The Battle of Jalalabad occurred in 1710 between the Mughal forces of Jalal Khan and the Sikh forces of

Banda Singh Bahadur Banda Singh Bahadur (born Lachman Dev) (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a commander of Khalsa army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery ...

. Banda Singh Bahadur attacked the Mughal stronghold of

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jala ...

. The army opposing Banda Singh was composed of a sizeable number of the Muslim zamindars and shurafa, including many Sadat, Banda Singh Bahadur repelled Mughal and

Pathan Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

forces after four days from the battlefield and back into the city, but failed to capture the city and withdrew.

Background

Banda Singh Bahadur was notified that Sikh people were imprisoned and persecuted, and the conditions were extremely bad for the

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, facing cruel treatment and tyranny in the city of Jalalabad, ruled by Jalal Khan and Pathan army. Banda Singh sent his messengers to Jalal Khan to stop the oppression against the non-Muslims but his messengers were mistreated and sent back. Therefore, Banda Singh Bahadur marched towards Jalalabad. On the way to Jalalabad, Banda Singh defeated, captured and plundered Sarsawa,

Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Saint Shah Haroon Chishti. Saharanpur is declared as on ...

, Beyhut, Ambeyta,

Nanauta Nanauta is a town and a nagar panchayat (municipality) in Saharanpur district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. Nanauta is located on Saharanpur Delhi Highway. It is from Saharanpur city. It is from Shamli ...

, with half the administrative towns of Saharanpur falling under the Sikh rule. From Nanauta, Banda and his army approached Jalalabad where the army of Jalal Khan awaited them.

Battle and siege

The battle took place for three or four days. Jamal Khan and Pir Khan, the nephews of Jalal Khan, were killed along with Hazbar Khan and numerous

Ghazis A ''ghazi'' ( ar, غازي, , plural ''ġuzāt'') is an individual who participated in ''ghazw'' (, '' ''), meaning military expeditions or raiding. The latter term was applied in early Islamic literature to expeditions led by the Islamic prophe ...

, resulting in the repulsion of Pathan army back into the city fort. The city was besieged, but due to strong walls of the fort, unpleasant weather that flooded the surrounding of the fort, along with its banks overflowed by river Krishna, and especially after being notified of urgent calls from the Sikhs of central

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

, appealing for help against their local faujdars, and that the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah had sent reinforcement to recover the lost territories in Punjab, Banda Singh Bahadur lifted the siege for more urgent matters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jalalabad 1710 Battles involving the Mughal Empire Sikh warriors 1710 in Asia 1710 in military history