Not to be confused with the First Battle of Chamkaur, another previous battle in 1702 at the same location.
The Battle of Chamkaur, also known as Battle of Chamkaur Sahib or the Second battle of Chamkaur, was fought between the Khalsa, led by Guru Gobind Singh, and the coalition forces of the Mughals led by Wazir Khan and of Hindu hill chief. Guru Gobind Singh makes a reference to this battle in his letter Zafarnama.
After Guru Gobind Singh left Anandpur Sahib on the night of 5 and 6 December 1704,[2] or 1705[1] he crossed the Sarsa river with his disciples. While they were crossing, the mughals and hill chiefs attacked. Guru Gobind Singh and his followers asked permission of the city chief for shelter to rest for the night in their garhi or haveli. He refused, but his younger brother allowed the Sikhs to stay in the haveli.[4]
The battle
Despite giving assurance of safe conduct, the Mughal soldiers were looking for Guru Gobind Singh, to take his head as a trophy. After learning that the party of Sikhs had taken shelter in the haveli, they laid siege upon it. The actual battle is said to have taken place outside the haveli where Guru Gobind Singh was resting.[4] A council of Panj Piare was convened during the battle, whom ordered Guru Gobind Singh to leave the battlefield to preserve his life and continue leading the Sikhs, a request which the Guru obeyed.[15] Negotiations broke down and the Sikh soldiers chose to engage the overwhelming Mughal forces, thus allowing their Guru to escape. Another Sikh who resembled the Guru, Sangat Singh, donned the Guru's clothes and remained with the soldiers. The next morning the remaining Sikhs were killed by Mughal forces.[16]
Aftermath
The Guru emphasised how he was proud that his sons had died fighting in battle, and that he had 'thousands of sons – the Singhs'. He also said that he would never trust Aurangzeb again due to the broken vow he took on the Quran.[17]
Zafarnama
Zafarnama or "Epistle of Victory" is a letter that was written by Guru Gobind Singh to the then Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Zafarnama vividly describes what happened at Chamkaur, and also holds Aurangzeb responsible for what occurred and promises he broke.
After his escape from Chamkaur, the exhausted Guru is said to have been carried by two Pathans (Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan) to Jatpur where he was received by the local Muslim chieftain. He later went to Dina, and stayed at mayi Desan ji house, where he wrote "Zafarnama" in Persian, in 111 verses.[17]
References
^ ab"Gobind Singh ,Guru". 19 December 2000. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
^Louis E. Fenech, The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh, (Oxford University Press, 2013), 66; "The Ẓafar-nāmah in this light assumes the form of an intriguing tautology: certainly the Guru was routed by Mughal forces at both Anandpur and Chamkaur; put bluntly, he and his Sikh were militarily defeated and left scattered."
^ abc"Chamkaur Sahib". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Punjabi University Patiala. 19 December 2000. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
^Louis E. Fenech (2013). The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 87. ISBN978-0-19-993145-3.
^. about.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
^Raj Pal Singh (2004). The Sikhs : Their Journey Of Five Hundred Years. Pentagon Press. p. 34. ISBN978-8186505465.
^Singha, H. S (2000). The encyclopedia of Sikhism. Hemkunt Press. p. 31. ISBN978-81-7010-301-1. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
^ abEnglish Translation Zafarnamah stanza 19 " And, what could my forty men do (at Chamkaur), when a hundred thousand men, unawares, pounced upon them? (19)"
^ ab"Zafarnamah Hindi". "गुरसनह चि कारे कुनद चिहल नर gursaneh ch kaare kunadh chihal nar कि दह लख बरआयद बरो बेख़बर stanza १९ k dheh lakh baraayadh baro bekhhabar stanza 19"
^Jagtar Singh, Sokhi (2016–2017). Zafarnamah (Patshahi Dasveen). Jagtar Singh Sokhi, Sokhi House ,ward no. 4 Mudki Distt Ferozepur. p. 21. Retrieved 7 February 2022. gursaneh ch kaare kunadh chihal nar k dheh lakh baraayadh baro bekhhabar what can forty hungry men do when ten lac strong army pounces upon them ?
^Singh, Prof. Surinderjit. guru Gobind singh'sZAFARNAMAH. p. 44. Retrieved 7 February 2022. Gursanah chi kare kunad chihal nar. Ki dab lak bar dyad baro bekhabar.19.What can at all do, the forty famished men, When attacked suddenly by a million foemen.19
^Dasam Granth Manuscript. Panjab Digital Library of custodian Dera Gurusar Khudda Hoshiarpur. Translation written on the ANGS of Sree Dasam Granth – By Mashaqat Singh
^Dhillon, Dr Dalbir Singh (1988). Sikhism – Origin and Development. Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. p. 151. from the original on 17 September 2016.
