Battle of Goindval
| Battle of Goindval | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indian Campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sikh Confederacy |
 Durrani Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia |
Ahmad Shah Abdali | ||||||
The Battle of Goindval took place in March 1761, the Sikhs led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia surprised the Durrani Empire's forces near the Beas River releasing captives who had been taken prisoner after the Third Battle of Panipat.
Background[edit]
Following his triumph against the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat, Ahmad Shah Abdali made the decision to return to Afghanistan, laden with spoils and heavy baggage. The captives family appealed for rescue when the Sikhs were in Amritsar for their yearly gathering.[2][3] Jassa Singh Ahluwalia set out to ambush the Afghans with small bands.
Battle[edit]
Small groups of Sikhs would launch night attacks on the Durrani Army from all directions.[4] They would loot the soldiers of their possessions, vanish into the night, and retreat deep into the forest to spend the day there. The activity of ambushing persisted into the night. The Sikhs ambushed Ahmad Shah Abdali as he was trying to cross the Beas River at Goindwal, looting it of riches valued at lakhs of rupees and freeing 2,200 captives.[5][6][7][8][9]
Aftermath[edit]
The liberated Hindu captives were brought back to their homes following the surprise attack.[10] The Shah launched a few expeditions against the Sikhs as soon as he arrived in Lahore, but he was unable to take any significant action against them because of his heavy baggage and loot and had to return back to Afghanistan.[11][12]
References[edit]
- ^ Lal, Kanhaiya (1877). Tarikh-i-Punjab. Lahore: Majlis Taraqqi Adab. p. 102.
- ^ Dept. of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University (1992). The Panjab Past and Present. Department of Punjab Historical Studies. p. 71.
- ^ Chowdhry, Mohindra (13 Mar 2018). Defence of Europe by Sikh Soldiers in the World Wars. Troubador Publishing Ltd. p. 40. ISBN 9781788037983.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1977). Ahmad Shah Durrani: Father of Modern Afghanistan (reprint ed.). Gosha-e-Adab. p. 264.
- ^ Mehta, Jaswant Lal (1 Jan 2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 302. ISBN 9781932705546.
- ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1978). History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh confederacies, 1708-1769. Punjab (India): Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 168.
- ^ Singh, Khushwant (1963). A History of the Sikhs: 1469-1839. Punjab: Princeton University Press. p. 151.
- ^ Latif, Muhammed (1891). History of the Panjáb from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Time (limited ed.). Punjab (India): Calcutta Central Press Company. p. 317.
- ^ Singh, Gopal (1939). A History Of The Sikh People. WORLD BOOK CENTRE. p. 403.
- ^ Bhaṅgū, Ratana Siṅgha (1810). Sri Gur Panth Prakash (PDF). Punjab: Institute of Sikh Studies. p. 760. ISBN 9788185815282.
- ^ Seetal, Sohan Singh (1971). Rise Of The Sikh Power In The Panjab. Punjab (India): Dhanpat Rai. p. 297.
- ^ Gandhi, Surjit Singh (1999). Sikhs in the Eighteenth Century: Their Struggle for Survival and Supremacy. Singh Bros. p. 599. ISBN 9788172052171.