| Siege of Sirhind (1758) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Afghan-Maratha War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Maratha empire |
 Durrani Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Raghunath Rao Adina Beg Khan |
Abdus khan (POW) Jangbaz khan (POW)[1] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
During the Maratha invasion of the Punjab in 1758, the Mughal-ki-Sarai near Ambala, Rajpura, and Sarai Banjara were all significant locations that witnessed the passage of the Maratha army. The siege of Sarhind, however, was a pivotal moment in this campaign.[1][2]
Battle
The Governor of Sarhind, Abdus Samad Khan, found himself outnumbered and outgunned by the Marathas and Adina Beg Khan's Sikh forces. With no other option left, he barricaded himself inside the fort. The Marathas and Sikhs laid siege to the fort, engaging in a fierce battle that lasted for several days. As the battle raged on, the Marathas and Sikhs showed no mercy to the inhabitants of Sarhind. They plundered everything in sight,[3] leaving no one unscathed. Men and women alike were stripped bare, and houses were pulled down for their timber. The looting was so thorough that not a single person was left with a single piece of clothing. Eventually, Abdus Samad Khan and Jangbaz Khan fled from the fort in fear. The Marathas overtook them and imprisoned them.[4] The Marathas and Sikhs continued their rampage through Sarhind, leaving behind a trail of destruction in their wake. The siege of Sarhind was a brutal and devastating episode in the Afghan-Maratha conflict. It serves as a stark reminder of the violence and chaos that can ensue during times of war and conflict.[5][6]
References
- 1 2 3 Gupta, Hari Ram, ed. (1961). Marathas And Panipat. Panjab University – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Roy, Kaushik (2011-03-30). War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-136-79087-4.
- ↑ Savarkar, Veer (2020-01-01). Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History: Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History: Veer Savarkar's Historical Masterpiece. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5322-097-6.
- ↑ Sarkar, Jagadish Narayan (1976). A Study Of Eighteenth Century India Vol. 1.
- ↑ Gupta, Hari Ram (1952). A History of the Sikhs: Evolution of the Sikh confederation, 1739-1766. Minerva Book Shop.
- ↑ Shahab, Syed Yusuf (2021-07-06). Sirhind: A Monumental Example Of Oblivion. OrangeBooks Publication.