Battle of Darbar Sahib (1764) explained

Conflict:Battle of Darbar Sahib
Place:Golden Temple, Amritsar
Date:1 December 1764
Partof:Indian Campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani and Afghan-Sikh Wars
Result:Afghan Victory
Combatant1:Shaheedan Misl
Combatant2: Durrani Empire
Khanate of Kalat
Commander1:Baba Gurbaksh Singh
Nihal Singh
Man Singh
Basant Singh
(26 other unidentified Sikhs)
Commander2:Ahmad Shah Abdali
Mir Nasir Khan I
Strength1:30
Strength2:Unknown
Casualties1:30
Casualties2:Unknown

The Battle of Darbar Sahib was fought in 1764, during the Afghan-Sikh Wars, between the Shaheedan Misl of the Sikhs and the Durrani Empire of Ahmad Shah Abdali aided by the Khanate of Kalat.

Battle

See also: Battle of Qarawal. During the year 1764, the Sikh Misls greatly expanded their territory over the region of Punjab, and other North Indian subcontinent regions.[1] [2] This greatly weakened Durrani rule over Punjab which forced Ahmad Shah Abdali to launch a 7th invasion into India.[3]

Ahmad Shah Abdali and his army reached Eminabad where his Baloch ally Mir Nasir Khan I joined him. The Afghans had a force of 18,000 and the Baloch had a force of 12,000, having a total force of 30,000.[4] Soon they got into a skirmish against Charat Singh's Sukerchakia Misl.[5]

The Sikhs later marched to Amritsar. When Ahmad heard about this action, he immediately advanced towards Amritsar. When Baba Gurbaksh Singh was informed about Durrani's presence near Amritsar, he, along with Man Singh, Basant Singh, Nihal Singh along and 26 other Sikhs, decided to defend the holy city of Amritsar.[6]

They 30 Sikhs fought to their deaths against the Durranis at Harmandir (also known as Darbar Sahib or the Golden Temple), the holiest site of Sikhism.[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Singh, Ganda . Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia . Publication Bureau Punjabi University,Patiala . 1990 . 143–146.
  2. Book: Gupta, Hari . History of the Sikhs Volume II . Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. . 2007 . 81-215-0248-9 . 215–216.
  3. Book: Gandhi, Surjit . Sikhs In The Eighteenth Century . Singh Bros . 1999 . 81-7205-217-0 . 290–291.
  4. Book: Gupta, Hari . History of the Sikhs Volume II . Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. . 2007 . 81-215-0248-9 . 215–216.
  5. Book: Gupta, Hari . History of the Sikhs Volume II . Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. . 2007 . 81-215-0248-9 . 215–216.
  6. Book: Muhammad, Noor . Jangnamah . Khalsa College Amritsar . 2020 . Singh . Ganda . 2nd . 46.
  7. Book: Singh, Harbans . The Encyclopedia of Sikhism Volume II E-L . Punjabi University,Patiala . 2011 . 81-7380-204-1 . 3rd . 131–132.