Page 191 - Lohgarh

The Last Battles of Banda Singh Bahadur w 191

Mukarram received the news of the Sikhs’ arrival at Ropar, he too
reached there. This was followed by a pitched battle. Both sides
exchanged gunfire, arrows and swords. This battle continued for two
pahir (about 6 hours) and ended when it was dark, and the Sikhs
returned to the hills. Hundreds of the Mughal soldiers and 300 Sikhs
were killed in this battle. Zain-ud-Din Ahmed Khan severed heads of
the three hundred dead Sikhs and dispatched them to Delhi to show
the same to the Emperor and get rewarded for that. 5
In the third week of May 1714, another battle was fought between
the Sikhs and the Mughal army. On 29 May, the Emperor was told that
on one day five thousand Sikh cavalry and seven thousand infantry come
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down from Shivalik hills and were present in Bawasa village. At that
time Zain-ud-Din Ahmed Khan, the Faujdar of Sarhind, was also present
in that area. He had a big force with him. Having received this
information, the Mughal army surrounded them. Soon, a very large
number of more Mughal soldiers too joined them; besides the local
chiefs also sent several soldiers. According to this report, then the
Mughal army too was about five thousand of cavalry and seven thousand
infantry. When the Sikhs came to know about the strength of the Mughal
army, they decided not to fight against such a huge army; hence, they
continued guerrilla battle till they fled towards the high hills; in these
skirmishes at least thirty Mughal soldiers were killed and fifty was
injured, and many Sikhs too, lost their lives. 7
The news of these casualties was reported to the Emperor on 12
June also. According to this report, on 13 may 1714, a big force of the
Sikhs soldiers had entered village Manakpur and other villages of
Dahona 8 pargana. They planned to take away their animals. The
zamindar (chief) of the said village and the men of thana (police post)
fought against the Sikhs. The Sikhs fought with arrows and swords. In
the meanwhile the army of Zain-ud-Din Ahmed Khan, Faujdar of Sarhind,
appeared. In this battle, 11 soldiers of Mughal cavalry and Forty soldiers
rd
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of their infantry were killed. Many Sikhs too were killed. On 3 July it
was reported that Vanjaras were staying at around Nurpur and supplying
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the Sikhs with food grains, arrows and rifles. There was a ceaseless