PAYING OBEISANCE TO 40, 000 SIKH MARTYRS WHO
SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES ON FEB 5, 1762 FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEF
(VADDA GHALLUGHARA - THE BIGGER HOLOCAUST)
Ahmad Shah Abdali was a poor pathan who by enhancing his power after conquering
Kandhar, brought Balkh, Sindh, Punjab and Kashmir under his control. He invaded India
eight times during 1747 to 1767 and his sixth invasion which he undertook on February 5,
1762 was to annihilate the Sikhs. During this invasion his Afghan army joined by Mughal
army of Sirhind and Malerkotla killed approximately 40, 000 Sikhs in a single day i.e.
February 5, 1762. These three armies simultaneously attacked Sikhs at different places in
and around the villages Kup-Rahira in District Sangrur of Punjab. During this invasion to
annihilate the Sikhs Abdali launched a large scale massacre which is termed as Vadda
Ghallughara.
The background of this sixth invasion of Abdali is that on 14 January, 1761 in the
historically famous Third Battle of Panipat, his army had badly defeated an approximately
three lakh army of Marathas. According to Kanhaiya Lal's book written in Urdu language
Tarikh-e-Punjab (1881), when after this victory Abdali was taking about 2200 Hindu Marathi
unmarried girls along with him to Afghanistan, while he was crossing Sutlej, Sikhs got these
girls released from his clutches and sent them to their respective parents. But the end result
of this valorous act of Sikhs was that Abdali who was thinking that Sikhs were nothing more
than dacoits who looted money and other things from him on his return journeys, had now
realized that rather than being dacoits Sikhs were a powerful community and owners of the
land of Punjab. It clicked in his mind that until they are annihilated he cannot establish
pathani rule in Punjab and India.
Dal Khalsa had challenged Abdali's forces right on the dock of Sutlej but now the security of their families which included children, women and old persons became important for them. Thus they decided to run quickly and retreat from the place where they were fighting with Abdali's forces and encircle their vaheer and then go backwards and proceed towards Malva. According to this plan Dal Khalsa stopped their encounter with Abdali's forces, retraced their steps, moved towards Malerkotla and joined their vaheer in the juh of Kup-Rahira. After reaching there, keeping their vaheer encircled Dal Khalsa was retreating but continuing the fight with Abdali's forces. As reported by Sukhdial Singh, the Dal Khalsa had drifted away Abdali's forces as if they were a dry stalk of grass. The forces of Zain Khan and Bhikhan Khan were trying to besiege the vaheer from the front side.
Information about this Ghallughara is mostly available in Tahmas Khan Miskin's book
Tahmasnama (1719) who in his capacity as a Turkish Muhammadan was a Senior Official in
the army of Zain Khan, the faujdar of Sirhind. In addition to being a commander of one tukri
(contingent) in the army of Zain Khan he was a scholar. Most of the historians have based
their writings about this Ghallughara on his book.
In his sixth invasion enraged against Sikhs Abdali had reacted Lahore in early
February 1762. Dal Khalsa was quite aware that this time Abdali had invaded India only to
clash with them and the Sikhs were his main target. Therefore, the Dal Khalsa decided to
send their families to some south-western area beyond the reach of the invader near
villages of Raipur and Gujjarawal which now fall in District Ludhiana. The village Gujjarwal is
approximately 30 kms from Ludhiana in the south-western direction and is linked to
Ludhiana-Malerkotla-Sangrur main road at Dehlon. As per this decision Dal Khalsa along
with their families and needful luggage had come out of Majha and Doaba and encamped in
the juh (uncultivated, waste or open land used as a pasture) of the villages Gurm and
Dehlon which are near each other in District Ludhiana. The village Dehlon is situated at a
distance of 19 kms southwards from Ludhiana on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road. The
population of this village was Sikh. The whole area consisted of sandy mounds and dense
forests. There was a very dense forest in the juh of the village Gurm. The Dal Khalsa along
with their families had encamped in this dense forest.
According to Miskin Abdali had reached Lahore and the Dal Khalsa, had decided to
tackle his army using the 2½ gash steps which they had used in the Chhota Ghallughara
(Minor Holocaust) (1746). The first gash being to attack the enemy quickly when the enemy
is under full control, the second being to run away quickly after the attack and the last half
step was to die fighting rather than being caught alive by the enemy.