^Sandhu, Gian Singh (2023). "34. Who are the current panj pyare?". Who Are the Sikhs? An Exploration of the Beliefs, Practices, & Traditions of the Sikh People. Archway Publishing. ISBN978-1-6657-3953-5. OCLC 1376370414. At crucial moments of Sikh history, the panj pyare have collectively acted as supreme authority for the Sikhs. For example, during the battle of Chamkaur, the last five surviving Sikhs constituted themselves into the Council of Five, and they commanded Guru Gobind to leave the fortress and save himself to reassemble the Sikhs. Before Guru Gobind Singh passed away, he ended the line of living gurus. Through the institution of the panj pyare, the Guru envisioned a continuing society that would conduct itself democratically and choose its leaders based on merit.
^Dogra, R. C.; Mansukhani, G. S. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture. Vikas Publishing House. p. 100. ISBN0706983688.
^ abSingh, Guru Gobind. "Zafarnama stanza 45" (PDF). zafarnama.com. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
External links
April 09, 2024
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This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Battle of Chamkaur news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia s quality standards No cleanup reason has been specified Please help improve this article if you can December 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Not to be confused with the First Battle of Chamkaur another previous battle in 1702 at the same location The Battle of Chamkaur also known as Battle of Chamkaur Sahib or the Second battle of Chamkaur was fought between the Khalsa led by Guru Gobind Singh and the coalition forces of the Mughals led by Wazir Khan and of Hindu hill chief Guru Gobind Singh makes a reference to this battle in his letter Zafarnama Battle of ChamkaurPart of Mughal Sikh Wars and Hill States Sikh WarsDate6 December 1705 1 or 1704 2 LocationNear the village of Chamkaur Rupnagar district Punjab IndiaResultMughal and Hindu Hill Chief victory 3 4 Failed to capture Guru Gobind SinghBelligerentsMughal Empire Alliance of Hindu Hill chiefsKhalsa Sikhs Commanders and leadersMughal Commanders Aurangzeb Wazir Khan Zabardast Khan Khwaja Muhammad WIA Nahar Khan Mu nim Khan 5 Ghairat Khan Hindu Hill Chief Commanders Ajmer Chand Fateh ShahGuru Gobind Singh Daya Singh Dharam Singh Mohkam Singh Himmat Singh Sahib Singh 6 Alam Singh Nachna Ajit Singh 7 Jujhar Singh StrengthUnknown but much larger 8 Gobind Singh s Zafarnama metaphorically states that the Mughal soldiers numbered 1 million 9 10 11 12 13 40 10 9 Casualties and lossesKhwaja Muhammad injured Nahar Khan killed Ghairat Khan killed Innumerable Mughal soldiers Killed Ajit Singh killed Jujhar Singh killed Mohkam Singh killed Bhai Himmat Singh killed Sahib Singh killed Sangat Singh killed 31 other Sikh soldiers killed 14 The Zafarnama of Guru Gobind Singh Contents 1 Preamble to the battle 2 The battle 3 Aftermath 4 Zafarnama 5 References 6 External linksPreamble to the battleAfter Guru Gobind Singh left Anandpur Sahib on the night of 5 and 6 December 1704 2 or 1705 1 he crossed the Sarsa river with his disciples While they were crossing the mughals and hill chiefs attacked Guru Gobind Singh and his followers asked permission of the city chief for shelter to rest for the night in their garhi or haveli He refused but his younger brother allowed the Sikhs to stay in the haveli 4 The battleDespite giving assurance of safe conduct the Mughal soldiers were looking for Guru Gobind Singh to take his head as a trophy After learning that the party of Sikhs had taken shelter in the haveli they laid siege upon it The actual battle is said to have taken place outside the haveli where Guru Gobind Singh was resting 4 A council of Panj Piare was convened during the battle whom ordered Guru Gobind Singh to leave the battlefield to preserve his life and continue leading the Sikhs a request which the Guru obeyed 15 Negotiations broke down and the Sikh soldiers chose to engage the overwhelming Mughal forces thus allowing their Guru to escape Another Sikh who resembled the Guru Sangat Singh donned the Guru s clothes and remained with the soldiers The next morning the remaining Sikhs were killed by Mughal