Siege of Ram Rauni | |||||||
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Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars and Hill States-Sikh Wars | |||||||
One of the very rare photographs taken of Qila Ram Rauni of Ramgarh. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Dal Khalsa | Mughal Empire Rajas of Sivalik Hills | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jassa Singh Thoka Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Jai Singh Kanhaiya | Mir Mannu Adina Beg Dewan Kaura Mal Mirza Aziz Khan Bakhshi Nasir Ali Khan Jalandri Sadiq Khan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
500–900 | 30,000 Several Artillery Guns | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
200 | Massive |
The siege of Ram Rauni was a 4 months siege fought between the Sikh forces led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and the Mughal forces of Adina Beg, Dewan Kaura Mal, Mirza Aziz Khan and Bakhshi Nasir Ali Khan Jalandri.
During the first invasion of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Sikhs had constructed a mud fort near Amritsar which had been named Ram Rauni. [1] [2] In October 1748, the Sikhs assembled at Amritsar to celebrate Diwali. [3] Mir Mannu, in a bid to defeat and destroy the Sikh, ordered Adina Beg to march against them. [4] [5] He also ordered forces under Dewan Kaura Mal, Mirza Aziz Khan and Bakhshi Nasir Ali Khan Jalandri to besiege Ram Rauni. [6]
The Mughal commanders pushed towards Ram Rauni . The Sikhs realized that they were heavily outnumbered took positions in the fort. [7] There were only 500 Sikhs at the time who were taking shelter (Persian sources suggest 900). [8] The Mughals had decided to blow up Ram Rauni by filling gun-powder in the underground tunnels. The Singhs decided to dig a deep moat, and decided to take positions in it, which prevented the progress of the plans of the Mughal. [6] The siege continued for four months with daily skirmishes taking place. [9] During the 4 moths, 200 Sikhs out of the garrison were killed. [10] According to Panth Prakash, Sikhs in groups of 10 troops came outside the fort and slaughtered the Mughals. Only an odd number of survivors ever returned to the fort. [7] Many Sikhs wrote to Jassa Singh Thoka who was a carpenter in the service of Adina Beg that he being on the side of the Muslims, was the cause of the ruin of the Sikhs, and if he did not come that day to their help he would never be allowed into the Khalsa Panth. [9] So he sent a message to Diwan Kaura Mal and he asked Mir Mannu to end the siege.
Mir Mannu offered to lift the siege because Ahmad Shah Abdali was planning to invade India for the second time. [3] Jassa Singh Thoka remained in the fort for a quite sometime. He repaired the fort and established a misl named Ramgarhia Misl. He would later be known as Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and went on to be one of the greatest Sikh generals. [5]
Dal Khalsa was the name of the combined military forces of 11 Sikh misls that operated in the 18th century (1748–1799) in the Punjab region. It was established by Nawab Kapur Singh in late 1740s.
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.
Nawab Kapur Singh was a major Sikh leader who led the community during the early-to-mid 18th century. He was the organizer of the Sikh Confederacy and its military force, the Dal Khalsa. He is held in high regards by Sikhs.
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia (1723–1803) was a prominent Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy. He was the founder of the Ramgarhia Misl.
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.
Baghel Singh was a warrior leader in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. He rose to prominence in the area around Sutlej and Yamuna. He joined the Singh Krora Misl, one of the Misls during Sikh Confederacy. In 1765, Singh became the leader of the Misl.
Ramgarhia Bunga or Burj is the three-storeyed red stone watchtowers complex located near southeastern edge of the Golden Temple, Amritsar. The two minaret-style Ramgarhia Bunga high towers are visible from the parikrama (circumambulation) walkway around the Harmandir Sahib Sarovar. It is a pre-Ranjit Singh structure built by Sikh warrior and Ramgarhia misl chief Jassa Singh Ramgarhia in late 18th-century, after the 1762 destruction and desecration of the Sikh holy temple and site by the Afghan Muslim forces led by Ahmed Shah Abdali. The Bunga watchtowers-related infrastructure was constructed to station sentinels to watch for any surprise attack, house soldiers to help fortify the area, and to protect the holy complex from desecration.
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 KanhaiyaMisl was one of the twelve misls of the Sikh Confederacy. It had been founded by Sandhu Jats.
Jai Singh Kanhaiya (1712–1793) was the founder and, until his death, leader of the Kanhaiya Misl in Punjab. His daughter-in-law, Sada Kaur succeeded him as the misl leader.
Fatehabad is a small town in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab State. in India, located about 20 km from Tarn Taran Sahib
Adina Beg Khan was a Punjabi general, administrator, and statesman who served as the Nawab of Punjab from April 1758 until his death in September of the same year. He began his career as a patwari (accountant) and later as a sepoy after joining the Mughal army, eventually drawing the attention of the Punjabi nobles. After serving through various posts in Punjab, he was recognised as the Nawab by Emperor Alamgir II during the power vacuum in 1758, earning the title Zafar Jang Bahadur.
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.
Ramgarhia Misl was a sovereign state (misl) in the Sikh Confederacy of Punjab region in present-day India and Pakistan. The misl's name is derived from Qila Ramgarh, a place located in Ramsar, near Amritsar, which was fortified and redesigned by Ramgarhia Misl chief Jassa Singh Ramgarhia. The Ramgarhia Misl was one of the twelve major Sikh misls, and held land near Amritsar.
The Battle of Delhi was fought between the Dal Khalsa and the Mughal Empire in 1783.
The siege of Amritsar was a siege that took place in March 1748. The Battle was fought between the Sikhs led by Nawab Kapur Singh against the Mughal Forces led by Salabat Khan. The Sikhs successfully defeated and killed Salabat Khan and conquered the city of Amritsar from the Mughals.
The Battle of Anandpur, also known as the Battle of Makhowal was fought on 5 March 1753 by the Sikh forces led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Mughal forces led by Adina Beg. Large losses were sustained by the Sikh forces.
The Battle of Multan, also known as the Battle of Daurana Langana was fought in September 1749 by Kaura Mal's Mughal forces assisted by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia's Sikhs and the Mughal forces under Shah Nawaz Khan.
The Battle of Nadaun was fought in August 1752 by the Mandi and Guler state led by the Rajas of the states and the Mughal Empire led by Aziz Khan, the steward of Mir Mannu. The Hill States were supported by the Sikhs led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.
The Ahluwalia–Ramgarhia War was fought in 1776–1778 between a Coalition led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia against the Ramgarhia Misl. It was primarily caused by territorial claims, leading to a conflict over territorial control in Punjab in which the Ramgarhia Sardars got expelled.