Guru Gobind Singh - Conflicts With The Rajas of Sivalik Hills

Conflicts With The Rajas of Sivalik Hills

The formation of the military order Khalsa did not go well with the Rajas of the Sivalik Hills, who in turn got united to evict the Guru from the region. However their expeditions during 1700-04 were unsuccessful.

Balia Chand and Alim Chand - two of the hill chieftains - made a surprise attack on the Guru, while he was on a hunting expedition. In the ensuing combat, Alim Chand managed to escape, while Balia Chand was killed by Guru's aide Ude Singh.

After several failed attempts to check the rising power of the Sikhs, the hill chiefs petitioned the Mughal rulers for help. The Mughal emperor of Delhi sent his generals Din Beg and Painda Khan, each with an army of five thousand men. The Mughal forces were joined by the armies of the hill chiefs. However, they failed to defeat the Guru's forces, and Painda Khan was killed in the First Battle of Anandpur (1701).

Alarmed at the Guru's rising influence, the Rajas of several hill states assembled at Bilaspur to discuss the situation. The son of Bhim Chand, Raja Ajmer Chand of Kahlur, suggested forming an alliance to curb the Guru's rising power. Accordingly, the Rajas formed an alliance, and marched towards Anandpur. They sent a letter to the Guru, asking him to pay the arrears of rent for Anandpur (which lay in Ajmer Chand's territory), and leave the place. The Guru insisted that the land was bought by his father, and is therefore, his own property. A battle, dated from 1701 to 1704, followed. The hill Rajas were joined by a large number of Gujjars, under the command of Jagatullah. Duni Chand led five hundred men from Majha region to assist the Guru. Reinforcements from other areas also arrived to help the Guru. The conflict, known as the Second Battle of Anandpur, resulted in retreat of the hill Rajas.

Later, the hill Rajas negotiated a peace agreement with the Guru, asking him to leave Anandpur. Accordingly, the Guru left for Nirmoh village. Seeing that Nirmoh was not fortified, Raja Ajmer Chand and the Raja of Kangra launched an attack on the Guru's camp. However, they were not able to defeat the Guru. Meanwhile, Raja Ajmer Chand had sent his envoys to the Mughal viceroys in Sirhind and Delhi, seeking their help against the Guru. The army of Sirhind viceroy Wazir Khan arrived to assist the hill Rajas. The assault by Wazir Khan's army forced the Guru to retreat to Basoli, whose Raja was on good terms with the Guru.

After staying for a few days at Basoli, the Guru marched back to Anandpur, and the local Rajas decided to make peace with him. However, after two years the hostilities between the Rajas and the Guru reappeared. Raja Ajmer Chand allied with the Rajas of Hindur, Chamba and Fatehpur, and attacked Anandpur in 1703-04. They failed to oust the Guru in the Third Battle of Anandpur, and retreated.

After repeated pleas for assistance from the hill Rajas, the Mughal emperor sent an army under Saiyad Khan's command. Saiyad Khan was a brother-in-law of Pir Budhu Shah, and defected to the Guru's side, after the Pir spoke highly of him. Ramzan Khan then took the command of the imperial army, and allied with the hill Rajas to attack Anandpur in March 1704. It was the crop-cutting time of the year, and the majority of the Guru's followers had dispersed to their homes. Guru was assisted by two of his Muslim admirers, Maimun Khan and Saiyad Beg, however his men were outnumbered, and decided to vacate Anandpur. The Mughal army plundered the city, and then proceeded to Sirhind. On their way back, they were caught in a surprise attack by the Guru's forces, who recovered the booty captured from Anandpur. The Guru then returned to Anandpur.

See also: First Battle of Anandpur and Second Battle of Anandpur