Page 123 - Lohgarh

Mughal Action Against the Sikhs w 123

any shortage of supply in any of the Fortress was immediately fulfilled
for Sikhs. Dams were constructed at various points in hills and heavy
precipitation in the area always kept these dams full with water. Well
coordinated effort of Sikh army, shocked the Mughal generals.

Attack on the Lohgarh Fort (as reported by historians)
Most of the historians have written that the Mughal army puts siege to
st
the Lohgarh Fort on 30 November 1710 and captured it on 1 December
1710, the very next day, and, Banda Singh Bahadur escaped from the
Fort with a few of his companions through the hills of Nahan. Almost
same or a like material is found in the works of almost all the historians.
In fact, these historians have based their works on the writings of the
Persian writers who had claimed that they had seen this battle with
their own eyes; they (especially Khafi Khan and Kamvar Khan) claimed
themselves to be eyewitnesses. Their narration of this battle as such:
th
On Wednesday, the 29 of November, 1710, the Emperor reached
village Kampo, on the bank of river Som, a few furlongs away from
Lohgarh. Having observed the situation, he ordered Khan Khanan and
Mahabat Khan to assess the state of the trenches (posts) of the Sikhs in
the hills. The same order was given to prince Rafiushan too. After
th
assessing the whole situation, on the 30 of November, the royal forces
surrounded the Lohgarh Fort in this manner:
(1). Rafiushan will take positions at about one km from the Fort,
and, he will be assisted by Zulfiqar Khan.
(2). Khan Khanan Munaim Khan and his two sons, Bakhshi Mahabat
Khan and Khan Zaman, will move from the hip of the hills.
(3). Chhatarsal Bundela 47 and Islam Khan Mir Aatish will be the
advance party of Khan Khanan.
(4). Hamid-Ud-Din Khan, Azimushan Shah and their associates as
well as the soldiers of Jahan Shah were to assist the three
parties of the action. 48
At the time of beseige, there were not many Sikhs in the Lohgarh
Fort; nor they had enough ammunition or food for survival. They had
just three cannons and had also made one improvised cannon of an