| Battle of Sonipat | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars | |||||||
 Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War Memorial in Khanda, Sonipat | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Khalsa (Sikhs) |
 Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 500[2] | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Sonipat was fought between Sikhs and the Mughal Empire in 1709. It was the first significant battle during Banda Singh Bahadur's conquests.
Prelude[edit]
In 1708, Banda Singh Bahadur became the leader of the Khalsa Army and he was sent to Punjab by Guru Gobind Singh to fight against the Mughal Empire.
Battle[edit]
Khanda, Sonipat village witnessed the Battle of Sonipat against the Mughals and won the battle under the military leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur.[3][4] He first camped at Khanda, Sonipat village, with an army of 500, and then marched to Sonipat, attacked the town, and threw an open challenge to the Mughal Empire.[5] The Mughal faujdar of Sonipat was utterly unprepared and he was routed[6] in the battle and was defeated.
Pillage of Sonipat[edit]
The Sikhs then plundered the culturally diverse villages at Sonipat, they claimed to have looted the Mughal imperial treasury, they spread several false rumours amongst the populace inside India.[7]
Aftermath[edit]
After the Sonipat conquest. Banda Singh Bahadur reached Samana, Punjab and attacked the town. Sikhs won battle against Mughals in Samana.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ History of Islam, p. 506, at Google Books
- ^ Gupta, Hari (2007). History of the Sikhs Vol II Evolution of the Sikh Confederacies. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 978-81-215-0248-1.
- ^ Sagoo, Harbans Kaur (2001). Banda Singh Bahadur and Sikh Sovereignty. Deep & Deep Publications. ISBN 978-81-7629-300-6.
- ^ "Guts and Glory: The Man Who Vowed to Avenge Guru Gobind Singh's Death, Took on Mughals". News18. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
- ^ Sagoo, Harbans (2001). Banda Singh Bahadur and Sikh Sovereignty. Deep & Deep Publications.
- ^ Frances Pritchett. "XIX. A Century of Political Decline: 1707-1803". Columbia.edu. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- ^ Sikhs In The Eighteenth Century. p. 28.
- ^ Dhillon, Harish (2013-05-01). First Raj of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Banda Singh Bahadur. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-93-81398-39-5.