Battle of Pipli Sahib

Battle of Pipli Sahib
	Part of Afghan–Sikh Wars and Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani
Date	17 October 1762
Location	Amritsar
Result	Disputed
Belligerents
Dal Khalsa	Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia ; Charat Singh ; Other Notable Leaders	Ahmad Shah Abdali
Strength
60,000	Unknown

Last updated January 27, 2025

The Battle of Pipli Sahib also known as Battle of Amritsar was fought by the Sikh Misls and the Durrani Empire.

Seeking to avenge past defeats, the Sikhs rallied and engaged in conflict with the Afghans. Gathering at Amritsar, Ahmad Shah led his army to meet the Sikhs. The battle began with a Sikh attack, ongoing with a solar eclipse. The battle concluded in the night when both sides withdrew to their camps. During this, Ahmad Shah withdrew to Lahore, before returning to find the Sikhs as having withdrawn into the Lakhi Jungle.

The battle's authenticity is speculated by historians, and the result is just as convoluted.

Background

After the Battle of Kup, the Sikhs decided to get revenge for the dead and avenge their defeats.^[3] Ahmad Shah Abdali had returned to Lahore.^[4] He sent an ambassador to negotiate peace with the Sikh leaders and prevent further losses of his ken which the Sikh were desperate to do. However, when this ambassador arrived at the Sikh camps the Sikhs plundered him and his followers and after drove them away.^[5] Abdali, becoming furious, quickly arrived at the outskirts of Amritsar.^[6]

Battle

The Sikhs had gathered around at Amritsar to celebrate Diwali which was on October of 17 that year. The Sikhs attacked the Afghans vehemently.^[7] The battle was fought under a total solar eclipse.^[8] The battle went on furiously from early morning till late night.^[7] Both sides decided to stop fighting for night and resume fighting in the morning, but during the night Ahmad Shah Abdali and his forces decided to withdrew to Lahore during the night. Returning later, the Shah, looking to engage the Sikhs again, found that they had withdrew into the Lakhi Jungle.^[5]

Result

The battle itself, and its result is not accepted by all historians.^[9] John Malcolm, Jadunath Sarkar, George Forster, and Sinha all doubt the battle as actually having occurred. While it is accepted by Hari Ram Gupta and Ganda Singh.^[10]

Some sources simply state both sides withdrew to their camps after the battle, and that Ahmad Shah returned to Lahore afterward, later returning to see the Sikhs had also withdrawn.^[10]^[11] Other academics such as Jonathan Lee and Vidya Dhar Mahajan say the battle was a Sikh victory.^[12]^[13]

Aftermath

While Abdali was hunting in the Majha territory, he ordered the capture of a body of Sikh horsemen within the area. Immediately after, another body arrived and engaged Abdali's men, whereupon a Sikh unsuccessfully attempted to strike Abdali. Some Sikhs were killed by the Afghans while the remaining retreated into the jungle.^[5]

The Shah left Lahore on December 12, 1762, and Kabuli Mal was appointed the new governor of Lahore.^[8]

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.

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.

Hari Singh Dhillon was an 18th century Sikh warrior and the chief of Bhangi Misl. During the formation of the Dal Khalsa he was acknowledged as leader of Tarna Dal, and he was made chief of Bhangi Misl following the death of Bhuma Singh Dhillion, who he was an adopted son of, in 1748. Hari Singh made the Bhangi Misl the most powerful of all the Misls. He was described as brave, fearless and a great warrior. Under Hari Singh the Bhang Misl expanded to Jammu, Lahore, Chiniot, Buria, Jagadhari, Firozpur, Kushab, Majha, Malwa, Sandal Bar and Jhang.

Jhanda Singh Dhillon was a chief of Bhangi Misl. Under his leadership the Dhillon family became the dominant de facto ruling power of Punjab. His father was Hari Singh Dhillon, one of the most powerful Sikh warriors of the time. He also had a warrior brother Ganda Singh Dhillon. Jhanda Singh appointed his younger brother Ganda Singh as the commander in chief of the forces. Jassa Singh Ramgarhia was one of the closest friends of Jhanda Singh.

Vadda Ghalughara was the mass murder of 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Baba Gurbaksh Singh was a Sikh warrior from the 18th century who served under the Shaheedan Misl of the Sikh confederacy. Gurbaksh Singh along with 29 other Sikh warriors led a last stand against the Afghan and Baloch forces on December 1, 1764, at Amritsar. It was in this skirmish that Baba Gurbaksh Singh along with 29 other Sikhs were killed.

The Battle of Darbar Sahib was fought in 1764, during the Afghan-Sikh Wars, between the Shaheedan Misl of the Sikhs and the Durrani Empire of Ahmad Shah Abdali aided by the Khanate of Kalat.

The siege of Multan started in January 1780 and ended on 18 February 1780, it was the result Timur Shah Durrani's reconquest campaigns of Multan after it had been taken in 1772. This siege saw the Afghans successfully re-capture Multan after taking Rohtas months prior.

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

The Second Battle of Lahore was fought in November 1759 by the Sikh forces led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and the Afghan forces led by Jahan Khan.

The Battle of Gujrat (1797) was fought between the forces of the Durrani Empire led by Ahmad Khan Shahanchibashi and the Sikh forces led by various Sardars. After Zaman Shah's third failed invasion of Punjab, he left Shahanchibashi as governor of the Rohtas Fort and the region between the Jehlum and Indus rivers. Known for his oppressive rule and ambition to conquer Gujrat, Shahanchibashi faced a holy war organized by Ram Singh Bedi. After recruiting Sikhs for the war, the Sikh and Durrani forces clashed in Gujrat, where the Sikhs emerged victorious and plundered the defeated Afghans.

References

↑ Gupta, Hari (2007). History of the Sikhs Vol II Evolution of the Sikh Confederacies. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-215-0248-1.
↑ Gupta 1939, p. 191.
↑ Gupta 1939, p. 190.
↑ Cunningham, Joseph Davey (1918). A History Of The Sikhs From The Origin Of The Nation To The Battles Of The Sutlej. p. 101.
1 2 3 Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad Shah Durrani,father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. pp. 286–287.
↑ Singh, Khushwant (2004). A History of the Sikhs: 1469-1838. Oxford University Press. pp. 155–156.
1 2 Gupta 1939, p. 192.
1 2 Singh 2004, p. 156.
↑ Singh, Khushwant (1977). A History of the Sikhs. Oxford University Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-19-560600-3.
1 2 Singh 1977, p. 148.
↑ Gandhi, Surjit Singh (1999). Sikhs in the Eighteenth Century: Their Struggle for Survival and Supremacy. Singh Bros. p. 278. ISBN 978-81-7205-217-1.
↑ Lee, Jonathan L. (2022). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. p. 129. ISBN 9781789140194.
↑ Mahajan, V.D. (1990). Modern Indian History. S. Chand Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 9789352836192.

Works cited

Gupta, Hari Ram (1939). History of the Sikhs, Volume 1. S.N. Sarkar, 1939. ISBN 9788121502481.