Page 111 - Lohgarh

Mughal Action Against the Sikhs w 111

Naushehra (now Nawanshahr).
Since the fall of Sarhind to the Sikhs, the Mughal and the Pathan
chieftains and the officials in the Punjab and the surrounding areas had
been planning to expel the Sikhs from that town. One of such persons
was Shamas Khan, the former chief of Sultanpur Lodhi. On September
1710, Shamas Khan declared a ‘holy war’ against the Sikhs and enrolled
a large number of Muslims from Sultanpur and surrounding areas.
Before attacking the Sikhs at Sarhind, he wanted to get Rahon freed
from the Sikhs. He left Sultanpur for Rahon in the first week of October
1710. Khafi Khan mentions the figure of Shamas Khan’s forces as one
hundred thousand. According to Khafi Khan there were 4-5 thousand
horsemen, and thirty thousand infantry and the rest were ordinary
Muslims, most of whom were julaahas (weavers). Khafi Khan gives the
figure of the Sikh army as seventy thousands. Both figures seem to be
exaggerated. 29
When Shamas Khan’s army reached Rahon, there were only a few
hundred Sikhs in the Fort; but they came out of the Fort and fell upon
Shamas Khan’s army. A pitched battle was fought outside the walls of
the town. The Sikhs gave such a fierce fight that at one time it seemed
that Shamas Khan would flee or at least give up fighting; but, in the
meanwhile Shamas Khan’s uncle Bayzid Khan (Qutub-ud-Din Khaishgi),
the Governor of Jammu, also reached there with a big force; and, almost
at the same time, Umar Khan, the chief of Kasur, and his soldiers too
arrived. This compelled the Sikhs to retreat and take refuge in the Fort.
Now, a mammoth army put a siege to the Fort from all the sides. The
Sikhs, though very small in number, continued fighting for three days,
but when their ammunition as well as ration was exhausted, they
decided to leave the Fort; so, at midnight they made an attempt to
flee; while doing so several Sikhs were killed and only a few managed
to save their lives. This victory added to the pride of Shamas Khan and
Bayzid Khan and they, now, decided to repeat this action at Sarhind
too. They crossed the river Satluj at Machhiwara and spent a night there
in the Pakki Saran. 30
The news of Shamas Khan’s victory reached Bahadur Shah on