According to Miskin, Zain Khan the faujdar of Sirhind was informed on 4th February,
1762 that Abdali had crossed the river Sutlej and would invade the Dal Khalsa early next
morning and thus he should also attack the Sikhs early next morning. Approximately 1½ lakh
Sikhs which included 50-60 thousand infantry and mounted troops, the remaining being
members of their families had come towards the rohi (uncultivated land) of Sirhind area. In
the meantime Zain Khan alongwith 10-15 thousand infantry and horse-riders had encamped
in Malerkotla. At this time the Sikhs had reached at a distance of about 28 kms from
Malerkotla.
At this time the distance between Abdali's forces and the forces of Dal Khalsa was
only about 15-20 kms. According to Sukhdial Singh as soon as Abdali left the dock of Sutlej,
Dal Khalsa attacked his forces. The two armies had an intense skirmish. When early on
February 5, Zain Khan became prepared to attack the Dal Khalsa, Dal Khalsa had also learnt
about it. That is why Dal Khalsa had marched forward towards Sutlej. Zain Khan sent Kasim
Khan to follow the Sikhs. Miskin says "I was also in the contingent of Kasim Khan. When we
went in front of the Sikhs they ran away. We followed them for half a koh (2 kms). All of a
sudden the Sikhs who were running stopped quickly and returned towards us and attacked
- Kasim Khan could not counter them and ran away, although I asked him not to run away.
He did not accept my suggestion. Taking his army along with him he ran away towards
Malerkotla and encamped there. I (Miskeen) alone went towards the village Kup. In the
meantime those Sikhs had disappeared".
It is thus clear that in an encounter in the morning of February 5, 1762 Kasim Khan's
forces which also included Miskeen could not counter the Sikhs and along with his total
contingent Kasim Khan had run away towards Malerkotla. Dal Khalsa decided that (i) they
should send the vaheer (caravan) of their families which was in the villages of Gurm and
Dehlon towards Barnala because the population of the area surrounding Barnala was Sikh
and (ii) should themselves take up cudgels directly with Abdali. As per this decision three
Sikh leaders - Bhai Sangu Singh Vakil of Bhai Ke Daraj, Bhai Sekhu Singh of Humblke Waas
Wala and and Bhai Buddha Singh started leading the vaheer by sporting a large chaadra
(cloth sheet) on their spears to give direction to the vaheer their families and the whole
vaheer started walking behind them towards Barnala.
When Dal Khalsa was having a pitched battle with Abdali's forces and the vaheer had
hardly walked 10-12 kms from the village Gurm, the forces of Zain Khan, faujdar of Sirhind
and Bhikhan Khan, Nawab of Malerkotla suddenly attacked the vaheer. At this time the
vaheer was passing through the villages of Kup and Rahira which are about 4 kms apart.
These villages are situated in District Sangrur at a distance of 15 kms and 11 kms
respectively from Malerkotla on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road. At that time the population
of both these villages was Muslim. In this attack the Mughals butchered the Sikh families on
a very large scale, which caused wide-spread hue and cry among them. When the Singhs
who were fighting with Abdali's forces learnt that the enemy had attacked their families
they sent one jatha under the leadership of Sardar Sham Singh Karorsinghia to protect
them. This jatha vehemently attacked the forces of Zain Khan and Bhikhan Khan and sent
them away from the vaheer. After this incident under the three leaders the vaheer re-
started its journey towards Barnala.
Dal Khalsa had challenged Abdali's forces right on the dock of Sutlej but now the
security of their families which included children, women and old persons became
important for them. Thus they decided to run quickly and retreat from the place where they
were fighting with Abdali's forces and encircle their vaheer and then go backwards and
proceed towards Malva. According to this plan Dal Khalsa stopped their encounter with
Abdali's forces, retraced their steps, moved towards Malerkotla and joined their vaheer in
the juh of Kup-Rahira. After reaching there, keeping their vaheer encircled Dal Khalsa was
retreating but continuing the fight with Abdali's forces. As reported by Sukhdial Singh, the
Dal Khalsa had drifted away Abdali's forces as if they were a dry stalk of grass. The forces of
Zain Khan and Bhikhan Khan were trying to besiege the vaheer from the front side.
According to Bhangu, Dal Khalsa had killed several horse-riders of the enemy and
had given these horses to those Singhs whose horses had been killed.
