Battle of Saragarhi From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia An automated processhas detected links on this page on the localorglobalblacklist.If the links are appropriate you mayrequest whitelisting by following these instructions ; otherwise consider removing or replacing them with more appropriate links. List of blacklisted links: [show] Coordinates: 33°33′N 70°56′ Battle of Saragarhi Part ofirah !ampaign "arDate #$ %eptember #&'( Location irah)*orth+"est ,rontier Province) -ritish India(modern dayPakistan ) Result AfghanPashtunlost battle)-ritish Indianstrategic victory Belligerents -ritish India PashtunsAfghans/ Commanders and leaders 0avildar Ishar %ingh † !ommander in chief12eneral2ul -adshah Units involved 34th %ikhsof-ritish Indian Army Afridisand5rak6ais Strength $# [#] #7)777 [$] [3] Casualties and losses $# killed #778/ [#] #&7 killed Afghan claim/ [9] :97 killed [] -ritish Indian estimates/ <
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• 477 Afghan bodies were found at the battlefield.
%ome of these were killed by the artillery fire from the
-ritish Indian relief party that recaptured the fort.[(][&]
!he map of the "attle site
The Battle of Saragarhi #as fo$%ht "efore the !irah Campai%n on &' (eptem"er &)*7 "et#eent#enty+one (ikhs of the 36th (ikhs no# the -th .attalion of the (ikh /e%iment of .ritish 1ndia,defendin% an army post, and &0,000 2f%han and rak4ai tri"esmen !he "attle occ$rred inthe North+West Frontier roince, #hich formed part of .ritish 1ndia 1t is no# named the 8hy"er+akht$nkh#a and is part of akistan
!he contin%ent of the t#enty+one (ikhs from the 36th (ikhs #as led "y 9aildar 1shar (in%h !hey allchose to fi%ht to the death 1t is considered "y some military historians as one of historys %reat last+
stands;*<
(ikh military personnel and (ikh ciilians commemorate the "attle eery year on &'(eptem"er, as Saragarhi Day as the "attle #as %ien the hono$r of a re%imental holiday;&0<
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(ara%arhi #as a small illa%e in the "order district of 8ohat, sit$ated on the (amana /an%e, inpresent day akistan n '0 2pril &)*-, the36th (ikh /e%iment of the .ritish 2rmy #as created,$nder the command of Colonel A Cook;&&< 1n 2$%$st &)*7, fie companies of the 36th (ikhs $nder BtCol Aohn 9a$%hton, #ere sent to the North West Frontier roince 8hy"er+akht$nkh#a,stationed at (amana 9ills, 8$ra%, (an%ar, (ahtop >har and (ara%arhi
!he .ritish had partially s$cceeded in %ettin% control of this olatile area, ho#eertri"al asht$ns attacked .ritish personnel from time to time !h$s a series of forts, ori%inally "$ilt "y=aharaa /anit (in%h, /$ler of the (ikh mpire, #ere consolidated !#o of the forts #ere FortBockhart, on the (amana /an%e of the 9ind$ 8$sh mo$ntains, and Fort D$listan ($laiman/an%e, sit$ated a fe# miles apart >$e to the forts not "ein% isi"le to each other, (ara%arhi #ascreated mid#ay, as a helio%raphic comm$nication post !he (ara%arhi post, sit$ated on a rockyrid%e, consisted of a small "lock ho$se #ith loop+holed ramparts and a si%nallin% to#er
2 %eneral $prisin% "y the 2f%hans "e%an there in &)*7, and "et#een '7 2$%$st + && (eptem"er,many i%oro$s efforts "y asht$ns to capt$re the forts #ere th#arted "y 36th (ikh re%iment 1n&)*7, ins$r%ent and inimical actiities had increased, and on 3 and * (eptem"er 2fridi tri"es, #ithalle%iance to 2f%hans, attacked Fort D$listan .oth the attacks #ere rep$lsed, and a relief col$mnfrom Fort Bockhart, on its ret$rn trip, reinforced the si%nallin% detachment positioned at (ara%arhi,increasin% its stren%th to one Non+Commissioned fficer NC and t#enty troops of ther /anks/s
