Battle of Muktsar

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Battle Of Muktsar
Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars
Date29 December, 1705[1]
Location
Near the pool of Khidrānā (later Muktsar)
Result 40 Sikhs killed, one survived and fled. Mughals were held off, Wazir Khan (Sirhind) was repulsed.[2][3]
Belligerents
Mughals Khalsa
Commanders and leaders
Wazir Khan (Sirhind) Mai Bhago
Mahan Singh
Strength
unknown 100
Casualties and losses
unknown 40

The Battle of Muktsar or Battle of Khidrāne Dee Dhāb took place on 29 December 1705,[4] (29 Poh) following the siege of Anandpur. In 1704, Anandpur was under an extended siege by the allied forces of the Mughals and the hill chiefs.[5]

During the siege 40 men, led by Bhai Maha Singh, wrote letters of bedava (abandonment of a Sikh from his Guru[6]) to Guru Gobind Singh, and fled the village. They arrived in the village of Jhabal where a local woman named Mai Bhago, upon hearing their tale of desertion, shamed them into returning to battle.

The 40 deserters with Mai Bhago returned to seek out Guru Gobind Singh, and joined him near Khidrāne Dee Dhāb preparing for battle against the Mughals. They fought, defeated the Mughals[7] and died in the following battle. The guru, finding the dying Maha Singh on the battlefield after the battle, forgave him and his compatriots, tore up their letters of bedava, and blessed them for their service.[8] The place was later renamed Muktsar, literally meaning The Pool of Liberation.[9][10] Mai Bhago survived the battle and stayed on with Guru Gobind Singh Ji as one of his bodyguards. The Mela Maghi is held at the holy city of Muktsar Sahib every year in memory of the forty Sikh martyrs.[11]

References

  1. ^ http://sikhism.about.com/od/Historic-Events/p/Battle-Of-Muktsar.htm. commemoration varies with some marking the day on 15 April
  2. ^ Jacques, Tony. Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O. p. 695. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
  3. ^ Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4422-3601-1. {{cite book}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  4. ^ History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E Surjit Singh Gandhi [1]
  5. ^ Surinder Singh Johar (1998). Holy Sikh Shrines. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. p. 46. ISBN 978-81-7533-073-3.
  6. ^ "Bedava". The Sikh Encyclopedia. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  7. ^ Sagoo, Harbans (2001). Banda Singh Bahadur and Sikh Sovereignty. Deep & Deep Publications.
  8. ^ "Chali Muktay: The Forty Liberated Ones". Sikh Information. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  9. ^ R. K. Pruthi (2004). Sikhism And Indian Civilization. Discovery Publishing House. p. 106. ISBN 978-81-7141-879-4.
  10. ^ Linda Edwards. A brief guide to beliefs. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 0-664-22259-5.
  11. ^ Fenech, E. Louis; Mcleod, H. W. Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4422-3601-1.


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