Siege of Patiala (1779)

Last updated
Siege of Patiala
Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars
Date7–14 October 1779
Location
Result Patiala-Sikh victory
Belligerents
Patiala flag.svg Patiala
Supported by
Sikh Akali flag.svg Dal Khalsa
Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Patiala flag.svg Raja Amar Singh
Sikh Akali flag.svg Tara Singh Ghaiba
Sikh Akali flag.svg Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
Sikh Akali flag.svg Baghel Singh
Sikh Akali flag.svg Jai Singh Kanhaiya
Sikh Akali flag.svg Haqiqat Singh Kanhaiya
Sikh Akali flag.svg Jassa Singh Ramgarhia
Sikh Akali flag.svg Jodh Singh
Sikh Akali flag.svg Tirlok Singh
Sikh Akali flag.svg Amar Singh Bagha
Sikh Akali flag.svg Amar Singh Kingra
Sikh Akali flag.svg Sada Singh
Sikh Akali flag.svg Mohan Singh Nishanwala
Sikh Akali flag.svg Anup Singh Nishanwala
Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Abdul Ahad Khan
Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg Prince Farkhunda Bakht
Strength

75,000–215,000

  • 15,000 from Patiala
  • 60,000 [1] –200,000 [2] Reinforcements
50,000
200 pieces of cannon [3]
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

The siege of Patiala was a 7-day siege fought between the Sikh forces led by Raja Amar Singh and Mughal forces led by Abdul Ahad Khan.

Contents

Background

From 8 June to 18 October 1779, Abdul Ahad Khan was leading a campaign against the Patiala State. [4]

Siege

The combined forces of Tara Singh Ghaiba and Raja Amar Singh numbering around 15,000 fought a fierce battle on the 7th of October but were defeated. [2] They both fell back to their fort. [5] Meanwhile, the Mughals besieged Patiala. [6] Fighting continued for 2 days, but the Mughals were not able to capture the fort. [5] [7]

Meanwhile, Amar Singh secretly received assistance from the Sikh chiefs such as the Kanhaiya sardars, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, and others. [8] When the news of the Sikh army reached the Nawab, he immediately decided to retreat and claimed to Baghel Singh, "...that he had been asked by the emperor to return to Delhi." [5] [2] [9] This took place on 14 October 1779. [10]

See also

References

  1. Tarikh-i-Muzaffari
  2. 1 2 3 Surjit Singh Gandhi (1999). Sikhs In The Eighteenth Century. Singh Bros. p. 408. ISBN   9788172052171.
  3. Surinder Singh Johar (2002). The Sikh Sword To Power. p. 146.
  4. Indian Historical Records Commission (1941). Proceedings of Meetings. p. 96.
  5. 1 2 3 Hari Ram Gupta (1944). History Of The Sikhs 1769 1799. pp. 89–92.
  6. Sarkar Jadunath (1952). Fall Of The Mughal Empire Vol- Iii. M. C. Sarkar and Sons, Ltd., Calcutta. pp. 128–129.
  7. Singha, Bhagata (1993). A History of the Sikh Misals. Patiala, India:Publication Bureau, Punjabi University.
  8. Satish Chandra Mittal (1986). Haryana, a Historical Perspective. p. 10. ISBN   9788171560837.
  9. The Punjab Past and Present. Vol. 21. 1987. pp. 25–26.
  10. Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. p. 228.