n &' (eptem"er &)*7, &0,000 asht$ns attacked the si%nallin% post at (ara%arhi, so thatcomm$nication #o$ld "e lost "et#een the t#o forts
>etails of the .attle of (ara%arhi are considered fairly acc$rate, d$e to D$rm$kh (in%h si%nallin%eents to Fort Bockhart "y helio%raph ;&'<as they occ$rred;&&<
• 2ro$nd *:00am, aro$nd &0,000 2f%hans reach the si%nalin% post at (ara%arhi
• (ardar D$rm$kh (in%h si%nals to Col 9a$%hton, sit$ated in Fort Bockhart, that they are
$nder attack
• Colonel 9a$%hton states he cannot send immediate help to (ara%arhi
• !he soldiers decide to fi%ht to the last to preent the enemy from reachin% the forts
• .ha%#an (in%h "ecomes the first in$red and Bal (in%h is serio$sly #o$nded
• (oldiers Bal (in%h and Ai#a (in%h reportedly carry the dead "ody of .ha%#an (in%h "ack to
the inner layer of the post
• !he enemy "reaks a portion of the #all of the picket
• Colonel 9a$%hton si%nals that he has estimated "et#een &0,000 and &-,000 asht$ns
attackin% (ara%arhi
• !he leaders of the 2f%han forces reportedly make promises to the soldiers to entice them to
s$rrender
• /eportedly t#o determined attempts are made to r$sh open the %ate, "$t are $ns$ccessf$l
• Bater, the #all is "reached
• !hereafter, some of the fiercest hand+to+hand fi%htin% occ$rs
• 1n an act of o$tstandin% "raery, 1shar (in%h orders his men to fall "ack into the inner layer,
#hilst he remains to fi%ht 9o#eer, this is "reached and all "$t one of the defendin% soldiersare killed, alon% #ith many of the asht$ns
• D$rm$kh (in%h, #ho comm$nicated the "attle #ith Col 9a$%hton, #as the last (ikh
defender 9e is stated to hae killed '0 2f%hans, the asht$ns hain% to set fire to the post to killhim 2s he #as dyin% he #as said to hae yelled repeatedly the (ikh "attle+cry E.ole (o Nihal,
(at (ri 2kalE (ho$t 2lo$d in cstasy !r$e is the Dreat !imeless ne E2kal,E meanin%1mmortal, "eyond death, the ($preme Creator Dod $n"o$nd "y time and non+temporal
9ain% destroyed (ara%arhi, the 2f%hans t$rned their attention to Fort D$listan, "$t they had "eendelayed too lon%, and reinforcements arried there in the ni%ht of &3G&- (eptem"er, "efore the fortco$ld "e conH$ered;&< !he asht$ns later admitted that they had lost a"o$t &)0 killed ;-< and manymore #o$nded;6< d$rin% the en%a%ement a%ainst the '& (ikh soldiers, "$t some 600 "odies;)<are saidto hae "een seen aro$nd the r$ined post #hen the relief party arried ho#eer, the fort had "eenretaken, on &- (eptem"er, "y the $se of intensie artillery fire, ;7< #hich may hae ca$sed many
cas$alties !he total cas$alties in the entire campai%n, incl$din% the .attle of (ara%arhi, n$m"eredat aro$nd -,)00
Commemorative tablet;edit<
!he ta"let pict$red ri%ht, inscription readsI
?he 2overnment of India have caused this tablet to be erected to the memory of the twenty one non+comm
Order of Merit;edit<
2ll the '& (ikh non+commissioned officers and soldiers of other ranks #ho laid do#n their lies in the.attle of (ara%arhi #ere posth$mo$sly a#arded the 1ndian rder of =erit, the hi%hest %allantrya#ard of that time, #hich an 1ndian soldier co$ld receie "y the hands of the .ritish cro#n, thecorrespondin% %allantry a#ard "ein% Jictoria Cross !his a#ard is eH$ialent to todaysaram JirChakra a#arded "y the resident of 1ndia