Following the Dal Khalsa, Abdali reached the villages Kup-Rahira. According to Miskin
after having a dialogue with Abdali, covering a distance of about 40 kms, he had reached
where the fight was going on. This means that if Abdali was in the villages of Kup-Rahira, the
fight must have been going on at a distance of 40 kms from there in-between Barnala and
Raikot around the villages of Kutba-Bahmania which are westwards from Kup-Rahira and fall
in District Barnala. Now with the construction of direct roads this distance is only about 25
kms. As reported by Miskeen at this place armies of Wazir Shah Wali Khan and Zain Khan
which included 4, 000 horse riders and another 4, 000 archer horse riders who were fighting
with Dal Khalsa and some Sikhs had also been arrested by the Mughal forces, who were
trying to release themselves from the enemy's clutches through some lame excuses. Dal
Khalsa had beaten the forces of Zain Khan and his Dewan Lachhmi Narayan and sent them
away from their vaheer. The policy of Dal Khalsa was to continue fighting while moving and
moving while fighting. For an hour of a half, Dal Khalsa fought very vigorously but then
Abdali sent two more armed contingents, as a result of which the Singhs slightly lost their
footing.
According to Sukhdial Singh the Singhs continued to fight very vigorously, but every
time that they found that their vaheer had gone far ahead, for its security, they retraced
their steps and went near their vaheer. In this way the Dal Khalsa warded off very bravely
the attack of the enemy on their vaheer. The Singhs resisted this new attack of the enemy
for one hour. When Abdali found that even the two contingents sent by him were not able
to endanger the enemy he himself reached there with his reserve force consisting of four
contingents which included 12, 000 armed men. This attack of Abdali separated the Singhs
from their vaheer and as such the vaheer became unattended.
Sukhdial Singh has stated that this area where the battle was being fought consisted
of sandy mounds and did not have any source of water. In this fierce battle if a person fell
down he was trampled by hoofs and any person who got separated from his jatha could not
rejoin it. When Abdali's reserve force entered the vaheer and started murdering the Sikh
families, it caused heart-rending wailing among them. This dire murdering caused grievous
harm to the the children, women and old persons. The troubled condition through which
the Singhs and their families were passing through at this time is beyond imagination of
description. Seeing the pathetic condition of their vaheer, the Singhs started acting with
recollected will and vigour and vehemently attacked the Afghan forces which were
murdering their families. Abdali was astonished to see that even injured and profusely
bleeding Singhs were fighting so vigorously.
According to Bhangu at this juncture Abdali sent a messenger and called Zain Khan
and scolded him saying that 'as yet you have not done what you had promised. You have
not been able to besiege the Singhs from the front. You have 20, 000 horse riders. Have the
Singhs decreased this number by killing them? You also have the army of Malle Riya pathans
of Lachchmi Narayan. Even then you have not been able to encircle these kafirs (non-
believers in God or Islam). If you can hold them out only for four gharian (two hours) I will
finish them all. Without surroundings them, it is not possible to kill them'. Zain Khan
retorted back that 'it is not possible to besiege them from the front. To look at they seem
very few but I don't know why during the fight they seem too many'. Zain Khan advised
Abdali that he should leave the vaheer alone and should stop the Singhs from the front side.
Thus, Abdali himself started besieging the Singhs from the front side. But the Singhs
continued to march ahead and rebuffing the attacks of Abdali they proceeded six kms.
further. Sardar Charhat Singh who later became the paternal grand-father of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh, by remaining within the vaheer continued to stop the forward march of the
enemy. Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, who was Jathedar (General) of the whole operation
was inflicted with 22 wounds and also had to take the horse of another Singh because his
own horse was severely wounded. Now the Singhs were going backwards protecting their
Jathedar and their families. Once again with a vigorous attack on the enemy the Singhs took
their vaheer away from the direct attack by Abdali. But in front were the villages of Kutba
and Bahmania (which now fall in district Barnala) which had Muslim population. Both these
villages which are approximately 1½ km apart are situated near the Bathinda branch canal
crossing the Barnala-Raikot road. This whole area was barren and comprised of sandy
mounds. The Sikhs and Hindus who lived here had vacated their houses and gone to other
areas. As soon as the vaheer entered the villages of Kutba and Bahmania the local Muslims
started beating and looting them. The Sikhs who tried to seek shelter in their houses were
looted and killed. Right from the village Gurm this kafila had been walking without getting a
drink of water. They had covered this 45-50 km. distance fighting and running. Currently,
these two villages have Sikh population but at that time their whole population was Muslim.
Some Sikhs tried to hide themselves in the minarets of cow dung as well as the
minarets filled with jawar, millet and corn outside these villages. The Mughal army as well as
the local people put these minarets on fire. As a result of which a large number of children,
women and elderly people were burnt alive. There was wide spread hue and cry on all sides.
When Sardar Charhat Singh saw that the enemy was burning alive the Sikh families he
quickly rushed to the village Kutba. His jatha killed so many local people that their dead
bodies got piled up in heaps. His jatha burnt their houses by the same fire which they had lit
and burnt their remaining minarets of jawar, millet and corn. The awe-stricken local muslim
people ran towards the Afghan and Mughal soldiers to seek protection to save their lives.
