Page 97 - Lohgarh

Banda Singh Bahadur’s Actions from the Lohgarh Fort w 97

out of the Fortress and fled away.
The next morning, the ‘holy soldiers of Islam’ entered the Fortress
and were pleased to declare it as their victory. Now, they raised victory
slogans and began their return journey to Lahore. On their way they
decided to spend a night in the Fortress of Bhilowal. This was a small
Fortress and only a few persons could stay there in; hence, only the
leaders, the senior officers and priests got a place inside the Fortress
and the rest had to sleep outside. When the Sikhs came to know that
the soldiers were sleeping in open ground, they surrounded the area
and the next morning, when the sun was yet to rise, they (Sikhs) attacked
the ‘holy soldiers of Islam’ while they were still asleep. Several hundred
of them were killed and the rest fled to Lahore. The Sikhs, however, did
not leave the place. They compelled the leaders of the ‘holy soldiers of
Islam’ to come out of the Fortress and fight. During this battle, all the
leaders of the ‘holy soldiers of Islam’, including Murtaza Khan as well as
the son of the Pharaoh Mall (and grandson of Todar Mall), were killed.
The battle of Bhilowal brought a drop scene to the Muslims’ holy war
against the Sikhs. In fact, the ‘holy soldiers of Islam’ were untrained
soldiers and their first encounter with the Sikhs created awe in their
minds and made them realize that they were no match for the brave
Sikh soldiers.
The Sikhs won all these three battles and captured the Forts of
Bhilowal and Garhi Bhagwant Singh, but they did not stay there. On the
other hand, the Muslim priests too tried to provoke the Muslim youth
for another war against the Sikhs but the Muslim youth were so scared
of the Sikhs that they dared not fight against them (Sikhs). This was
enough to establish the supremacy of the Sikhs in that zone. Now, even
the Muslim authorities began fearing the Sikh soldiers. When this news
reached Bahadur Shah, the Mughal Emperor, he too got scared. 36
Mohammed Qasim writes that the Sikhs had established their control
in the area of Riarki-Majha up to the walls of Lahore city. 37
In just less than a year (November 1709 to September 1710), the
Sikhs, had got freed the land between the rivers Raavi and Yamuna.
They had captured Sarhind, Samana, Chhat-Banur, Rupar, Ghurham,