Battle of Lohgarh

Last updated

Battle of Lohgarh
Part of Mughal–Sikh wars
Date1710
Location
Lohgarh, Bilaspur
Result Mughal victory [1] [2] [3]
Belligerents
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png First Sikh State

Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Mughal Empire

Commanders and leaders
Kattar Dhal Talwar.png Banda Singh Bahadur

Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Bahadur Shah

  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Rafi-us-Shan
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Kanwar Khan
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Munim Khan II
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Udet Singh Bundela
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Mahabat Khan
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Khan Zaman
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Chatarsal Bundela
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Islam Khan Mir Atish
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Hamid-ud-din
  • Churaman Jat
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Azim-us-Shan
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Jahan Shah
  • Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Mir Mubarak Allah Iradat Khan [4]
Strength
2,000-3,000 Horsemen [5] 60,000 Horsemen [2] [6]

The Battle of Lohgarh was fought between the First Sikh State, and the Mughal Empire in 1710. [4] [7] The Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah's army moved towards Lohgarh, Bilaspur where they engaged with the Sikhs to capture the fort on 16 December 1710. [1] [2] The battle is noted for its use of guerilla tactics and being a pitched battle. [8]

Contents

Battle

Bahadur Shah had planned to advance upon Banda's stronghold at Lohgarh, however reports of Banda's superstitions about sorcery and supernatural powers had demoralized the imperial soldiers. [3] [9] On 5 December, while a Mughal force under Rustamdil Khan and Firoze Khan Mewati arrived towards Lohgarh to examine the position of Banda's defenses, they were unexpectedly attacked by Banda's forces. [3] The incursion led to heavy imperial losses including Firoz Khan Mewati's nephew killed and son wounded, whereas the Sikhs lost 1,500 men. [3] [9] Unable to stand the surging rush of the Sikh army, Rustamdil Khan's army scattered. Rustamdil subsequently received reinforcements from Prince Rafi-ush-Shan and his troops continued to advance to Banda's fort. [3] [9]

Pre-siege maneuvers

On 10 December, the imperial army under the command of Rafi-us-Shan, numbering about 60,000, surrounded the fort of Lohgarh on all sides where the left flank was commanded by Rafi-us-Shan of the advance guard of the imperial army and by Raja Udet Singh Bundela of the Bakshi-ul-Mumalik's army, and the right flank commanded by Munim Khan II (Jumat-ul-Mulk Khan-i-Khanan), his sons, Mahabat Khan and Khan Zaman along with Raja Chatarsal Bundela and Islam Khan Mir Atish. [9] [3] The centre was commanded by Rustamdil Khan. Mumin Khan's additional support came from troops of Hamid-ud-din and the cortege of Azim-us-Shan and Jahan Shah. [3] The imperial army also included the reinforcement of large number of Rohilla, Baloch and other plunderers. [9]

Siege

Near the foot of the hill, heavy fighting took place, resulting in a large number of imperial army casualties and the Sikhs being repulsed and retreating up the hill. Later, the imperial troops attacked the fort in great numbers, there was heavy casualties on both sides where among the dead from imperial side was the son of Sucha Nanda. [3] [9] The Sikhs with the disadvantages of being outnumbered and having no source of food; many dying of starvation, decided to take a chance by cutting through the enemy lines. [9] Gulab Singh, a recent Sikh convert, decided to sacrifice himself by pretending to be Banda Singh Bahadur. The following day, during dawn, in the midst of the confusion resulting from simultaneous firings on both sides, Banda Singh and the surviving Sikhs escaped from the fort. [3] [9]

Following sunrise, the Mughal troops attempted to advance up the hill while the Sikhs were firing at them from their guns within the fort. [3] [9] According to Ganda Singh, Gulab Singh and around 10 or 12 wounded Sikhs were made prisoners. [9] Hari Ram Gupta notes that Gulab Singh and 30 of his men were eventually captured and the civilians from the neighboring village taking refuge in the Sikh fort were taken as prisoners. [3] A large amount of booty in the fort was retrieved by the Mughals. On 12 December, the Mughals discovered that they had captured Banda's duplicate much to their dismay. [3] [9] Muslim survivors of the battle reported on the bravery of the hostile Sikh forces they faced, who were a united force composed of various castes and occupations. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahadur Shah I</span> Mughal emperor from 1707 to 1712

Mirza Muhammad Mu'azzam, commonly known as Bahadur Shah I and Shah Alam I, was the eighth Mughal Emperor from 1707 to 1712. He was the second son of the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who he conspired to overthrow in his youth. He was also governor of the imperial provinces of Agra, Kabul and Lahore and had to face revolts of Rajputs and Sikhs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farrukhsiyar</span> Mughal emperor from 1713 to 1719

Farrukhsiyar, also spelled as Farrukh Siyar, was the tenth Mughal Emperor from 1713 to 1719. He rose to the throne after deposing his uncle Jahandar Shah. He was an emperor only in name, with all effective power in the hands of the courtier Sayyid brothers.

<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.

Sadhaura is a town, near Yamunanagar city with Municipal Committee in Yamunanagar district in the Indian state of Haryana. The city of Yamunanagar, it is of great historic significance. Sadhaura is very old town many historical temples/Dargah are there like Manokamna Temple, Laxmi narayan Temple, Roza Peer Dargah are some famous places in Sadhaura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikh period in Lahore</span>

The Sikh Rule in Lahore initiated from the conquest and rule of the Sikh Misls and extended till the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh which ended in 1849. The Sikhs began gaining power following the decline of the Mughal Empire in Punjab and consisted of a collection of autonomous Punjabi Misls, which were governed by Misldars, mainly in the Punjab region.

