Invasions of Kiratpur
The Invasions of Kiratpur were a set of military invasions on the village Kiratpur Sahib. The invasions were split into three different parts and was sent by Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor.
| Invasions of Kiratpur | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Early Mughal-Sikh Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Akal Sena (Sikhs) |
 Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Guru Har Rai |
Zalam Khan † Thude Khan † Nahar Khan † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2,200 army but 0 fought | 10,000+ | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | Heavy | ||||||
Background
Aurangzeb was enraged after Guru Har Rai helped Dara Shikoh. He decided to arrest the guru and send 3 of his generals to invade Kiratpur, where Guru Har Rai lived.[1]
Invasions
First invasion
First Aurangzeb sent General Zalam Khan with 10,000 soldiers to attack Kiratpur. On the way Zalam Khan ate uncooked meat and died due to severe food poisoning complications. After his death the imperial army departed to their homes.[1][2]
Second invasion
Following Zalam Khan’s death Aurangzeb sent General Thude Khan from Kandhar. When his army arrived at Kartarpur, India, an enemy of his killed him while he slept. Upon seeing Zalam Khan die the imperial force decided to leave as they had no commander.[3]
Third invasion
In the final invasion Aurangzeb sent General Nahar Khan, the faujdar of Saharanpur, to destroy Kiratpur and arrest the Guru. However, when he and his army reached Yamana Nagar, cholera spread in his army. Nahar Khan along with half of his army died while the remaining army left and said that it was a curse of Guru Har Rai. After this no general was sent to attack Kiratpur and many believed those who tried to attack Kiratpur were cursed.[1][3]
References
- Ajit Singh Aulakh. Sri Gur Partap Suraj Granth Vol 7 Steek Gur Itihaas Sri Guru Har Rai Ji, Sri Guru Har Krishan Ji.
- Macauliffe, Max Arthur (1909). The Sikh Religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors, Vol 4. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 306. Wikisource
- Harinder Singh Mehboob (2015). Sikh Scripture. ISBN 9781503546615.
- History Of The Sikh Gurus - A Comprehensive Study. p. 336.