The Battle of Kartarpur occurred on 25 April 1635 It started when the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

attacked the town of Kartarpur, and was the last major battle of the

Mughal-Sikh Wars This is a list of battles and campaigns between Mughal and Sikhs armies, which started with the martyrdom of fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev on the orders of Jahangir. Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru introduced the militarization to Sikhism. In r ...

during Guru Hargobind's period of Guruship.The Mughal force was repulsed by the Sikh defenders.

Events

Painda (or Painde) Khan, ex-general of the Sikh troops, convinced Shah Jahan to send a force against

Guru Hargobind Gurū Hargobind (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿਗੋਬਿੰਦ, pronunciation: l 19 June 1595 – 28 February 1644), revered as the ''sixth Nānak'', was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He had become Guru at the young age of e ...

in Kartarpur. The expedition was commanded by Kale Khan, the governor of

Peshwar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

. Assisted by Khans Qutub (Qutab or Kutub, the

faujdar Faujdar is a term of pre-Mughal origins. Under the Mughals it was an office that combined the functions of a military commander along with judicial and land revenue functions. In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but d ...

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

) and Painda. Painda was accompanied by his son-in-law, Asman Khan. Qutub sent Anwar Khan with gifts to

which were rejected. Anwar challenged Hargobind to a game of

chaupar Chaupar (IAST: ''caupaṛ''), chopad or chaupad is a cross and circle board game very similar to pachisi, played in India. The board is made of wool or cloth, with wooden pawns and seven cowry shells to be used to determine each player's move, a ...

. After being defeated, Anwar insulted the Guru's predecessors, and in return was beaten and sent away. Kartarpur was defended by

Bhai Bidhi Chand Baba Bidhi Chand (Gurmukhi: ਬਿਧੀ ਚੰਦ; 26 April 1579 - 30 August 1638) was a Sikh religious preacher, from Chhina Bidhi Chand village, 37 kilometers south of Amritsar and Chhina Bidhi Chand was part of Amritsar District not Lahore. ...

with

and his eldest son

Baba Gurdita Baba Gurditta (5 November 1613–15 March 1638, Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦਿੱਤਾ) was the son of Guru Hargobind (sixth Sikh guru), and the father of Guru Har Rai (seventh Sikh guru) of Sikhism. There is a gurudwara in Kiratpur Sahib, Punjab w ...

supporting him. According to historian

Max Macauliffe Michael MacAuliffe, also known as Max Arthur Macauliffe (11 September 1838 − 15 March 1913) and Max Singh Metcalfe, was a senior British administrator, prolific scholar and author. MacAuliffe is renowned for his partial translation of Sikh s ...

, Hargobind had "eighteen hundred regular fighting men who were supplied by his friends in Kartarpur", whilst "twenty thousand imperial troops ... advanced" against the city. The Mughal troops attacked at night and were met with heavy resistance. Anwar Khan was felled by an arrow from Bidhi Chand. In the morning, after serious losses overnight, Painda and Asman entered the field determined to capture the Guru. Bhai Lakhu and Qutub Khan exchanged arrows, knocking each other to the ground in turn, after which Qutub took Lakhu's head with his sword. Guru Hargobind met and slew Painda in combat. He enjoined the dying Painda to recite the ''kalma'' (''

shahada The ''Shahada'' ( Arabic: ٱلشَّهَادَةُ , "the testimony"), also transliterated as ''Shahadah'', is an Islamic oath and creed, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam and part of the Adhan. It reads: "I bear witness that there i ...

''), and shaded his body from the sun with his shield. Gurdita felled Asman, his childhood friend, with an arrow. Qutub and Kale were also killed, supposedly in single combat with Hargobind. After their last leader fell, the remaining Mughal troops fled. Macauliffe relayed "it is said" that the losses were seven hundred Sikhs and several thousand to twelve thousand Mughals. This was the first and only battle that future Guru

Tegh Bahadur Tegh ( hy, Տեղ) is a village and the center of the Tegh Municipality of the Syunik Province in Armenia. Tegh is the last village on the Goris- Stepanakert Highway before passing the border with the Republic of Artsakh. Of significance in the v ...

had fought, and due to his valor and swordsmanship he earned the title 'Tegh' meaning large sword.

Aftermath

After the battle, Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib travelled to Giractpur ( Kirtapur) via Bhawarati (

Phagwara Phagwara is a city and municipal corporation in Kapurthala district in Punjab, India. It lies on National Highway 44 and located 40 kilometres from Kapurthala, the district headquarter, away from Chandigarh, away from Jalandhar and from N ...

). At

Palahi Palahi (also Plahay, Plahey, Plahi or Palahy) is an historical village in Kapurthala, Punjab, India. Palahi is near Phagwara. Neighbouring villages include Khurampur, Khatti, Barn, Kishanpur, Nangal Maja and Dhak Palahi. Demographics Ac ...

village near Phagwara, he was set upon by royal forces under Ahmad Khan, and suffered considerable losses. He remained in Kiratpur until his death.

Notes

References

Kartarpur Kartarpur 1635 in India Kartarpur {{sikhism-stub