Battle of Manupur

Battle of Manupur
	Part of Indian Campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani
Date	10 March 1748
Location	Sirhind
Result	Allied victory
Belligerents
Mughal Empire Kingdom of Jaipur ; Sikh Misls	Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad Shah Bahadur ; Itimad-ad-Daula, Qamar-ud-Din Khan † ; Mir Mannu ; Adina Beg ; Safdar Jang ; Ishwari Singh ; Charat Singh ; Jassa Singh Ahluwalia ; Ala Singh	Ahmad Shah Durrani ; Jahan Khan
Strength
Disputed; 200,000 men; 70,000 men; 60,000 men; Hundreds of thousands of non-combatants	Disputed; 30,000; 12,000

Last updated December 16, 2024

The Battle of Manupur was fought between the Mughal Empire and the Durrani Empire in March 1748 at the frontiers of Sirhind which ended in victory for the Indian coalition.

Background

Following the assassination of Nader Shah, last Emperor of the Persian Afsharid dynasty, Ahmad Shah Durrani took control of Persian Afghanistan. In late 1747, he began operations against the declining Mughal Empire, taking Kabul, Peshawar, and, on 18 January 1748, Lahore, over which he established a governor.^[10]New coins were minted in the name of Ahmad Shah Durrani.^[11] Thousands of Punjabi men were conscripted into the Afghan army, and thousands of women and children were enslaved.^[12]

By February 1748, a Mughal army under Prince Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Qamaruddin Khan, the Subahdar of Lahore province, had assembled and was moving to drive out the Durrani army. On 1 March 1748, Ahmad Shah began searching for the Mughal army, making contact with them on 10 March outside the village of Manupur where the fighting began and continued into a war between "Durrani Afghan" frontiersmen and the "Great Mogul" emperor of India.

Battle

When the Mughal commander, Qamaruddin Khan, was killed by artillery in an early exchange of fire, his son, Moin-ul-Mulk, also known as Mir Mannu, continued the battle. Ahmad Shah's Afghan troops swept aside the Rajput flank and raided their baggage train.

A Mogul rocket struck the Durrani artillery store, causing an explosion that led thousands of soldiers to retreat, thus forcing Ahmad Shah Durrani's return to Afghanistan.^[13]

Aftermath

After the retreat of Durrani, the panicked Mughal were unable to pursue, however Sikh bands under Charat Singh, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Ala Singh continued to harass them as they retreated to Kabul. Thus, the first invasion of Shah proved a failure but it gave an opportunity to the Sikhs to organize themselves into Dal Khalsa, an army of Sikh Confederacy, at Amritsar in March 1748.^[14]^[15]

Related Research Articles

Ahmad Shāh Durrānī, also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī, was the first Shah and founder of the Durrani Empire, and is often regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan.

The Durrani Empire, colloquially known as the Afghan Empire, or the Sadozai Kingdom, was an Afghan empire founded by the Durrani tribe of Pashtuns under Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, which spanned parts of Central Asia, the Iranian plateau, and the Indian subcontinent. At its peak, it ruled over present-day Afghanistan, much of Pakistan, parts of northeastern and southeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India. Next to the Ottoman Empire, the Durrani Empire is considered to be among the most significant Islamic empires of the second half of the 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmad Shah Bahadur</span> Mughal emperor from 1748 to 1754

Ahmad Shah Bahadur, also known as Mirza Ahmad Shah or Mujahid-ud-Din Ahmad Shah Ghazi, was the fourteenth Mughal emperor, born to Emperor Muhammad Shah. He succeeded his father to the throne in 1748, at the age of 22. When Ahmed Shah Bahadur came to power, the Mughal Empire started to decline. Furthermore, his administrative weakness eventually led to the rise of the usurping Imad-ul-Mulk.

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.

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.

Sirhind is the older name of Fatehgarh Sahib, a city and Sikh pilgrimage site in Punjab, India. It is situated on the Delhi to Lahore Highway. It has a population of about 60,851 . It is now a district headquarters in the state of Punjab; the name of the district is Fatehgarh Sahib.

The Battle of Nowshera was fought in Nowshera in March 1823 collectively by the Yusufzai Afghans, supported by the Peshawar sardars, alongside Azim Khan Barakzai, the Afghan governor of Peshawar, where they would face the Sikh armies led by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Azim Khan was a half-brother of Dost Mohammad Khan, the future ruler of Kabul, and later Afghanistan. The battle was a victory for the Sikhs over Azim Khan's armies, a result which allowed the Sikhs to begin their occupation of the Peshawar Valley.

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 Afghan–Maratha War was fought between the Afghan Empire under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Maratha Confederacy and the Sikh Confederacy between 1758 and 1761. It took place in north-west India, primarily the region around Delhi and Punjab.

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. They were met by between 30,000 and 50,000 Sikhs. 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. The Sikhs created a human ring around civilians as protection and fought the battle as they advanced towards Barnala. 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 genocide.

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.

The Battle of Gujranwala was fought between the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Confederacy in September 1761.

Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the Durrani Empire, invaded Indian subcontinent a total of eight times between 1748 and 1767, following the collapse of Mughal Empire in the mid-18th century. His objectives were met through the raids and deepened the political crisis in India.

The Battle of Sirhind was fought between Durrani Empire and Sikh Misls on 14 January 1764.

The Battle of Harnaulgarh was fought between the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Misls of Dal Khalsa in 1762.

