Battle of Kartarpur: Difference between revisions
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| commander2 = [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]][[Shah Jahan]]<br>[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Kale Khan {{KIA}}<br>[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Kutub Khan{{KIA}}<br />[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Painda Khan {{KIA}} <br>[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Anwar Khan{{KIA}}<br />[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Azmat Khan{{KIA}}<br> [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Khoja Anwar{{KIA}} |
| commander2 = [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]][[Shah Jahan]]<br>[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Kale Khan {{KIA}}<br>[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Kutub Khan{{KIA}}<br />[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Painda Khan {{KIA}} <br>[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Anwar Khan{{KIA}}<br />[[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Azmat Khan{{KIA}}<br> [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]]Khoja Anwar{{KIA}} |
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| units3 = |
| units3 = |
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| strength1 = |
| strength1 = 1800<ref name="Macauliffe1909" />{{Rp|202}} |
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| strength2 = |
| strength2 = 52,000<ref name="Macauliffe1909" />{{Rp|198}} |
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Sikh sources say 75,000<ref name="Gurbilas Patashai 6 Chapter 20">Gurbilas Patashai 6 Chapter 20</ref>-100,000 counting looters who joined<ref name=":1"/> |
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| strength3 = |
| strength3 = |
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| casualties1 = |
| casualties1 = 700<ref name="Macauliffe1909" />{{Rp|212}} |
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Sikh sources 1,000<ref name="Gurbilas Patashai 6 Chapter 20">Gurbilas Patashai 6 Chapter 20</ref> |
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| casualties2 = |
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| casualties2 = 50,000<ref name="Macauliffe1909" />{{Rp|211}} |
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Sikh sources say 74,993<ref name="Gurbilas Patashai 6 Chapter 20">Gurbilas Patashai 6 Chapter 20</ref>-96,000<ref name=":1"/> |
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| casualties3 = |
| casualties3 = |
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| notes = |
| notes = |
Revision as of 21:59, 4 October 2023
Battle of Kartarpur | |||||||
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Part of Early Mughal-Sikh Wars | |||||||
Defaced, abraded, and deteriorated mural depicting the Battle of Kartarpur (April 1635) from Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi, Hadiara, Lahore district. In the middle can be seen Guru Hargobind slicing Painde Khan into two | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Akal Sena (Sikhs) | Mughal Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Guru Hargobind Tegh Bahadur Bidhi Chand Baba Gurditta Bhai Jati Malik Bhai Lakhi Das Bhai Amiya Bhai Mehar Chand |
Shah Jahan Kale Khan † Kutub Khan † Painda Khan † Anwar Khan † Azmat Khan † Khoja Anwar † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1800[2]: 202 |
52,000[2]: 198 Sikh sources say 75,000[3]-100,000 counting looters who joined[4] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
700[2]: 212 Sikh sources 1,000[3] |
50,000[2]: 211 Sikh sources say 74,993[3]-96,000[4] |
The Battle of Kartarpur occurred on 25 April 1635[a][5] It started when the Mughal Empire attacked the town of Kartarpur. The Mughal force was repulsed by the Sikh defenders.[6] The battle occurred in the locality of Kartarpur in present-day Jalandhar district of Indian Punjab.[5]
Events
Painda (or Painde) Khan, ex-general of the Sikh troops, convinced Shah Jahan to send a force against Guru Hargobind in Kartarpur. The expedition was commanded by Kale Khan, the governor of Peshwar whose brother Mukhlis Khan was killed by Guru Hargobind in the Battle of Amritsar.[7] He was joined by Qutub Khan, (Qutab or Kutub, the faujdar of Jalandhar) Kohja Anwar, and Painda.[1]: 541–542 [7] Painda was accompanied by his son-in-law, Asman Khan.[2]: 204