But the Afghan and Mughal army itself was in great trouble because the Dal Khalsa had
thoroughly crushed the soldiers of Malerkotla and Sirhind. It is worth noting that Abdali's
forces broke the cordon around the vaheer several times and butchered the helpless non-
combatants but every time the Sikh army re-surrounded it and kept it going towards
Barnala. According to Bhangu the Dal Khalsa "Kept the vahir marching, covering it as a hen
covers its chickens under its wings".
According to Bhangu outside the village Kutba there was a large dhab (water pond).
By the afternoon both the forces had reached this dhab. The fighting stopped automatically
as the two forces as well as the animals fell pell-mell upon the water to quench their thirst
and relax. The fight stopped at this time and was not resumed by any of the two warring
groups. The soldiers of the two warring groups drank water on the two sides of this dhab.
Those Afghans and Mughals whose horses had entered this dhab lied down on the ground
to relax.
Gian Singh has stated that this dhab existed in the village Hathur in District Ludhiana
and not in Kutba. The village Hathur is beyond Kutba-Bahmania but at a distance of about 8-
10 kms.
When the Afghan and Mughal soldiers heard the ovation 'Jo Bole So Nihal Sat Sri
Akal' from the Malva side they became awe-stricken and started retreating. The Afghans
had also learnt from the local people that further on all the villages had Sikh population and
also that the ponds of water were very sparse.
The jathas which came from the Malva side encircled the caravan of Sikh families
and proceeded towards the villages of Malva. The Dal Khalsa continued to face the enemy
resolutely until this caravan had not gone beyond the reach of the enemy.
Some writers think that the fight between the warring forces continued in the village
Gehal, District Barnala which from the Malerkotla side is about 15 kms further away from
Kutba-Bahmania.
In this colossal war which was spread over several villages none of the sides can be
called victorious. According to Sukhdial Singh in this war the Afghans suffered very heavy
losses but because they were the attackers their loss was not highlighted and it is also
possible that the number of casualities among the Afghans was more than among the
Sikhs.
For a long time no memorial was raised in the sacred memory of the Sikhs martyred
in this Ghallughara, because the population of Kup-Rahira as well as Kutba-Bahmania was
Muslim. Now in the sacred memory of the Sikh men, women and children martyred in this
Ghallughara in the village Rahira Gurdwara Shahid Ganj Vadda Ghallughara Sahib has been
established. Another Gurdwara Sahib with the same nomenclature also existed in its vicinity
where a memorial of the martyrs has been established. The local railway station has been
named 'Ghallughara Rahira Railway Station'.
In the village Kutba in the sacred memory of the Martyrs Gurdwara Att Vadda
Ghallughara Sahib has been established. Until 1970-71 in the village Kutba a Nishan Sahib
was swinging on one side of the dhab. But now this dhab has been filled with soil and
merged with the ploughable soil because this land has been allotted to farmers. A small
Gurdwara named Gurdwara Dhab Sahib has been constructed at this place. In the village
Gehal within the complex of Gurdwara Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib a Gurdwara Sahib has been
established in the sacred memory of the martyrs of this Ghallughara.
When the Sikhs reached the villages of Malva the people of these villages came with
multifarious food stuffs and milk. Every Sikh and every horse was injured. By setting up
pitched tents their wounds were dressed.
According to all the historians the total Ghallughara took place on February 5, 1762
i.e. in a single day in an area spread over 45-50 kms. and the villages involved were Kup,
Rahira, Kutba, Bahmania, Gehal and Hathur. At that time except for Gehal all these villages
had Muslim population.
It was a horrendous massacre of the Sikhs undertaken by Abdali in a single day which
aimed at annihilating them. But the Sikh soldiers also massacred the villagers of Kutba and
Bahmania who had attacked the Sikh families. In this Ghallughara the Afghans underwent a
heavy loss. Abdali had retreated because of this heavy loss. Abdali felt humiliated that in
1761 he had totally crushed the three lakh Maratha army but now he had not been able to
maul down an army of 50-60 thousand Sikhs. Abdali had stopped fighting in the evening in
the village Kutba-Bahmania. He was the first one to stop fighting.
Sir Jadu Nath Sarkar in his book Fall of the Mughal Empire has stated that in this
Ghallughara Abdali remained unsuccessful in mauling down the Sikhs.
