Battle of Pipli Sahib

Sikh-Afghan battle

Part of Afghan–Sikh Wars and Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani

Date	17 October 1762
Location	Amritsar
Result	Inconclusive^[1]

Belligerents

Dal Khalsa

Durrani Empire

Commanders and leaders

Jassa Singh Ahluwalia

Charat Singh
Other Notable Leaders

Ahmad Shah Abdali

Strength

60,000^[2]^[3]

Unknown

Afghan–Sikh Wars

Manupur (1748)
Amritsar (1757)
Mahilpur (1757)
Jalandhar (1757)
Sirhind (1758)
Lahore (1758)
Peshawar (1758)
2nd Lahore (1759)
Lahore (1760)
Sialkot (1761)
Gujranwala (1761)
Lahore (1761)
Jandiala (1762)
Kup (1762)
Amritsar (1762)
Harnaulgarh (1762)
Pipli Sahib (1762)
Lakhi Jungle (1762)
Ravi (1762)
Sialkot (1763)
Kasur (1763)
Urmar Tanda (1763)
Malerkotla (1763)
Sirhind (1764)
Rohtas (1764)
Qarawal (1764)
Darbar Sahib (1764)
Jandiala (1764)
Batala (1764)
Adinanagar (1764)
Jullundur (1765)
Sutlej Ford (1765)
Nurmahal (1765)
Kapurthala (1765)
Beas Ford (1765)
Gujrat (1765)
Fatahbad (1766)
Jhelum Town (1766)
Amritsar (1767)
Meerut (1767)
Lahore (1767)
Jullundur (1767)
Rohtas (1767)
Kunjpura (1772)
Multan (1772)
Rohtas (1779)
Multan (1780)
Shujabad (1780)
Attock (1787)
Rohtas (1795)
Indus Ford (1795)
Gujrat (1796)
Rohtas (1796)
Attock (1796)
Lahore (1796)
Pind Dadan Khan (1796)
Amritsar (1797)
Battle near Amritsar (1797)
Gujrat (1797)
Sarae Kali (1798)
Wazirabad (1798)
Shahdara (1798)
Near Lahore (1798)
Amritsar (1798)
Rogheen (1798)
Kasur (1798)
Eminabad (1798)
Chunian (1798)
Ravi Ford (1798)
Battle in centre of Gujrat and Wazirabad (1798)
Kasur (1807)
Multan (1810)
Kashmir (1812-1813)
Hasan Abdal
Attock
Kashmir
Multan (1818)
Shopian
Mangal
Mankera
Taragarh
Nowshera
Akora
Shaidu
Haidru
Balakot
Peshawar
Ramkani
Khyber Pass
Panjtar
Jamrud

The Battle of Pipli Sahib also known as Battle of Amritsar was fought by the Sikh Misls and the Durrani Empire. This battle is also referred to as Badla Singhan Da (Revenge of the Sikhs), as it was fought after the great Sikh holocaust (Vadda Ghalughara).

Background

After the Battle of Kup, the Sikhs decided to get revenge for the dead and avenge their defeats.^[4] Ahmad Shah Abdali had returned to Lahore.^[5] He sent an ambassador to negotiate peace with the Sikh leaders and prevent further losses of his ken which the Sikh were desperate to do. However, when this ambassador arrived at the Sikh camps the Sikhs plundered him and his followers and after drove them away.^[1] Abdali, becoming furious, quickly arrived at the outskirts of Amritsar.^[6]

Battle

The Sikhs had gathered around at Amritsar to celebrate Diwali which was on October of 17 that year. The Sikhs attacked the Afghans vehemently.^[7] The battle was fought under a total solar eclipse.^[8] The battle went on furiously from early morning till late night.^[7] Both sides decided to stop fighting for night and resume fighting in the morning, but during the night Ahmad Shah Abdali and his forces decided to retreat to Lahore during the night. The Shah, looking to engage the Sikhs again, found that they had retreated into the Lakhi Jungle.^[1]

Aftermath

While Abdali was hunting in the Majha territory, he ordered the capture of a body of Sikh horsemen within the area. Immediately after, another body arrived and engaged Abdali's men, whereupon a Sikh unsuccessfully attempted to strike Abdali. Some Sikhs were killed by the Afghans while the remaining retreated into the jungle.^[1]

The Shah left Lahore on December 12, 1762, and Kabuli Mal was appointed the new governor of Lahore.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad Shah Durrani,father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. pp. 286–287.
^ Gupta, Hari (2007). History of the Sikhs Vol II Evolution of the Sikh Confederacies. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-215-0248-1.
^ Gupta 1939, p. 191.
^ Gupta 1939, p. 190.
^ Cunningham, Joseph Davey (1918). A History Of The Sikhs From The Origin Of The Nation To The Battles Of The Sutlej. p. 101.
^ Singh, Khushwant (2004). A History of the Sikhs: 1469-1838. Oxford University Press. pp. 155–156.
^ ^a ^b Gupta 1939, p. 192.
^ ^a ^b Singh 2004, p. 156.