Battle of Phagwara
| Battle of Phagwara | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Early Mughal-Sikh Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Akal Sena (Sikhs) |
 Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Guru Hargobind Bidhi Chand Tegh Bahadur Baba Gurditta Bhai Desu † Bhai Sohela † |
Ahmad Khan † Fateh Khan † Zafat Khan Jamal Khan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Minor to heavy losses[1][2] | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Phagwara was fought between the Akal Sena forces led by Guru Hargobind and the Mughal forces led by Ahmad Khan.
Background
After the Battle of Kartarpur, Guru Hargobind along with some devotees left the plains and set out for Kiratpur Sahib which would be safer for the Sikhs as they expected revenge by the Mughals for their defeat.[3] The Guru had already suffered high amount of losses in men and material before during the Battle of Kartarpur.[4]
Battle
When the Guru and his troops were passing through Phagwara, they were attacked by a contingent of royal Mughal forces under the command of Ahmad Khan, the grandson of Abdulla Khan who was killed by Guru Hargobind in the Battle of Rohilla.[5] The Mughal forces failed to cause any major damage to the Sikhs.[3] Ahmad Khan and Fateh Khan were killed by the Sikh forces while Zafat Khan and Jamal Khan managed to survive.[6] As for the Sikhs, Bhai Desa and Bhai Sohela were killed in battle.[5]
Aftermath
This battle was the last major battle between the Sikhs and the Mughals during Guru Hargobind’s time. Guru Hargobind finally after reached Kiratpur.[3]
On the Sikh side, Bhatt Sona and Bhatt Sohela (sons of Balu Bhatt and grandsons of Mula Bhatt) were killed in the battle.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1994). History of the Sikhs: The Sikh Gurus, 1469-1708. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 170. ISBN 978-81-215-0276-4.
- ^ a b Dhillon 1988, p. 123.
- ^ a b c Dhillon, Darbir Singh (1988). Sikhism, Origin and Development. p. 123.
- ^ Sagoo, Harbans Kaur (2001). Banda Singh Bahadur and Sikh Sovereignty. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 38. ISBN 9788176293006.
- ^ a b Surjit Singh Gandhi (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 542–543. ISBN 9788126908585.
- ^ Nayyar,Gurbachan Singh (1995). The Sikhs in Ferment, Battle of the Sikh Gurus