Battle of Taragarh (1822)

Last updated
Battle of Taragarh
Part of Afghan-Sikh Wars
Date1822
Location
Result Sikh Victory [1] [2] [3] [4]
Belligerents
Sikh Empire flag.jpg Sikh Empire Dhund, Tareen, Tanoli and Karlal tribesmen
Commanders and leaders
Sikh Empire flag.jpg Amar Singh Majithia Mohammad Khan Tarain

The Battle of Taragarh was fought in 1822 by the Sikh forces led by Amar Singh Majithia and the Afghan tribesmen led by Mohammad Khan Tarain.

Contents

Background and Battle

Diwan Ram Dayal was the governor of Hazara until his death in the Battle of Gandgarh. [5] Seeing this, Amar Singh Majithia was installed as the new governor of the Hazara region by Maharaja Ranjit Singh right after the battle. [6] He did not fight any major engagements until when Mohammad Khan Tarain decided to clash against him. He had assembled an army which consisted of Dhund. Tareen, Tanoli and Karlal tribesmen. [7] After an intense battle at Taragarh, the Sikhs successfully inflicted defeat upon the Afghans and routed them. [8]

Aftermath

After the battle, Amar Singh with a few Sikhs went to a nearby waterbody to drink and bathe. A body of Karlals attacked them and killed every Sikh, including Amar Singh. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikh Empire</span> Empire on the Indian subcontinent, 1799–1849

The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the British East India Company in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was forged on the foundations of the Khalsa from a collection of autonomous misls. At its peak in the 19th century, the empire extended from Gilgit and Tibet in the north to the deserts of Sindh in the south and from the Khyber Pass in the west to the Sutlej in the east as far as Oudh. It was divided into four provinces: Lahore, which became the Sikh capital; Multan; Peshawar; and Kashmir from 1799 to 1849. Religiously diverse, with an estimated population of 4.5 million in 1831, it was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to be annexed by the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hari Singh Nalwa</span> General of the Sikh Empire (1791–1837)

Hari Singh Nalwa was the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshawar and Jamrud. Hari Singh Nalwa was responsible for expanding the frontier of Sikh Empire to beyond the Indus River right up to the mouth of the Khyber Pass. At the time of his death, Jamrud constituted the western boundary of the Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulab Singh</span> First Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir from 1846–1856

Maharaja Gulab Singh Jamwal (1792–1857) was the founder of Dogra dynasty and the first Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which was a part of Sikh Empire became the largest princely state under the British Raj, which was created after the defeat of the Sikh Empire in the First Anglo-Sikh War. During the war, Gulab Singh would later side with the British and end up becoming the Prime Minister of Sikh Empire. The Treaty of Amritsar (1846) formalised the transfer of all the lands in Kashmir that were ceded to them by the Sikhs by the Treaty of Lahore.

Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion in the Punjab region of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the 15th century and opposed many traditional practices like fasting, Upanayana, idolatry, caste system, ascetism, azan, economic materialism, and gender discrimination.

Alawalpur is a town and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the state of Punjab, India. Alawalpur is named after Alawal Khan, a Pathan who ruled the area during the time of Maharajah Ranjit Singh. Sardar Himmat Singh Jallewalia, a Bains Jat Sardar, a general in Ranjit Singh's army, later conquered Alawalpur. His descendants still live in a fort located at the center of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jhanda Singh Dhillon</span> Chief of Bhangi Misl

Jhanda Singh Dhillon was a chief of Bhangi Misl. Under his leadership the Dhillon Jat 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Jamrud</span> 1837 battle of the Afghan–Sikh Wars

The Battle of Jamrud was fought between the Emirate of Afghanistan under Emir Dost Mohammad Khan and the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh on 30 April 1837. Afghan forces confronted the Sikh forces at Jamrud. The garrisoned army was able to hold off the Afghans till Sikh reinforcements arrived to relieve them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamrud Fort</span> Fort in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The Jamrud Fort is located beside Bab-e-Khyber at the entrance to the Khyber Pass from the Peshawar side in the district of Khyber in KPK, Pakistan. After the death of Sardar General Hari Singh Nalwa, Khalsa Sarkar Wazir Jawahar Singh nominated General Gurmukh Singh Lamba as chief administrative and military commander to restore and consolidate the Khalsa army gains.

