| Battle of Gandgarh | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Afghan-Sikh Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Sikh Empire | Yousafzai Tribesmen | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Diwan Ram Dayal
†
[4]Sardar Sadda Singh
†
[5]
Sada Kaur
Sher Singh
Sham Singh Attariwala | Yousafzai Malaks | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown reinforced by 6,000 men [1] | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown, Governor of Hazara Ram Dayal was killed. [4] | Unknown | ||||||
In 1820, Yousafzai once again revolted against the Sikh Empire, which led to the Battle of Gandgarh. [6] Hazara was under Diwan Ram Singh with thousands of well-equipped soldiers; on the other hand, Yousafzai tribesmen were local zamindars. Yousafzai Afghans killed the governor of Hazara, Diwan Ram Daya. [7] [8]
The Battle
After arriving in Gandgarh (Modern-Day Haripur District), Ramdayal (Governor of Hazara) found himself surrounded by Afghans from Miswari, Srikot, Torbela, Yusufzai, and Swat and forced to engage in combat. [9] [10] The Sikhs battled all day, and at night, exhausted, they returned to their entrenchments. Ram Dayal left the field last, and the enemy, seeing that he was separated from the army, dashed and encircled his company. The Sikhs battled valiantly but lost Ramdayal and his bodyguard. Sikhs fled Hazara after their General's death. [11]
Aftermath
Gandgarh was captured by local Yousafzai and Sikh retreated to Hazara. Ramdayal's death grieved his father, who wanted to leave Kashmir and retire to Banares. Since Ramdayal was dead, the Maharaja accepted the Diwan's resignation and appointed Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa, the Khalsa army's most dashing soldier, as his successor. [12]
References
- ^ a b G.S. Chhabra (1960). Advanced study in History of the Punjab. Vol. 2. pp. 195–196.
- ^ S. L. Tandan (1902) Selected Men of Hindustan Part 1, Volume 1
- ^ The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices Volumes 1-2 (1923) by Henry Lipin Griffin
- ^ a b Tandan, S. L. (1902). "Selected Men of Hindustan. Part 1".
- ^ Kohli, M. S. (2003). Miracles of Ardaas: Incredible Adventures and Survivals. Indus. ISBN 9788173871528.
- ^ Tandan, S. L. (1902). Selected Men of Hindustan. Part 1. H.C. Dass, Elysium Press. p. 197.
- ^ "governor-killed-in-colombia-dec-23-2009-1pp". Human Rights Documents online: 149. doi: 10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-9211-0348. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ Seetal, Sohan Singh (1971). The Sikh Empire and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Dhanpat Rai. p. 119.
- ^ Griffin, Lepel Henry (1890). The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Civil and Military Gazette Press. p. 209.
- ^ Chopra, Gulshan Lall (1940). Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab. Government Printing. p. 184.
- ^ Griffin, Lepel (2018). Ranjit Singh. Sristhi Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 978-93-87022-29-4.
- ^ Griffin, Sir Lepel Henry (1890). The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab. Civil and Military Gazette Press.