Page 166 - Lohgarh

Chapter 10

Banda Singh Bahadur’s Return

to Sadhaura and Lohgarh

When Banda Singh received the news of the death of Bahadur Shah, he
was at Rajauri. Considering this as a useful opportunity, he decided to
return to the Punjab. Islam Khan, the Governor of Lahore, tried to block
his way but failed. Banda Singh reached Sadhaura and Lohgarh in the
early days of March 1712. He had four to five thousand soldiers with
1
him. After a few days, a deputy of Sarhind attacked Lohgarh but was
defeated badly. In spite of his defeat he did not return to Sarhind and
established his camp in between Sadhura and Sarhind. One night a group
of Sikhs put siege to his camp, entered his tent and chopped off his
head.
When the Sikhs received information about Banda Singh’s return
to Lohgarh, they began reaching there. Not only between Sadhaura
and Lohgarh, there lived many Vanjaras and the other Sikhs in many
villages in this zone. All the young men flocked to Sadhaura and Lohgarh
to join Banda Singh’s army. When this news reached Mohammed Amin
Khan he ordered his soldiers to march towards Sadhaura. 2
By that time the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah died, Mohammed
Amin Khan had to return to Lahore. Due to war of succession to the
Mughal Empire, the expedition against the Sikhs had come to a halt.
In the battle of succession, Mohammed Amin Khan did not side
with any one of the princes and remained totally neutral. When the
new Emperor Jahandar Shah became free from battle (as all his brothers
had been killed and there was no one to challenge him), when
Mohammed Amin Khan realized that Jahandar Shah was in full control
of the Empire, on 21 March 1712, he presented himself in Jahandar