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 and an Afghan victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moin-ul-Mulk</span> Governor of Punjab during the Mughal regime

Mian-Moin-ul-Mulk, also known by his title Mir Mannu, was the Mughal and later Durrani governor of the Punjab between 1748 and 1753.

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 appointed Timur Shah as the viceroy of Punjab with Jahan Khan as his deputy. The Afghans appointed Adina Beg Khan as the faujdar of the Jalandhar Doaba and exempted 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 Lahore was fought between Afghan forces under Ahmad Shah Durrani and Mughal forces under Shah Nawaz on 11 January 1748. Zakriya Khan, the Mughal Governor of Lahore, died in 1745 and was succeeded by his son, Yahya Khan. Yahya Khan's governorship over Lahore was soon challenged by his brother, Shah Nawaz, who was the governor of Multan. This resulted in a war between the two brothers, lasting from November 1746 to March 1747. Shah Nawaz won the war then usurped the governorship of Lahore. SHe appointed Kaura Mal as his diwan and recognized Adina Beg Khan as the Faujdar of the Jalandhar Doaba. Shah Nawaz used his captive brother as a bargaining tool in order to get recognition from the Delhi government. However, following Yahya Khan's escape from captivity, Shah Nawaz sought help from abroad. He turned to Ahmad Shah Durrani, who had just taken the city of Kabul from the Mughals. Ahmad Shah agreed to assist him, and left Peshawar in December 1747. However, Shah Nawaz then changed his allegiance back to the Mughals, and fought a battle against Ahmad Shah near Lahore. The battle was won by the Afghans, who briefly occupied the city of Lahore.

The Sack of Delhi occurred from 17 January to 22 February 1757, carried out by the Durrani Empire under the Afghan king Ahmad Shah Durrani. Delhi, the capital of the Mughal Empire, experienced multiple invasions by the Afghans during the 18th century.

References

1 2 Grewal 1990, p. 87.
↑ Jacques, Tony (2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 631. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5. Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
↑ Gupta, Hari Ram (1978) [1937]. History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh Confederacies (1707-1769) (3rd ed.). Munshiram Motilal Publishers. p. 85. ISBN 978-8121502481.
↑ Gupta, Hari Ram (1978). History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh confederacies, 1708-1769. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 84. A huge army of 2 lakhs under Wazir Qamar-ud-din Khan was sent to check the progress of the Afghans.
↑ Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1954). The First Two Nawabs of Awadh. Shiva Lal Agarwala & Company. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-8426-1549-5.
↑ Adamec 2010, p. 2.
1 2 Srivastava 1954, p. 116.
↑ Adamec, Ludwig W. (2010-04-07). The A to Z of Afghan Wars, Revolutions and Insurgencies. Scarecrow Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-4617-3189-4.
↑ Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1964). Fall of the Mughal Empire. M. C. Sarkar. p. 130.
↑ Lansford, Tom (2017). Afghanistan at War: From the 18th-Century Durrani Dynasty to the 21st Century. ABC-CLIO. p. 20. ISBN 9781598847604.
↑ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad Shah Durrani. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. pp. 51–53.
↑ Lee, Johnathan. Afghanistan A History From 1260 To The Present. pp. 119–122.
↑ History of Islam , p. 509, at Google Books
↑ Mehta, J. L. (2005). Advanced study in the history of modern India 1707–1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6 . Retrieved 2010-09-23.
↑ Gandhi, Rajmohan (14 September 2013). Punjab: A History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten. Aleph Book company. pp. 125–126. ISBN 9789383064410.

Grewal, J.S. (1990). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-63764-3 . Retrieved 15 April 2014.

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.

[FOOTNOTEGrewal199087-1] 1 2 Grewal 1990, p. 87.

[sarsa-2] Jacques, Tony (2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 631. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5. Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-10-01.

[3] Gupta, Hari Ram (1978) [1937]. History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh Confederacies (1707-1769) (3rd ed.). Munshiram Motilal Publishers. p. 85. ISBN 978-8121502481.

[4] Gupta, Hari Ram (1978). History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh confederacies, 1708-1769. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 84. A huge army of 2 lakhs under Wazir Qamar-ud-din Khan was sent to check the progress of the Afghans.

[5] Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1954). The First Two Nawabs of Awadh. Shiva Lal Agarwala & Company. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-8426-1549-5.

[FOOTNOTEAdamec20102-6] Adamec 2010, p. 2.

[FOOTNOTESrivastava1954116-7] 1 2 Srivastava 1954, p. 116.

[8] Adamec, Ludwig W. (2010-04-07). The A to Z of Afghan Wars, Revolutions and Insurgencies. Scarecrow Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-4617-3189-4.

[9] Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1964). Fall of the Mughal Empire. M. C. Sarkar. p. 130.

[10] Lansford, Tom (2017). Afghanistan at War: From the 18th-Century Durrani Dynasty to the 21st Century. ABC-CLIO. p. 20. ISBN 9781598847604.

[11] Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad Shah Durrani. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. pp. 51–53.

[12] Lee, Johnathan. Afghanistan A History From 1260 To The Present. pp. 119–122.

[13] History of Islam , p. 509, at Google Books

[Mehta-14] Mehta, J. L. (2005). Advanced study in the history of modern India 1707–1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6 . Retrieved 2010-09-23.

[15] Gandhi, Rajmohan (14 September 2013). Punjab: A History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten. Aleph Book company. pp. 125–126. ISBN 9789383064410.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]