The Battle of Darbar Sahib was fought in 1761, 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 of Darbar Sahib | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indian Campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani and Afghan-Sikh Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Shaheedan Misl |
 Durrani Empire Khanate of Kalat | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
|
Ahmad Shah AbdaliMir Nasir Khan I | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 30 |
18,000 Afghans 12,000 Baloch Total Army: 30,000[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 30 | Unknown | ||||||
Battle edit
During the year 1761, the Sikh Misls greatly expanded their territory over the region of Punjab, and other North Indian subcontinent regions.[2][1] 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.[1] Soon they got into a skirmish against Charat Singh's Sukerchakia Misl.[1]
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.[4]
They 30 Sikhs fought to their deaths against the Durranis at Shri Harmandir Sahib (also known as Darbar Sahib or the Golden Temple), the holiest site of Sikhism.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Gupta, Hari (2007). History of the Sikhs Volume II. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. 215–216. ISBN 81-215-0248-9.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Publication Bureau Punjabi University,Patiala. pp. 143–146.
- ^ Gandhi, Surjit (1999). Sikhs In The Eighteenth Century. Singh Bros. pp. 290–291. ISBN 81-7205-217-0.
- ^ Muhammad, Noor (2020). Singh, Ganda (ed.). Jangnamah (2nd ed.). Khalsa College Amritsar. p. 46.
- ^ Singh, Harbans (2011). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism Volume II E-L (3rd ed.). Punjabi University,Patiala. pp. 131–132. ISBN 81-7380-204-1.
See also edit