Siege of Kotla Begum (1710)

The siege of Kotla Begum was fought in September 1710 between the Sikh forces and Mughal forces led by Mir Mohammad.

Siege of Kotla Begum
Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars
Date September 1710[a] Location Kotla Begum Fort Result Sikh victory
Belligerents
First Sikh State	Mughal Empire Mujahedeen
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Mir Mohammad Attaullah Khan Mohabbat Khan Murtaza Khan Pahar Mal Haji Babar Beg Mir Inayat Ali Pir Mohammad Mirza Naki
Strength
700[1]	50,000[2]–60,000[3]
Casualties and losses
Heavy	Heavy

Background

After Banda Singh Bahadur's return from the Battle of Saharanpur, the Muslims of the Lahore province started a jihad against the Sikhs. Thousands of Muslims gathered with a large green flag which was called the Haidri Jhanda (Flag of Haidar).^[4] First a Sikh contingent hid in a fort in the village of Bharath.^[5] The Sikhs after a long fight repulsed this party of Muslims and escaped.^[6] After this, the Muslims got news about a party of Sikhs numbering 700 at Kotla Begum Fort and planned to besiege them.^[7][8]

Siege

When the Mughals arrived at the fort, the Sikhs immediately attacked them and a fierce battle ensued. When the battle escalated into a sword fight, the Mughals began taking heavy losses and decided to retreat.^[1] Instead of pursuing the retreating Mughals, the Sikhs decided to plunder the remains of battle materials left behind by the Mughals and tend to their wounded.^[9]

Aftermath

The Mughals, disappointed by their defeat put up camp at night in village Bhilowal.^[10] The Sikhs attacked them and inflicted further heavy losses.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Notes

1. Rattan Singh Bhangu and Giani Gian Singh have said that this siege was fought long after Banda Singh Bahadur's death. However, Ganda Singh has followed the book Ibratnama which consists of original sources and states that it was fought during Banda's lifetime.

References

1. Institute of Sikh Studies (1997). Sikhism - Its Philosophy And History. Institute of Sikh Studies. p. 439. ISBN 9788185815039.
2. Nahar Singh (1935). Studies In The History Of Sikhs. p. 43.
3. Bhagat Lachhman Singh (2005). Sikh Martyrs. pp. 104–105.
4. Hari Ram Gupta (1978). History Of The Sikhs Vol. II Evolution Of Sikh Confederacies (1707-69). p. 16.
5. Karam Singh (1928). Sikh Itihas Dey Somey. Amritsar.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
6. Khazan Singh (1914). History and Philosophy of the Sikh Religion. p. 235.
7. Teja Singh and Ganda Singh (1950). A Short History Of The Sikhs - Volume 1. Orient Longmans. p. 89.
8. G.S Chhababra (1960). Advanced study in History of the Punjab. p. 331.
9. Harbans Kaur Sagoo (2001). Banda Singh Bahadur And Sikh Sovereignty. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 174. ISBN 9788176293006.
10. Bhangu, Rattan Singh (1914). Panth Prakash Vol.2 English Translation. pp. 69–73.
11. Teja Singh (1956). Sikh Tracts. p. 20.
12. Vidya Dhar Mahajan (1967). India Since 1526. p. 205.
13. Bakhshish Singh Nijjar (1972). Panjab Under the Later Mughals, 1707-1759. p. 106.
14. Ganda Singh (1951). Patiala and East Panjab States Union. p. 29.

See also

• Nihang
• Martyrdom and Sikhism