Page 20 - Lohgarh

20 w Lohgarh : The World’s Largest Fort

the Indian Sub-Continent to raise finances for the cause of freedom
from foreign yoke. In the early eighteenth century the Mughal economy
was 24.4% of the world’s economic system and the Vanjaras Sikhs were
the primary players of it. The Vanjaras were so rich traders that the
Mughals had assigned them ‘mansabs’ in various regions of the Empire.
The Vanjaras were the richest population of the nation and even had
political power, but their feeling of nationalism was unmatched, they
worked wisely and secretly, for many decades, to fulfill the mission of
the Lohgarh Fort. Bhai Lakhi Rai Vanjara was the main leader behind
the objective and a large number of nayaks (leaders) and the Vanjaras
followed his path.
Banda came to Punjab with a large number of men around him and
tandas of Vanjara Sikhs circulated the Hukamnama of Guru Sahib –
stating war against the Mughals has opened and Sikhs were ordered to
join Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. This rebellion was not against a small
monarch, but it was against the world’s most powerful empire. The
battles of Lohgarh were fought mainly by the Vanjaras, the Labanas
and the Sikhligars. After the battles of Lohgarh (1710-1716), the Mughal
Empire began gradually declining. Later on after the capturing of Baba
Banda Singh Bahadur, the Vanjaras tried to carry on the battle against
the Mughals, but could not sustain for want of a great leader. The
Mughal regime inhabited 85 villages with Rangar people (the Rajputs
turned Muslims) in the vicinity of Lohgarh; and, with this the Vanjaras
had to yield a very big toll. This was the beginning of their genocide in
the Northern India and the royal farmans (command) were issued that
wherever Nanakprast (Sikhs) found, they should be killed right there
and the person killing them shall be rewarded with 10 rupees per head;
this was a big amount in those days. This continued for the next 30 to
40 years, i.e. up to 1750s, till the Sikh Misls captured this region and set
up their administrative control over this region. The Sikh feudals never
bothered to take charge of their Vanjara Sikh brethren who were passing
their life in misery in the hills bordering the former district of Ambala.
After the battles of Lohgarh no population was left in the district.It
is worthwhile to mention here that most of the population inhabiting