Battle of Sutlej
The Battle of Sutlej was fought by Guru Har Rai's Sikhs and Muhammad Yarbeg Khan's Mughal forces in 1652. Muhammad Yarbeg Khan was the grandson of Mukhlis Khan, a Mughal general who was killed by Guru Hargobind during Battle of Amritsar (1634).[3]
Battle of Sutlej | |||||||
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Part of Early Mughal-Sikh Wars | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Akal Sena (Sikhs) | Mughal Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Guru Har Rai(Did not participate in the battle) Bhai Gaura | Muhammad Yarbeg Khan † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
300[1] | 1,000[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown |
Background
Bhai Gaura was the eldest son of Bhai Bhagtu, a devotee of the 5th, 6th and 7th Sikh Guru. He had killed someone who was part of Guru Har Rai's hunting party. After this Guru Ji had forbid Gaura to enter his presence.[3][4] For the next few months Bhai Gaura followed Guru Har Rai to everywhere he went, crawling in the shadows.[5]
Battle
Once Guru Har Rai and his bodyguards were walking along the Sutlej River. There they met Mughal troops which were marching from Lahore to Delhi.[5][6] One of the Mughal officers, was the grandson of Mukhlis Khan who had killed by Guru Hargobind, inquired the name of the party and upon knowning that it was Guru Har Rai, he immediately attacked seeking revenge for his grandfather.[5] Bhai Gaura came out of the shadows and defended Guru Har Rai with his troops. Usually, Guru Har Rai had tried to avoid conflicts.[6] But this time with the help of Bhai Gaura's troops he fought the Mughals valiantly until they fled away. Muhammad Yarbeg Khan was slain by Bhai Gaura himself. Bhai Gaura had bought time for Guru's party to safely cross the river.[7]
Aftermath
After this battle Bhai Gaura was pardoned by the Guru which meant Bhai Gaura can go back to his territory instead of following Guru ji.[5]
See also
References
- Suraj Granth Ras 10 Chapter 10-11
- Surjit Singh Gandhi (1978). History Of The Sikh Gurus - A Comprehensive Study. p. 331.
- Macauliffe, Max Arthur (1909). The Sikh Religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors, Vol 4. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Wikisource
- Macauliffe 1909, p. 295.
- Macauliffe 1909, p. 296.
- Dhillon, Harish (2015). The Sikh Gurus. p. 122.
- www.DiscoverSikhism.com. The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume II E-L. p. 58.