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  1. This blog here has started a series on top 20 Sikh battles. It is quite interesting actually. Take a look at the narratives. Top 20 Sikh battles. An almost paradoxical and polarizing statement, especially in face of the fact that Sikhs have been involved in countless battles since time immemorial; which not only highlight their legendary valor but almost supernatural acceptance of death. These 20 battles, however, have been singled out due to the astronomical factors orbiting them. Chamkaur, Sabroan, Manochal are only a few of the names which bring to mind images of astronomical legions facing an almost preposterous number of defenders. The outcome, in these battles, was already evident even before steel clashed upon steel, and cannons fired upon bodies of men, yet in spite of this the Sikh warriors who participated in these battles fought to their last drop of blood and continue to inspire individuals today to face death with a resolute calmness. The world might pay obeisance to one Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans squared off against Xerxes's Persian hordes, yet the Sikh nation has 20 separate Thermopylae's. The First Battle: Chamkaur. Fought in 1705 A.D. The birth of these 20 battles can be pinpointed back to Chamkaur, where a contingent of 40 Sikhs faced the titanically humongous 40,000 strong mughal detachment, sent to pursue their commander-in-chief, and spiritual master, Guru Gobind Singh. The background to Chamkaur is as bloody as it is complex. It was the catalyst of almost two years of warfare involving hundreds of fatalities on both the offending and defending sides. The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh's, call to arms and the creation of the Khalsa- a militant entity consisting of saint-warriors- had not gone down well with the Hindu monarchs whose principalities bordered his. The induction of victims of political and religious extremism into the Khalsa convinced the monarchs that their way of life was in danger, and the Guru possessed a threat to their suzerainty. They had already measured swords with him before and come out the worst for the wear. To this end they decided to approach their overlord; the mughal emperor Aurangzeb for assistance in curbing what they saw as the Guru's growing revolution. Aurangzeb was already aware of the Guru's revolutionary tenacities and militant spirit combined with a natural charitable nature. The Guru's doors were constantly open to any individual who was persecuted by the state on the basis of his faith or beliefs. To this end Aurangzeb had placed constant surveillance on the Guru. He had had also ordered the execution of the Guru's father, and predecessor Guru, Guru Teghbahadur, who had advocated multi-religiosity and in doing so had defied the state. This and the constant implorements of the Hindu monarchs, convinced Aurangzeb that the Guru was after his own suzerainty despite being aware that the Guru harbored no political ambitions or convictions. To this end he summoned his generals, and soon a combined force of imperial and royalist troops set out for Anandpur, the Guru's stronghold. The Guru however had not been sitting idle during this time. He had been constantly attacked in the early 1700's by royalist forces seeking to evict him from Anandpur, which had been purchased by his father from the King of Assam. Realizing that his foes would now petition Aurangzeb and whip up a frenzy of religious extremism to subdue him, and the Khalsa as a result, he started strengthening the Khalsa forces and his sub-ordinate strongholds. As a result, by the time the joint force arrived in May the Guru was well prepared to enter into combat with them. Anandpur, the central stronghold, was situated on mountainous terrain and the Khalsa exploited this well. It launched a rain of bullets and arrows upon it's foes down below, and the Guru personally lead his fighting forces into hand-to-hand combat, slowly decimating the enemy's best warriors and generals. For more than seven months the Khalsa held out despite suffering from a lack of edibles and scarcity of water. It's ever ready state, along with it's war-like temperament proved too much for even the imperialst's moral who soon started losing spirit. Ultimately a conference was called by the joint nerve center of the mughal-royalist force, and a plan was born. Both Hindu and Mughal officials would petition the Guru, by swearing on the cow and Quran, to evacuate Anandpur. The Guru, who they predicted,would surely accept this and would be attacked as he was leaving and the Khalsa would be permanently decimated. Unbeknownst to them, the Guru had already second-guessed their treacherous maneouvre and by the time their petition arrived was in no mood to leave. He decided to wait out and improvise upon his situation. The Khalsa too supported him in this, and ultimately after forcing the imperialo-royalist force through a nerve-wracking wait decided to leave on the 5th of December, 1705 A.D. Just as the Guru had suspected his treacherous foes attacked him, and in the ensuing confusion the Khalsa attempted to cross the river Sira which was in full spate. As a result the Guru was separated from his main body of 200 soldiers, and his mother and two younger sons. After crossing onto the other side of Sirsa a head count was taken and it was discovered that only 40 warriors were left with the Guru. These 40 also included the Guru's two elder sons and apostolic body, the 'Panj Piares' or five beloved ones. After assessing his situation the Guru lead his charges into a nearby brick dwelling and decided to seek shelter from an