Banda Advances Towards Lahore
Having set up an administrative machinery, Banda advanced from Sirhind to Malerkotla in June, 1710. The town was saved for a ransom of two lakhs on the recommendation of Kishan Das Banya, an old acquaintance of Banda. From there, he marched to Morinda whose faujdar had handed over Guru Gobind Singh's Mother and His two younger Sons to Wazir Khan. Then he visited Kiratpur and Anandpur to pay homage to shrines. He took Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. Banda crossed the Beas into Majha, and fell upon Batala. After this, he went on a pilgrimage to Dera Baba Nanak. At Amritsar, Banda made large offerings. He invited young men to embrace Sikhism. Many from Majha joined the Khalsa. Banda marched towards Lahore. Sayyid Islam Khan, the Governor, mounted guns on the walls of the city. Banda laid a siege, but was unable to scale the walls of the fort. Lahore could have fallen, but Banda was in a hurry to look after his new government.
Only the Lahore Fort, owing to its fortifications, and housing the Moghul elite, could escape Banda Bahadur. The rest of the city and suburbs were destroyed by the army of Banda Bahadur.
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