After about two months, on the event of Baisakhi of 1762 when the tired Khalsa
became ready again, the first things they did was to devastate the villages of Kup-Rahira and
Kutba-Bahmania. The ruins near the Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Vadda Ghuallughara Sahib,
Rahira bear testimony to this destruction. Now on these ruins a 125 ft. Nishan Sahib is
swaying.
The historians have some difference of opinion about the number of martyrs in this
Ghallughara. Sir Jadu Nath Sarkar has mentioned that only 10, 000 Sikhs were martyred.
According to Teja Singh and Ganda Singh at least 10, 000 Sikhs were martyred. Bhai Kahan
Singh Nabha has stated that 15, 000-20, 000 Sikhs were martyred but he has further stated
that in this Ghallughara the number of casualties among the Mughals including the local
people was equal to those among the Sikhs. The Mughal writers and a commander of a
contingent in Abdali's army Miskeen has stated the number of Sikh martyrs as 25, 000.
According to Bhangu in this Ghallughara 30, 000 Sikhs were martyred. Beants Singh
Bajwa has stated that 25, 000-30, 000 Sikhs were martyred and 10, 000 were injured.
According to Bhai Trilochan Singh (Vir Ji) 35, 000-40, 000 Sikhs were martyred. The booklet
prepared by the Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Wadda Ghallughara Sahib, Rahira states that
approximately 35, 000 Singhs, Singhnia and Bhujangis were martyred. The Encyclopaedia of
Sikhism Part IV has mentioned that different historians have given different number of
martyrs which varies between 20, 000 and 50, 000. It may be concluded that in this
Ghallughara at least 40, 000 Sikhs were martyred.
The frantic Abdali was not satisfied even after killing about forty thousand Sikhs and
getting an equal number of his people killed. After this massacre this enraged and frantic
invader while going towards Lahore got the heads of all the Sikhs who met on the way cut
off and loaded in carts.
Upto 15 February, 1762 he stayed at Sirhind. During these days he got killed all the
Sikhs in several villages and sent off carts loaded with 50-60 thousand heads of Sikhs to
Lahore. In addition to this, from Sirhind to Lahore he entered all the villages and arrested all
the Sikhs and took them along with him to be executed in Lahore. He reached Lahore on
March 3, 1762. George Foster in his book Travels has reported that on reaching Lahore he
got the heads of Sikhs arranged in the form of minarets. It is said that the walls of those
mosques which he thought had been polluted by Sikhs were washed by the blood of Sikhs.
The atrocities committed by Abdali on Sikhs are beyond description.
On reaching Lahore, Abdali chalked out a plan to annihilate the Sikhs. He had learnt
that in Punjab and northern India the Sikhs get rejuvenated and become fearless by a dip in
the holy sarovar of Sri Darbar Sahib and thereby win in the battles. He reached Amritsar in
the last week of February. To further torture the Sikhs he invaded Amritsar on April 10, 1762
at the time of Baisakhi. Sri Darbar Sahib was blown off and the holy sarovar was polluted
with the blood of cows and was filled with garbage. The bungas which had been built for the
pilgrims were devastated. All the Sewadars present there were killed. According to the
historians when Sri Darbar Sahib was being blown off a flying pebble hit his nose and this
pebble caused an incurable wound on his nose. After suffering the pain of this wound for
about two years Abdali died a painful death.
When on 17 October, 1762 on the occasion of Diwali 60, 000 Khalsa gathered on the
ruins of Sri Darbar Sahib to take revenge from Abdali, he also reached there along with his
army. The battle continued from morning till night-fall. James Browne in his book History of
the Origin and Progress of the Sikhs has reported that under the cover of darkness Abdali
was compelled to run away to Lahore along with his army. The next day not a single solider
of Abdali reached the venue of battle. As such the Singhs had taken revenge from Abdali. On
12 December, 1762 before leaving for Kabul he forced the governorship of Lahore on Dewan
Kabuli Mal. Immediately after Abdali's departure Kabuli Mal sent messages to the Sikhs that
they should come and assume the governorship of Lahore. During the period of Kabuli Mal's
governorship the Singhs arrested pathans and brought them to Amritsar to do kar sewa of
the holy shrine of Sri Darbar Sahib. In this way upto the Baisakhi of 1763 Amritsar was made
neat and clean.
The Sikh community can never forget the atrocities committed by Abdali on it.
Vadda Ghallughara is a big wound in the hearts of the Sikhs. The Sikh community will
remember the sacrifice of Sikh men, women and children martyred in this Ghallughara till
the end of the world and will continue to pay its homage to them.
Jai Jaikar Shaheedan Di !
Hail the Martyrs !
Dr. Amrit Kaur Retd. Professor, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, India