Siege of Lahore (1761)

For earlier siege by Muhammad of Ghor see Siege of Lahore (1186) for other purposes, see Battle of Lahore (disambiguation).

The siege of Lahore took place in 1761 when the Sikhs besieged Lahore and captured it after facing no opposition from Durrani forces.

Siege of Lahore
Part of Afghan–Sikh Wars
Sacking of Lahore by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
Date 27 October 1761 Location Lahore Result Sikh victory[1][2]
Belligerents
Sikh Misls	Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Charat Singh Jassa Singh Ramgarhia Hari Singh Dhillon Jai Singh Kanheya Ala Singh	Khwaja Obed
Strength
Unknown	12,000 [3]

Background

After victory in the Third Battle of Panipat, Ahmad Shah Durrani sent General Nuruddin with 12,000 soldiers to chastise Sikhs. Charat Singh Sukerchakia attacked Nuruddin's army at Sialkot. Nuruddin escaped and the Sikhs won a great victory in the 1761 Battle of Sialkot.

Afghan General Khwaja Obed Khan was also sent to punish Sikhs. Khwaja Obed wanted to attack Charat Singh at Gujranwala but before he could, he was attacked by Sikhs led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Hari Singh Dhillon, and Jai Singh Kanheya. The Afghan forces were surrounded and Khwaja fled the battlefield. Sikhs once again defeated the Afghans in the 1761 Battle of Gujranwala.^[4]

Siege of Lahore

The Sikhs gained enough confidence to capture Lahore after back to back victories. They met at Amritsar on 27 October 1761, the day of Diwali, and decided to capture Lahore. The Sikhs besieged Lahore, Khawaja obed did not oppose the Sikh attack, Sikhs entered the Lahore city, plundered the city,^[5] captured the Royal mint and struck coins bearing Sikka Zad dar Jahan Bafazat-i-Akal, mulk-i-Ahmad garift Jassa Kalal, which means 'the coin struck by Grace of God in the country of Ahmad captured by Jassa Kalal.'^[6]

References

1. Raj Pal Singh (2004). The Sikhs : Their Journey Of Five Hundred Years. Pentagon Press. p. 115. ISBN 9788186505465.
2. Mehta, J. L. (2005). Advanced study in the history of modern India 1707–1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 303. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
3. Kakshi, S.R.; Pathak, Rashmi; Pathak, S.R.Bakshi R. (2007-01-01). Punjab Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. p. 15. ISBN 978-81-7625-738-1. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
4. Kakshi, S.R.; Pathak, Rashmi; Pathak, S.R.Bakshi R. (2007-01-01). Punjab Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. p. 15. ISBN 978-81-7625-738-1. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
5. Grewal, J.S. (1990). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. p. 91. ISBN 0-521-63764-3. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
6. Raj Pal Singh (2004). The Sikhs: Their Journey Of Five Hundred Years. Pentagon Press. p. 116. ISBN 9788186505465.