Mahan Singh Hazarawala was a military officer in the Khalsa Army of Sikh Empire, serving under Hari Singh Nalwa. The city of Mansehra is believed to be named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewan Mokham Chand</span> Official of the Sikh Empire

Diwan Mokham Chand was one of the chief commanders of the Sikh Empire. He conquered Attock from the Durrani Afghans in 1813 and subdued the Rajputs in the Hills of Himachal and in Jammu at Jasrota, Chamba, and Basroli. He also commanded one of the early Sikh expeditions to conquer Kashmir that ended in failure due to bad weather blocking the passes to the valley. Mokham Chand was born in a Hindu Khatri family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Nowshera</span> 1823 Sikh–Afghan battle

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.

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

Sardar Charat Singh, also romanised as Charhat Singh, was the founder of Sukerchakia Misl, father of Mahan Singh, and the grandfather of Ranjit Singh, the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He distinguished himself at an early age in campaigns against Ahmad Shah Abdali and along with 150 horsemen split from the Singhpuria Misl to establish the Sukerchakia Misl, a separate grouping with its distinct guerilla militia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Attock (1813)</span> 1813 battle during the Afghan-Sikh Wars

The Battle of Attock took place on 13 July 1813 between the Sikh Empire and the Durrani Empire. The battle was the first significant Sikh victory over the Durranis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akali Phula Singh</span> Prominent Sikh leader

Akali Phula Singh Nihang was an Akali Nihang Sikh leader. He was a saint soldier of the Khalsa Shaheedan Misl and head of the Budha Dal in the early 19th century. He was also a senior general in the Sikh Khalsa Army and commander of the irregular Nihang of the army. He played a role in uniting Sikh misls in Amritsar. He was not afraid of the British who at many times ordered for his arrest but were not successful. During his later years he served for the Sikh Empire as a direct adviser to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He remained an army general in many famous Sikh battles up until his martyrdom in the battle of Nowshera. He was admired by the local people and had a great influence over the land and his settlement was always open to help the poor and helpless. He was well known and was a humble unique leader and prestigious warrior with high character. He was also known for his effort to maintain the values of Gurmat and the Khalsa panth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan–Sikh Wars</span> 1748–1837 wars between the Afghan and Sikh empires

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.

Amar Singh Majithia was a soldier and administrator during the Sikh Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standoff at the Khyber Pass (1834–1835)</span> Battle of Afghan–Sikh War

The Standoff at the Khyber Pass (1834–1835) was a short conflict from May 1834 to May 1835 between the Sikh forces led by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Afghan forces led by Dost Mohammad Khan. The conflict began as the Sikh Empire expanded into Peshawar, deposing the Peshawar Sardars, while also supporting the deposed Durrani dynasty in their attempts to return to the throne of Afghanistan under Shah Shuja Durrani.

The Kashmir expedition took place in 1814 after the battle of Attock. Ranjit Singh began planning to invade Kashmir, leading to the Sikh invasion led by Hari Singh Nalwa and Ram Dayal.

The Battle of Ramkani was fought on 4 May 1835 by the Sikh forces led by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and some Barakzai and Ghazi forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Mankera (1821–1822)</span>

The siege of Mankera, also known as the fall of Mankera was a conflict from 7 December 1821 to 1 January 1822 between the Sikh forces led by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Mankera forces led by Nawab Hafiz Ahmad Khan.

References

  1. Haroon Rashid (2002). History of the Pathans: The Sarabani Pathans. p. 215.
  2. Balraj Saggar (1993). Who's who in the History of Punjab, 1800-1849. National Book Organisation. p. 16. ISBN   9788185135601.
  3. Kirapāla Siṅgha (1994). The Historical Study of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Times. National Book Shop. p. 97. ISBN   9788171161638.
  4. Prithīpāla Siṅgha Kapūra (1993). Perspectives on Hari Singh Nalwa. ABS Publications. p. 42. ISBN   9788170720560.
  5. G.S. Chhabra (1960). Advanced study in History of the Punjab. Vol. 2. p. 196.
  6. Barkat Rai Chopra (1969). Kingdom of the Punjab, 1839-45. p. 487.
  7. Lepel Henry Griffin (1865). The Panjab Chiefs. p. 93.
  8. Robina Yasmin (2022). Muslims Under Sikh Rule in the Nineteenth Century. Bloomsbury. p. 53. ISBN   9780755640331.
  9. Hari Ram Gupta (1991). History Of The Sikhs Vol. V The Sikh Lion of Lahore (Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799-1839). Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 150. ISBN   9788121505154.
  10. Harbans Singh (1994). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume I A-D. Hemkunt Press. p. 94. ISBN   9788170103011.
  11. Harajindara Siṅgha Dilagīra (1997). The Sikh reference book. Sikh Educational Trust. p. 260. ISBN   9780969596424.
  12. "AMAR SINGH MAJITHIA, - Sikh Martyrs". 2015-12-08. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2024-05-07.

See also