forces 16 AftermathThe Guru emphasised how he was proud that his sons had died fighting in battle and that he had thousands of sons the Singhs He also said that he would never trust Aurangzeb again due to the broken vow he took on the Quran 17 ZafarnamaZafarnama or Epistle of Victory is a letter that was written by Guru Gobind Singh to the then Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Zafarnama vividly describes what happened at Chamkaur and also holds Aurangzeb responsible for what occurred and promises he broke After his escape from Chamkaur the exhausted Guru is said to have been carried by two Pathans Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan to Jatpur where he was received by the local Muslim chieftain He later went to Dina and stayed at mayi Desan ji house where he wrote Zafarnama in Persian in 111 verses 17 References a b Gobind Singh Guru 19 December 2000 Retrieved 6 March 2021 a b Singha 2000 p 43 Louis E Fenech The Sikh Zafar namah of Guru Gobind Singh Oxford University Press 2013 66 The Ẓafar namah in this light assumes the form of an intriguing tautology certainly the Guru was routed by Mughal forces at both Anandpur and Chamkaur put bluntly he and his Sikh were militarily defeated and left scattered a b c Chamkaur Sahib Encyclopaedia of Sikhism Punjabi University Patiala 19 December 2000 Retrieved 28 December 2020 Louis E Fenech 2013 The Sikh Zafar namah of Guru Gobind Singh A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire Oxford University Press p 87 ISBN 978 0 19 993145 3 Panj Pyare the Five Beloved of Sikh History Guru Gobind Singh Creates the Original Panj Pyare of 1699 about com Archived from the original on 15 April 2022 Retrieved 27 April 2012 Raj Pal Singh 2004 The Sikhs Their Journey Of Five Hundred Years Pentagon Press p 34 ISBN 978 8186505465 Singha H S 2000 The encyclopedia of Sikhism Hemkunt Press p 31 ISBN 978 81 7010 301 1 Retrieved 22 December 2011 a b English Translation Zafarnamah stanza 19 And what could my forty men do at Chamkaur when a hundred thousand men unawares pounced upon them 19 a b Zafarnamah Hindi ग रसनह च क र क नद च हल नर gursaneh ch kaare kunadh chihal nar क दह लख बरआयद बर ब ख बर stanza १९ k dheh lakh baraayadh baro bekhhabar stanza 19 Jagtar Singh Sokhi 2016 2017 Zafarnamah Patshahi Dasveen Jagtar Singh Sokhi Sokhi House ward no 4 Mudki Distt Ferozepur p 21 Retrieved 7 February 2022 gursaneh ch kaare kunadh chihal nar k dheh lakh baraayadh baro bekhhabar what can forty hungry men do when ten lac strong army pounces upon them Singh Prof Surinderjit guru Gobind singh sZAFARNAMAH p 44 Retrieved 7 February 2022 Gursanah chi kare kunad chihal nar Ki dab lak bar dyad baro bekhabar 19 What can at all do the forty famished men When attacked suddenly by a million foemen 19 Dasam Granth Manuscript Panjab Digital Library of custodian Dera Gurusar Khudda Hoshiarpur Translation written on the ANGS of Sree Dasam Granth By Mashaqat Singh Dhillon Dr Dalbir Singh 1988 Sikhism Origin and Development Atlantic Publishers and Distributors p 151 Archived from the original on 17 September 2016 Sandhu Gian Singh 2023 34 Who are the current panj pyare Who Are the Sikhs An Exploration of the Beliefs Practices amp Traditions of the Sikh People Archway Publishing ISBN 978 1 6657 3953 5 OCLC 1376370414 At crucial moments of Sikh history the panj pyare have collectively acted as supreme authority for the Sikhs For example during the battle of Chamkaur the last five surviving Sikhs constituted themselves into the Council of Five and they commanded Guru Gobind to leave the fortress and save himself to reassemble the Sikhs Before Guru Gobind Singh passed away he ended the line of living gurus Through the institution of the panj pyare the Guru envisioned a continuing society that would conduct itself democratically and choose its leaders based on merit Dogra R C Mansukhani G S 1995 Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture Vikas Publishing House p 100 ISBN 0706983688 a b Singh Guru Gobind Zafarnama stanza 45 PDF zafarnama com Retrieved 24 September 2013 External linksBattle description at singhsabha com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Chamkaur amp oldid 1215232252, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
