Siege of Jind (1776)
The Siege of Jind was fought in May 1776 by the Sikh forces led by Raja Gajpat Singh and the Mughal forces led by Rahimdad Khan.
| Siege of Jind | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 JindSupported by  Patiala Nabha StateBhais of Kaithal |
 Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Raja Gajpat Singh Diwan Nanumal Raja Hamir Singh |
Rahimdad Khan † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5,000 combined Sikh forces | 10,000 imperialists | ||||||
Background
After the Rohilla Sikh coalition defeated the Mughals at Amirnagar, Rahimdad Khan who worked for Zabita Khan joined the Mughals. He had captured many places but the place in between his newly conquested land was Jind.[1] Therefore, he decided to besiege Jind and conquer it once and for all.
Battle
Raja Gajpat Singh sought help from the neighbouring Sikhs states. Patiala, Nabha, Bhais of Kaithal and many more neighbouring Sikhs decided to help and ammased an army of 5,000 Sikhs.[2] These Sikhs attacked the Mughal camp at night. The Mughals however were twice in number and managed to get an upper hand in battle.[1] However, Rahimdad Khan was struck by 3 balls of cannon which caused confusion among his army.[3] Therefore, the Sikhs managed to defeat the Mughals who had retreated due to the death of their commander.[4][5]
Aftermath
The Sikhs looted the baggage left by the Mughals and shared it with village women.[1]
References
- Hari Ram Gupta (1978). History Of The Sikhs Vol. III Sikh Domination Of The Mughal Empire (1764-1803). p. 89.
- Surinder Singh Johar (2002). The Sikh Sword To Power. p. 142.
- Surjit Singh Gandhi (1999). Sikhs In The Eighteenth Century. Singh Bros. p. 510. ISBN 9788172052171.
- Satish Chandra Mittal (1986). Haryana, a Historical Perspective. p. 8. ISBN 9788171560837.
- Khazan Singh (1914). History and Philosophy of the Sikh Religion. Printed at the "Newal Kishore" Press, ld. p. 295.