impeding storm. Unbeknownst to them however a strong detachment of up to 40,000 soldiers was heavily embroiled in their pursuit and soon had them besieged. With no food or water, and only 40 men with him it was up to the Guru to decide the fate of the Khalsa at this critical juncture. Would he surrender or would he declare combat? He decided to opt for the latter. It is said that when a certain number of generals came to ask the Guru to surrender, his answer was a hail of arrows which soon had them fleeing and declaring an imminent charge on his position. The Guru in the meantime had assessed his situation, his men possessed arrows and a small number of guns. If used properly and sparingly these could inflict heavy casualties on the enemy. Secondly his location was surrounded by high walls, which acted in the same capacity as the fort walls at Anandpur. Not only did they provide a vantage point for him but could also be used as cover for his archers and snipers. His men also carried bladed weapons, which would prove useful in hand to hand combat and thirdly they still retained their horses with them. If it came to charging out into the midst of the enemy and/or making a quick getaway (which at the time seemed impossible) than these would prove quite instrumental. Thus with his capacities assessed and his men readied the Guru alongst with his men launched a tirade of death upon the charging imperialist troops. One also has to take into consideration the battlefield itself. If the imperial generals spread their forces out than only a sub-section would reach the designated target, whilst the others would be thinly spread out and easy picking for a sniper or archer. Thus they decided to crowd their men into lines which would charge the dwelling. They however had not suspected the Guru's resilience and were badly beaten back the first time more so, it seems, due to shock and surprise at the valor displayed by their providential prey. Soon however the Khalsa artillery began to decrease and a decision was taken to start sending out individual platoons to challenge the enemy to hand-to-hand combat. 5 warriors, armed to the teeth, were sent out and their companions in arms waited to see the result of their choice. The awe which the Persians must have experienced at Thermopylae, was also evident in their descendant's faces. Their 5 foes, preposterously, proved to be a strong wall slaughtering imperialists left, right and center Each and every time a soldier tried rushing them he was immediately cut down and trampled upon. With their bloodied beards and bodies, the Khalsa warriors fought with the air of men who carried the desire to marry death. Ultimately this wish was finalized as one by one they began to fall and ultimately not even one remained standing. The awed imperialists once more gathered together and again raced towards the Guru's position. The Guru who had been watching from the top of the structure, and was in an exposed position, shouting out war cries was now approached by his eldest son Ajit Singh. At only fifteen years of age, this son of the Guru had already proven himself as a resolute general and resilient warrior. He expressed his desire to his father that he too wanted to go out into the battle field and measure swords with the enemy, and go the way of his Khalsa brethren. The Guru at the time handed him a spear, mounted him on a horse and with his full blessings sent him with four others, into the midst of the regrouping enemy. Ajit Singh and his companions too proved to be an immovable wall in the face of the enemy, and steadfastly decapitated any soldier valorous enough to step into their path. In the midst of the battle Ajit Singh finally singled out a prominent enemy general, and with all the force he could muster, speared him through the heart and deprived the enemy of one of it's strategic brain cells. Ultimately Ajit Singh too went the same way as his predecessors, and on seeing this the Guru expressed his joy and picked up the tendum with which he was shouting his war cries. By this instance in time the enemy had been pushed far enough back to grant the Khalsa and the Guru a reprieve. Yet this situation lasted only a few moments, soon the imperialist hordes were once more charging towards their target, and the Guru started picking new men to enter the fray. This time his second son, Jujhar Singh, who was only twelve volunteered to enjoin the enemy as his brother had done. The Guru too gave him the same treatment as his brother, and sent him out into battle. Jujhar too bravely fell and by the time dusk eventually came, both sides settled down to wait the night out and re-progress fighting at dawn. Ultimately as they say 'the rest is history.' It will be sufficient at this stage to say that the Guru managed to slip through the grasp of his proclaimed foes, and continued to wage perpetual warfare against their tyranny. What we however must give due credence to is the fighting, and strategic capabilities of the Khalsa warriors. Despite being physically starved of any food or rest, lacking water, and being entrapped in an almost perfectly formed trap they still managed to fight their way out of it. There was no colorful strategy involved in this battle. But the inner convictions and spirits of men who know they will surely die, but want to do so as beacons of resistance. Chamkaur truly changed not only the face of Sikh history, but also world history as no battle before ever involved the astronomical odds which the Sikhs had faced then. http://tisarpanth.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/top-20-sikh-battles.html
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