!he names of the '& recipients of the %allantry a#ard are:
!he epic poem E8halsa .ahad$r E is in memory of the (ikhs #ho died at (ar%arhi ;&-<
!he "attle has "ecome iconic of eastern military ciili4ation, .ritish empire military history and (ikhhistory;&5< !he modern (ikh /e%iment contin$es to cele"rate the day of the .attle of (ara%arhi each
&' (eptem"er as the Regimental Battle Honours Day !o commemorate the men the .ritish "$iltt#o Saragarhi Gurudwaras: one in 2mritsar ery close to the main entrance of the Dolden !emple,and another in Fero4ep$r Cantonment, #hich #as the district that most of the men hailed from
In Indian shools;edit<
!he 1ndian military, in partic$lar the 1ndian 2rmy hae "een p$shin% for the "attle to "e ta$%ht in1ndias schools !hey #ant it ta$%ht d$e to the heroism sho#n "y the 1ndian soldiers to acts asinspiration for yo$n% children G in the field of "raery !here #ere articles like these, printed in the$na"s lon%est+esta"lished ne#spaper, The Tribune in &***: Ethe military action at (ara%arhi ista$%ht to st$dents the #orld oer and partic$larly to st$dents in FranceE ;&6< 2ltho$%h there seems to"e no eidence for this claim it is not, for e@ample, on Frances national school c$rric$l$m ;&7< thene#s #as eno$%h to prooke political de"ate, and the "attle has "een ta$%ht in schools in the$na" since '000:
he decision to include the battle story in the school curriculum was taken last year during a public rally p[#&]
Saragarhi Day;edit<
Saragarhi Day
!fficial name %aragarhi Fay
!bserved by India [3] also observed by %ikhsworldwide/
"y#e national G international
Significance 0onors the $# military %ikh soldiers who died at the -attle of %aragarhi
!bservances Parades) school history proCects) government buildings
Date #$ %eptember or nearest weekday/
Related to @emembrance Fay
Saragarhi Day, is a (ikh military commemoration day cele"rated on &' (eptem"er eery year tocommemorate !he .attle of (ara%arhi;3< (ikhmilitary personnel and (ikh non+military peoplecommemorate the "attle aro$nd the World eery year on &' (eptem"er 2ll $nits of the (ikh/e%iment cele"rate (ara%arhi >ay eery year as the /e%imental .attle 9ono$rs >ay
(ara%arhi =emorial D$r$d#ara temple #as "$ilt in memory of the '& (ikh soldiers that fo$%ht at!he .attle of (ara%arhi ;&*<
Saragarhi Day in the !";edit<
(ara%arhi #as commemorated "y the .ritish 2rmed Forces in the ?8 for the first time at /oyal
=ilitary 2cademy (andh$rst in Noem"er '0&3
(ara%arhi >ay #as marked on the "attle hono$r day on &' (eptem"er '0&- at (andh$rst
Saragarhi Challenge Cu#;edit<
!he .ritish and 1ndian armiesK polo teams commemorated the "attle in '0&0, "y holdin% the(ara%arhi Challen%e and raisin% money for the .ritish 2sian !r$st !he competition #as only heldonce a%ain in '0&&;*<
Saragarhi and Thermo#ylae;edit<
!he "attle has freH$ently "een compared to the .attle of !hermopylae,;&5< #here a small Dreek forcefaced a lar%e ersian army of Ler@es (480 BC)
!he comparison is made "eca$se of the oer#helmin% odds faced "y a tiny defendin% force in eachcase, and the defenders "rae stand to their deaths, as #ell as the e@tremely disproportionaten$m"er of fatalities ca$sed to the attackin% force
1t is important;clarification needed < to note that d$rin% the .attle of (ara%arhi, the .ritish did not mana%e to %et arelief $nit there $ntil after the '& had fo$%ht to their deaths 2t !hermopylae, the 300 (partans andtheir allies also stayed after their lines had "een o$tflanked, to fi%ht to their deaths