Siege of Manchar

Last updated
Siege of Manchar (1790)
Part of Chattha-Sukerchakia Wars
Date1790
Location
Manchar Fort
Result See Aftermath
Belligerents
Chattha State

Sikh Confederacy

Commanders and leaders
Ghulam Muhammad Chattha Maha Singh
Gujjar Singh Bhangi
Sahib Singh Bhangi
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Heavy

The siege of Manchar was fought in 1790 by the Sikh Confederacy led by Maha Singh and the Chattha dynasty led by Ghulam Muhammad Chattha.

Contents

Background

There were many battles between the Sukerchakia Misl led by Maha Singh, son of Charat Singh and Ghulam Muhammad Chattha, son of Pir Muhammad Chattha. At first, Maha Singh kept losing. However soon after in 1790, he became really powerful and decided to besiege the fort of Manchar. [1] [2]

Siege

Maha Singh surrounded Chattha country besiegied Manchar for more than 6 months. [1] According to Chatthian di Vaar by Poet Peer mohammad, Ghulam Muhammad Chattha was a strong ruler, he says: [3]

"He was a king with a court

He kept the Rajas (Sikhs) at bay

The man wasn’t born who could beard him in his den

Only Maha Singh could join issue with him." [3]

Maha Singh sent his envoy Baluch Khan to convey his message. The Sikh chieftain wanted the Chattha chieftain to accept his authority and pay tribute to him. The convoy was instructed to convince Ghulam Muhammad Chattha to meet Mahan Singh to settle the amount of tribute he would pay. [3]

Ghulam Muhammad Chattha replied to envoy:

"Ask Maha Singh to come and receive the tribute in full

But before that he must do battle with me" [3]

He made the immediate decision to storm Rasulnagar. Peer Mohammad describes the battle: [3]

"The Army of Mahan Singh roared in like a river in spate

It reached Said Nagar and set up camp

The Sikhs loudly recited hom Guru Granth outside the town

The Muslims inside the fort took recourse to the Azan

The swords shone like lightening

Artillery shells and bullets rained like a summer cloudburst

It was an incessant rain of arrows

Bows are constantly taut

But no one could reach the fort as it was sky-high" [3]

Maha Singh won over a few Hindus in the fort, who opened the gates. The Sikhs were only able to capture one of Ghulam Mohammad's sons as a result of their treachery. Gujjar Singh had custody of the youngster. [3]

One of Ghulam Chattha's wives, publicly sided with the Sikh forces after abandoning him. Even that was insufficient to help Mahan Singh defeat the Chatthas in the end. Maha Singh was informed by the deserting wife that Chattha was seriously ill and might not live for long. [3]

Maha Singh withdrew from active combat. [3]

Sahib Singh, Gujjar Singh's son, and his father did not get along. Mahan Singh urged them to put aside their disagreements and come along with him. They both did so, and Manchar Chattha was attacked by the three forces. [3]

They had to cross rover Chenab and the Chatthas were ready to fight them. They casualties were so high that they wanted a honourable peace. But the besieged chattha was weaker. [3]

Aftermath

Lepel Griffin in The Punjab Chiefs call it a Chattha victory despite the death of Ghulam Muhammad Chattha. Rest of the sources call it a Sikh victory. [4]

According to the Sikh sources Ranjit Singh's named used to be Buddh Singh but it was changed to Ranjit Singh to commemorate his first victory.

This battle is famous because a 10 year old Ranjit Singh, the son of Maha Singh and the raja of the later Sikh Empire almost died in this battle. [5] He was roaming around the battlefield but halted at a place. Hashmat Khan, the uncle of Ghulam Muhammad saw the child separate from the rest of the troops and decided to kill him. [6] [1] He climbed on the elephant the 10 year old was sitting on and was about to slash him with his sword. Luckily, another Sikh stopped that from happening and killed Hashmat. [6] Ramdat Singh, the grandad of Nidhaan Singh Panjhatha was killed in this siege. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 www.DiscoverSikhism.com. History Of The Sikhs Vol. V The Sikh Lion of Lahore (Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799-1839).
  2. ↑ Griffin, Lepel H. (1910). Chiefs and families of note in the Punjab. Government Printing, Lahore.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Shafqat Tanveer Mirza (1991). Resistance Themes In Punjabi Literature.
  4. 1 2 www.DiscoverSikhism.com. The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume III M-R.
  5. ↑ Duggal, Kartar Singh (2001). Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms. Abhinav Publications. ISBN   978-81-7017-410-3.
  6. 1 2 Griffin, Lepel Henry (1905). Ranjit Síngh and the Sikh barrier between our growing empire and Central Asia;. University of California Libraries. Oxford : Clarendon press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
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