Four Major Battles of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji

By: Jaspinder Grover

Four Major Battles of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji

In 1664 Bikrami, Jahangir was travelling across Kashmir, accompanied by the queen. He had voyaged for a change of clime, to recover from his illness. His disease sapped every bit of his life and he passed away. He had become a devotee of the Guru's house and had never interfered to lay any obstacles in the spread of Sikhism. After his sudden demise, the Muslim Priests began to poison the ears of the new emperor, Shah Jahan. The result was the emergence of tension between the Guru's House and kingdom. Battles began to be fought, and other than small conflicts here and there, four major battles were fought.

The Battle Of Amritsar

In 1685 Bikrami the Sikhs were caught unawares with a sudden attack by the royal army at Amritsar.
Meer Shikari set out to hunt in Lahore when his hawk entered Amritsar and was caught by the Sikhs. The Mir made a mountain out of a mole hill and reported to royal officers at Lahore that the Sikhs had made all preparations to overthrow the Mughal regime. "Today they have grabbed our hawk, tomorrow it might be the crown." On his arousal, the Mughal army launched an assault on Amritsar from Lahore. At Amritsar, Guru's daughter Veero was being married. When the news of the attack broke loose, the Guru rushed His family to Jhabaal and jumped into the battle ground. General Rasool Khan was invading with an army of seven thousand soldiers. The Guru, followed by His generals Bhai Bidhi Chand, Bhai Jetha, Bhai Prana and Painde Khan, retaliated with full force and dealt a severe blow to Mughal army. The royal army lost its feet and ran to Lahore for their lives. Next day they returned with double the strength and head count. It was then that the Guru made cannons of wood, fire ammunition at the enemy. The army was shocked and broken to see wooden cannons killing scores of their men. The Guru who was Himself leading from the front, challenged the Mughal General, Mukhlas Khan, to a duel, giving him a chance to make the first move. He made a vain attempt which the Guru defended with ease. The Guru stuck a deadly blow with His Khanda, a double edged sword, and tore him apart into two pieces. The army acknowledged defeat and ran back to Lahore. At the sight of the battle, Gurdwara "Sangrana Sahib" stands on the outskirts of the city. This is also the place where Guru Ji blessed Maata Sulakhni Ji with seven sons.

The Battle of Hargobindpur

This battle was fought in 1687 Bikrami, in the month of Asu. There was conflict between the Sikhs and the land revenue officer of that area. The officer filed a complaint with the Provincial Governor, Abdul Khan at Jalandhar. The Governor was already very jealous with the huge mass following of Guru's House. Using the complaint as a pretext he launched an attack on Hargobindpur. He was accompanied by his two sons, Rahim Baksh and Nabi Khan. The Guru asked His generals Bhai Bidi Chand, Bhai Mathraa and Bhai Kalyaan to prepare for the war. The Mughals were about six thousand in number, while the Sikhs were scant in comparison. The valour of the Sikhs though was unmatched. A Sikh General, Bhai Mathraa, smashed apart one of his strong rival generals, Bairam Khan, with a single blow. The battle went into the third day when the root of all fighting, Rattan Chand, was caught alive by Sikh General Bhai Bidhi Chand. He begged for his life and fell to the General's feet, who left him alive out of kindness. His son, Rahim Baksh, however became a prey to the sword of a gallant Sikh, Bhai Sakoot. In the heat of battle, Governor Abdul Khan, Chandu's son Rattan Chand and Bhagwan Das's son Rattan Chand surrounded Guru Hargobind Sahib. They believed that killing Him would win them the battle, but not before long they were slaughtered by a blow of Guru's Khanda. The news of their downfall, spread across the battlefield like a forest fire and was enough to break the back of royal army, which rushed for cover. Bhai Nano, Bhai Bhaamaa, Bhai Gajjan, Bhai Totaa and Bhai Parso were some of the brave warriors who sacrified their life in the battle. Their funeral ceremony was performed with great respect. Gurdwara Damdama Sahib was built in remembrance of this battle.

The Best Article Directory: http://www.globalarticlesdirectory.com

Books on Guru Gobind Singh & Guru Nanak By Bhai Vir Singh , Guru Granth Sahib ,

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated