Amritsar and Chhina Bidhi Chand was part of Amritsar District not Lahore. His birth place temple is situated in his own village Chhina Bidhi Chand, which was built by the residents with the help of Baba Daya Singh. Baba Daya Singh laid foundation with his own hands. Every year on his birthday Baba Daya Singh, and now Baba Avtar Singh, would go to village Chhina Bidhi Chand and celebrate it there to date. He was a disciple of Guru Arjan and served Guru Hargobind for most of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chamkaur</span> 1705 battle in Punjab, India

The Battle of Chamkaur, also known as Battle of Chamkaur Sahib or the Second battle of Chamkaur, was fought between the Khalsa, led by Guru Gobind Singh, and the coalition forces of the Mughals led by Wazir Khan and of Hindu hill chief. Guru Gobind Singh makes a reference to this battle in his letter Zafarnama.

The Battle of Bhangani was fought between Guru Gobind Singh's army and Bhim Chand (Kahlur) of Bilaspur on 18 September 1686 or 1688, at Bhangani near Paonta Sahib. An alliance of Rajput Rajas of the Shivalik Hills participated in the engagement on behalf of Bhim Chand of Bilaspur State's side, including the states of Garhwal and Kangra. It was the first battle Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, fought at the age of 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandi Chhor Divas</span> Sikh celebration

Bandi Chhor Divas is a Sikh celebration commemorating the day the sixth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Hargobind and 52 Hindu Kings were released from Gwalior Fort, who had been imprisoned by Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Emperor Jahangir had held 52 Kings at the Gwalior Fort for several months. Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor Sahib is located at the place of the Guru's internment in the Fort. The day falls in autumn and often overlaps with Hindu Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated across Punjab and the rest of India. Historically, from the time of the third Sikh Guru Amar Das, Sikhs and Hindus of the time used the occasion of Diwali, Vaisakhi and other such festivals to congregate at the seat of the Gurus. In 2003, Sikh religious leaders and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee led by Prof. Kirpal Singh Badungar formally adopted this day into the Nanakshahi calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiratpur Sahib</span> Town in Punjab, India

Kiratpur, also known as Kiratpur Sahib, is a town, just 30 km from Rupnagar city in Rupnagar district of Punjab, India. The town is the location of the Gurdwara Patal Puri where many Sikhs take ashes of their deceased.

The Battle of Amritsar was fought during Mukhlis Khan's campaign against Guru Hargobind and the Sikhs on 14 April 1634. The battle took place over two days and was a result of increasing tensions between the Mughal government and Guru Hargobind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kartarpur</span> 1635 conflict between Sikhs and the Mughal empire

The Battle of Kartarpur occurred on 25 April 1635. It started when the Mughal Empire attacked the town of Kartarpur. The Mughal force was repulsed by the Sikh defenders. The battle occurred in the locality of Kartarpur in present-day Jalandhar district of Indian Punjab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banda Singh Bahadur</span> Sikh warrior and general

Banda Singh Bahadur, was a Sikh warrior and a general of the Khalsa Army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī. In 1707, Guru Gobind Singh accepted an invitation to meet Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I in southern India, he visited Banda Singh Bahadur in 1708. Banda became disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was given a new name, Gurbaksh Singh(as written in Mahan Kosh), after the baptism ceremony. He is popularly known as Banda Singh Bahadur. He was given five arrows by the Guru as a blessing for the battles ahead. He came to Khanda, Sonipat and assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mina (Sikhism)</span> Heretic Sikh sect

The Mīnās were a heretical sect of Sikhs that followed Prithi Chand, the eldest son of Guru Ram Das, after his younger brother Guru Arjan was selected by the Guru to succeed him. Prithi Chand would vigorously contest this, attracting a portion of Sikhs to his side who followers of Guru Arjan referred to as ਮੀਣੇ mīṇe, meaning "charlatans," "dissemblers," or "scoundrels." They sustained their opposition to the orthodox line of Gurus through the seventeenth century, and upon Guru Gobind Singh's founding of the Khalsa in 1699, they were declared by him, as well as by Khalsa rahitnamas, as one of the Panj Mel, or five reprobate groups, that a Sikh must avoid. They are occasionally referred to in the more neutral terms Sikhān dā chhotā mel or as the Miharvān sampraday in scholarship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akal Sena</span> First standing Sikh army created by Guru Hargobind (1606 – 1699)

The Akal Sena was the Sikh military force established by the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind. It was the first standing Sikh army. It was also known as the Akali Dal.

The Battle of Phagwara was fought between the Akal Sena forces led by Guru Hargobind and the Mughal forces led by Ahmad Khan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 History Of The Sikh Gurus - A Comprehensive Study. p. 319.
  2. 1 2 Dilagīra, Harajindara Siṅgha (1997). The Sikh reference book. Internet Archive. Edmonton, Alb., Canada : Sikh Educational Trust for Sikh University Centre, Denmark ; Amritsar : Available from Singh Bros. p. 140. ISBN   978-0-9695964-2-4.
  3. 1 2 3 www.DiscoverSikhism.com. The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume I A-D. pp. 388–389.

See also