Battle of Talwara (1770)

Battle of Talwara
Part of Hill States-Sikh Wars
Date 1770 Location Talwara Result Sikh Victory
Belligerents
Ramgarhia Misl	Kangra
Commanders and leaders
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia	Raja Ghamand Chand

The Battle of Talwara was fought in 1770 by the Sikh forces led by Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and the Kangra forces led by Raja Ghamand Chand.

Background

The Sikhs and the Hill States were big enemies during the time of Guru Gobind Singh. ^[1] They had fought over the disputed city of Anandpur Sahib until the Treaty of Anandpur which stated that if the Guru leaves Anandpur, he will never have to fight the hill states. ^{[2] [3]} The Guru agreed, and Anandpur was officially a Hill State city until Banda Singh Bahadur defeated Kahlur and annexed the land, including Anandpur. ^{[4] [5]} During the period of Dal Khalsa (Sikh Army), the Sikhs maintained close relations with the Hill States. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia once assisted the Hill States in order to defeat the Mughals. ^[6] However, no Sikh Sardar attacked the Hill States until Jassa Singh Ramgarhia in 1770. ^{[7] [8]}

Battle

He attacked the Hill States first alone and then with Jai Singh Kanhaiya, in which they were repulsed. However, in the third time, a pitched battle was fought at Talwara in which he was successful. ^[9] This battle made states like Kangra, Nurpur and Chamba. ^[10] Kangra alone gave a tribute of 200,000 rupees to Jassa Singh Ramgarhia. ^[11]

Aftermath

To have control over the hills, the Sardar build a fort at Talwara in which his brother Mali Singh along with 4,000 horsemen stayed in. ^[9]

See also

• Nihang
• Martyrdom and Sikhism

References

1. Harajindara Siṅgha Dilagīra (1997). The Sikh reference book. Hemkunt Press. p. 150. ISBN   9788170103011.
2. Macauliffe, Max Arthur (2013). The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors. Cambridge University Press. p. 181. ISBN   978-1108055475.
3. Grewal, J.S. (2019). Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708): Master of the White Hawk. OUP India. p. 117. ISBN   978-0190990381.
4. Sagoo, Harbans Kaur (2001). Banda Singh Bahadur and Sikh Sovereignty. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 190. ISBN   9788176293006.
5. D.S Saggu VSM (2018). Battle Tactics And War Manoeuvres of the Sikhs. Notion Press. ISBN   9781642490060.
6. Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. p. 69.
7. Gandhi, Surjit Singh (1999). Sikhs In The Eighteenth Century. Singh Bros. p. 471. ISBN   9788172052171.
8. Singh, Iqbal (8 December 2017). The Quest for the Past. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN   9781543455601.
9. Gupta, Hari Ram (1998). History Of The Sikhs Vol. IV The Sikh Commonwealth Or Rise And Fall Of Sikh Misls. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 280. ISBN   9788121505406.
10. Singha, Bhagata (1993). A History of the Sikh Misals. Patiala, India:Publication Bureau, Punjabi University.
11. Singh, Harbans (1992). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume II E-L. Punjabi University. p. 359. ISBN   9788173802041.