The Battle of Sodhra and Badra was fought in the second week of March 1748 by the Sikh forces led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and the Mughal forces led by Raja Gurdit Mal.
| Battle of Sodhra and Badra | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Dal Khalsa |
 Mughal EmpireSupported by Dogra Dynasty | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Jai Singh Kanhaiya Charat Singh Hari Singh Bhangi |
Raja Gurdit Mal Lakhpat Rai Raja Ranjit Dev | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2,000 |
5,000 cavalry 7,000 infantry Unknown number of Dogra | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||
Background
editAfter defeating the Durranis in the Battle of Kalanaur (1748) and the Battle of Manupur (1748), a Sikh force under Sardars like Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Jai Singh Kanhaiya, Charat Singh and Hari Singh Bhangi arrived at Noorpur near Pathankot and made the Raja tbere surrender.[1][2] During this march, a force under Raja Gurdat Mal and Lakhpat Rai assisted by the Dogra Dynasty was despatched and met face to face with the Sikhs in the villages of Sodhra and Badra.[3]
Battle
editGurdit Mal commanded 5,000 cavalry and 7,000 infantry while the strength of the Sikhs was not more than 2,000. This is why during the battle, Hari Singh Bhangi advised the Sikhs to fight with their swords since a gun battle was out of question.[4] Therefore, the Sikhs made a sudden run with swords towards the enemy and gave them a surprised attack, which inflicted heavy losses to the enemy. Gurdit Mal barely made it out alive and retreating along with his army.[3]
Aftermath
editRight after this battle, the Sikhs took advantage by the recent Mughal-Afghan conflict and fought the Mughals when they didn't expect it. A week after the battle, Adina Beg was defeated by the Sikhs in a battle near Khanpur and they also reoccupied Amritsar in the Siege of Amritsar (1748).[5][6]
References
edit- ^ Grewal, J.S. (1990). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. p. 87. ISBN 0-521-63764-3. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ^ Jacques, Tony (2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 631. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5. Archived from the original on 2015-06-26.
- ^ a b Surjit Singh Gandhi (1999). Sikhs In The Eighteenth Century. Singh Bros. p. 163. ISBN 9788172052171.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. p. 51.
- ^ G.S. Chhabra (1960). Advanced study in History of the Punjab. p. 380.
- ^ Lepen Henry Griffin. Chiefs of the Punjab. p. 457.
See also
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