Qutub sent Anwar Khan with gifts to Guru Hargobind which were rejected. Anwar challenged Hargobind to a game of chaupar. After being defeated, Anwar insulted the Guru's predecessors, and in return was beaten and sent away.[2]: 200–201
Kartarpur was defended by Bhai Bidhi Chand with Guru Hargobind and his eldest son Baba Gurdita supporting him.[6]
According to historian Max Macauliffe, Hargobind had "eighteen hundred regular fighting men who were supplied by his friends in Kartarpur", whilst, “The emperor had given Kale Khan fifty thousand men … Abdulla Khan … joined Kale Khan with two thousand men.”[2]: 198, 202 Sikh sources mention the Mughal army numbering 75,000-100,000.[7][4]
Before the battle began Dhir Mal, the grandson of Guru Hargobind, sent a letter to the Painda Khan stating the Sikhs were small in numbers and could be easily defeated. He promised to aid Painda Khan in any way he could.[2]: 202
On hearing word of the advancing army Guru Hargobind sent Bhai Lakhu, Bhai Amia, and Bhai Mehar Chand to fight the Mughals. They were accompanied by 500 Sikhs. 12,000 Mughals fought the 500 Sikhs.[7]
On seeing the 12,000 Mughals dying Kale Khan led 20,000 of the Mughal troops and attacked. They were met with heavy resistance. The Guru dispatched Sikh forces under Bidhi Chand and Jati Malak to hold off Kale Khan and his force.[7] Anwar Khan was killed by an arrow from Bidhi Chand. In the morning, after serious losses overnight, Painda and Asman with there armies entered the field determined to capture the Guru.[2]: 202, 205–206
On seeing his ken being killed, Qutab Khan used a canon, but it did not stop the Sikhs. After Qutab Khan rushed towards the battlefield, he and Bhai Lakhu exchanged arrows, knocking each other to the ground in turn, after which Qutub took Lakhu's head with his sword. This boosted the Mughal armies morale and all the generals and the entire army charged the Sikh.[2]: 206, 207
Guru Hargobind met and slew Painda in combat. The Guru spared the dying Paindas life and allowed him to recite the kalma (shahada), and shaded his body from the sun with his shield.[1]: 542 [2]: 209 Gurdita felled Asman, his childhood friend, with an arrow.[2]: 210
Qutub[2]: 210–211 and Kale[1]: 542 [2]: 211–212 were also killed, in single combat with Guru Hargobind.[2]: 210–212 After their last leader fell, the remaining Mughal troops fled.[1]: 542 [2]: 212
Macauliffe says that only two thousand Mughal soldiers remained by the end of the battle, meaning the Mughals suffered fifty thousand casualties. The Sikh only suffered seven hundred.[b]Sikh sources say that 74,993 to 96,000 were killed.[7][4]
This was the first and only battle that future Guru Tegh Bahadur had fought, and due to his valor and swordsmanship he earned the title 'Tegh' meaning large sword.
Aftermath
After the battle, Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib travelled to Giractpur (Kirtapur) via Bhawarati (Phagwara). At Palahi village near Phagwara, he was set upon by royal forces under Ahmad Khan, and suffered considerable losses.[1]: 542–543 He remained in Kiratpur until his death.[1]: 543
On the Sikh side, Bhatt Fateh Chand and Bhatt Amir Chand (sons of Dharma Bhatt and grandsons of Bhoja Bhatt) were killed in battle.[8]
Notes
- ^ According to Macauliffe, "It ended an hour before nightfall on the 24th day of Har, Sambat 1691 (A.D. 1634)."
- ^ "It is said that several thousand Muhammadans but only seven hundred of the Guru's brave and skilful Sikhs perished in this sanguinary battle." (p. 212) "The imperial troop died in numbers and now only about two thousand remain." (p. 211)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Surjit Singh Gandhi (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 9788126908585.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Macauliffe, Max Arthur (1909). The Sikh Religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors, Vol 4. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Wikisource
- ^ a b c Gurbilas Patashai 6 Chapter 20
- ^ a b c d Suraj Granth Raas 8
- ^ a b The encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 2. Harbans Singh. Patiala: Punjabi University. 1992–1998. p. 448. ISBN 0-8364-2883-8. OCLC 29703420.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges, vol. F-O. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 513. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Gurbilas Patashahi 6 Chapter 20
- ^ Dhillon, Dalbir Singh (1988). Sikhism: Origin and Development. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors Pvt Limited. p. 123.