<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.

Lohgarh is a historic town in Bilaspur tehsil of Yamunanagar district of Haryana in India. It was the capital of First Sikh State under Baba Banda Singh Bahadur from 1710 to 1716.

The Battle of Jajau was fought between the two Mughal princes and brothers Bahadur Shah I and Muhammad Azam Shah on 20 June 1707. In 1707, their father Aurangzeb died without having declared a successor; instead leaving a will in which he instructed his sons to divide the empire between themselves. Their failure to reach a satisfactory agreement led to a military conflict. After Azam Shah and his three sons were killed in the Battle of Jajau, Bahadur Shah I was crowned as the Mughal emperor on 19 June 1707 at the age of 63.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binod Singh</span>

Binod Singh, a Trehan Khatri and a descendant of Guru Angad, was an army man and disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was among few Sikhs who accompanied him to Nanded in 1706. In Budha Dal Chronicles, Guru Gobind Singh made Baba Binod Singh the head of the Khalsa.

The siege of Sirhind was fought between the Mughal Empire and Sikh forces in 1710. The Sikhs besieged, stormed, captured, plundered and razed the city of Sirhind after defeating and beheading Wazir Khan in the Battle of Chappar Chiri.

The Battle of Jammu was fought between the Sikhs under the command of Banda Singh Bahadur against the Mughal forces near the hills of Jammu on 22 January 1712. The Mughals were able to achieve victory against the Sikhs.

The siege of Jalalabad occurred in 1710 between the Mughal forces of Jalal Khan and the Sikh forces of Banda Singh Bahadur. Banda Singh Bahadur attacked the Mughal stronghold of Jalalabad. The army opposing Banda Singh was composed of a sizeable number of the Mughal zamindars and shurafa, including many Sadat, Banda Singh Bahadur repelled Mughal and Pathan forces after four days from the battlefield and back into the town, but failed to capture the town and withdrew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chappar Chiri</span> 1710 conflict

The Battle of Chappar Chiri, also called Battle of Sirhind, was fought between Mughal Empire and the Sikhs on 12 May 1710 at Chappar Chiri, located 20 kilometers from Sirhind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Rahon (1710)</span> About a battle fought between Sikhs and the Mughals

The Battle of Rahon was fought between Sikhs and Mughal Empire on 11 October 1710.

Muklishgarh is a Rang Mahal fort in the foothills of the Himalayas in the Yamunanagar district of Haryana in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fateh Singh (Sikh warrior)</span> Sikh warrior (died 1716)

Fateh Singh was a warrior in Sikh history. He is known for beheading Wazir Khan who was the Mughal Governor of Sirhind, administering a territory of the Mughal Empire between the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. Wazir Khan was infamous for ordering the execution of the two young sons of Guru Gobind Singh, Sahibzada Fateh Singh and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh in 1704.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalsa Fauj</span> Sikh army and militia between 1699 – 1735

The Khalsa Fauj were the military forces of the Khalsa order of the Sikhs, established by the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in 1699. It replaced the Akal Sena that had been established by the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind.

The Second Battle of Lohgarh was fought in between 1712 or 1713 by Sikh forces led by Banda Singh Bahadur and Mughal forces led by Jahandar Shah.

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Sikh State</span> Former country in South Asia (1709–1715)

The First Sikh State was a breakaway and short lived sovereign Sikh state during the 18th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent that existed from 1709 to 1715. It was established by Banda Singh Bahadur after the Battle of Samana and lasted until his defeat in the Battle of Gurdas Nangal.

References

  1. 1 2 Saggu, DS (2018). Battle Tactics and War Manoeuvres of the Sikhs. Notion Press. ISBN   9781642490060.
  2. 1 2 3 Jacques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 595. ISBN   978-0-313-33536-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Gupta, Hari Ram (1978) [1937]. History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh Confederacies (1707-1769). Munshiram Motilal Publishers. pp. 19–21. ISBN   978-8121502481.
  4. 1 2 Madra, Amandeep Singh; Singh, P. (2016). Sicques, Tigers or Thieves: Eyewitness Accounts of the Sikhs (1606-1810). Springer. p. 302. ISBN   9781137119988.
  5. ↑ Singh, Ganda (1935). Life Of Banda Singh Bahadur Based On Contemporary And Original Records. Sikh Digital Library. p. 142.
  6. ↑ Singh, Patwant; Rai, Jyoti M. (2008). Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Peter Owen. p. 46. ISBN   978-0-7206-1323-0.
  7. ↑ Nijhawan, P. K. (1985). Sri Guru Gobind Geeta: Guru Gobind Singh's Dialogue of Destiny with Banda. Army Educational Stores. p. 143.
  8. ↑ The Sikh Review. Vol. 54. Calcutta, India: Sikh Cultural Centre. 2006. pp. 43–44.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Singh, Ganda (1990) [1935]. Life of Banda Singh Bahadur. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. pp. 138–145.
  10. ↑ Singh, Jagjit (1981). Percussions of History. Nānakshāhī. p. 129.
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.