Ishar Singh (Battle Of Saragarhi)
Coordinates: 33°33′N 70°56′E / 33.55°N 70.933°E / 33.55; 70.933
| Battle of Saragarhi | |||||||
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| Part of Tirah Campaign War | |||||||
Burnt-out interior of Saragarhi as it looked on 14th September, 1897 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| British India | Pashtuns (Afghans) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Havildar Ishar Singh † | Gul Badshah | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 36th Sikhs of British Indian Army | Afridis and Orakzais | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 21 | 10,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 21 killed (100%) | 180 killed (Afghan claim) ~600 killed (British Indian estimates)* Many wounded (number unknown) |
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| * 600 Afghan bodies were found at the battlefield. Some of these were killed by the artillery fire from the British Indian relief party that recaptured the fort. | |||||||
The Battle of Saragarhi was fought during the Tirah Campaign on 12 September 1897 between twenty-one Sikhs of the 4th Battalion (then 36th Sikhs) of the Sikh Regiment of British India, defending an army post, and 10,000 Afghan and Orakzai tribesmen. The battle occurred in the North-West Frontier Province, which formed part of British India. It is now named the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and is part of Pakistan.
The contingent of the twenty-one Sikhs from the 36th Sikhs was led by Havildar Ishar Singh. They all chose to fight to the death. The battle is not well known outside military academia, but is "considered by some military historians as one of history's great last-stands". Sikh military personnel and Sikh civilians commemorate the battle every year on 12 September, as Saragarhi Day.
The British and Indian armies’ polo teams also commemorate the battle annually by holding the Saragarhi Challenge Cup.
Read more about Ishar Singh (Battle Of Saragarhi): Situation, The Battle, Remembrance and Legacy, Further Reading
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