Battle of Saragarhi 21 Sikh Vs 10000 Afghans

We have heard about many brave deeds of the Sikh community, for decades and over centuries. However, one such story is little known and is not taught in our school history textbooks. Like many other acts of heroism, this story had been forgotten because of ideologically-biased and politically-correct historical textbooks. It is the story of a handful of bravehearts who placed duty before their own safety, despite being aware that death was inevitable. It is the story of a battle, The Battle of Saragarhi, in which, despite being heavily outnumbered by a ratio of 1:500, the Sikh soldiers (of the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Army) put up a heroic fight against the invaders – Afridi and Orakazia tribes of the Pashtun.

History and location of Saragarhi

Saraghari was a communication relay post in the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) located in the Hindkush range in the present-day Pakistan. Saragarhi was a part of the manned posts, originally constructed by the great Sikh Emperor Maharaja Ranjit Singh, later taken over by the British. It was turned into a heliograph communication post which used the technology of reflected sunlight with a mirror in the form of coded messages. It played an important role in the defence and protection of the two main forts of the region, Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan. Saragarhi was located halfway between the two forts.

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Battle of Saragarhi - Fort Lockhart
wikimedia

How the battle began

On the morning of September 12, 1897 at 9:00 am, the detachment commander, Havildar Ishar Singh, happened to discover rows and columns of Afghans approaching the post at Saragarhi. They appeared to be in thousands, roughly around 10,000-12,000. Seeing this, Sepoy Gurmukh Singh signalled about the incoming invaders to Fort Lockhart via heliograph. The Afghans had strategically cut the supply route connecting Fort Lockhart and Saragarhi. Fort Lockhart signalled back telling the soldiers at Saragarhi to hold positions.

British Heliographs
signal mirror/Flickr

Havildar Ishar Singh’s valiant decision

On realising that they would not be able to get any help from Fort Lockhart, Havildar Ishar Singh held a meeting and asked all the soldiers whether they would choose to abandon their posts for survival or hold the fort and put up a brave fight. The soldiers chose the latter, unanimously. Following that, Saragarhi flashed back their reply to Fort Lockhart – Understood.

Battle of Saragarhi- forts of Lockhart and Gulistan
Gulistan fort. History Extra

Why Ishar Singh was a true leader

A fervent Sikh, Havildar Ishar Singh headed the command and his troops had full faith in his abilities and leadership. He had immense knowledge about the fighting ability of the Pathans along with their tactics. He was also well-acquainted with the terrain and topography of the area.

Akshay Kumar as Havildar Ishar Singh
Akshay Kumar as Havildar Ishar Singh in Kesari. Dharma Productions /YouTube

When 21 took on 10,000

As the Afghans approached the Saragarhi post, the Sikh soldiers took their positions in two lines – standing and squatting (ready to fire) positions. Havildar Ishar Singh chose not to order his soldiers to fire until the Afghan troops came within 250 metres of the post. When they did, he ordered the soldiers to fire, resulting in an extermination of the first line of the invaders. This triumph was, however, short-lived, as the Afghans attacked them in two groups, one at the main gate and the other at the gap of the fort, knowing they would outnumber the Sikhs easily in this manner. The first soldier of the Sikh contingent who was martyred was Sepoy Bhagwan Singh. By noon, the number of martyred soldiers rose to 11 with only 10 remaining to fight the battle. Their ammunition was running out, however, they were still unable to get any assistance from Fort Lockhart.

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21 Sikh Soldiers Battle Of Saragarhi
Indiatimes

The Pathans cleverly set the nearby bushes on fire. Smoke covered the Saragarhi post making the Sikh soldiers unable to locate the enemies. The Sikhs were soon signalled by the Fort Lockhart about the breach made by the Pathans, following which, Havildar Ishar Singh ordered the remaining soldiers to move towards the inner wall. The act that followed is believed to be one of the greatest acts of valor in the history of battles. Havildar Ishar Singh, who was now majorly wounded, ordered two soldiers to carry him to the breach in order to protect the rest of the soldiers, even though for a short while. Once there, all three of them opened fire and gave a massive blow to the Pathans.

Saragarhi Battle
Afridi tribe circa, 1866. STSTW

Then what happened is one of the most dramatic and jaw-dropping fight between the Sikh soldiers and the Afghan Pathans. After breaching the Saragarhi post, the Pathans had to fight with only 5 remaining soldiers, four towards the inner side and one (Sepoy Gurmukh Singh) at the signalling tower. But the brave Sikh soldiers gave a tough time to the Pathans once again as they came together sticking their backs with each other forming an all-round defensive position, with the swords/bayonets dealing heavy blows to the opposing Pathans.

The 1897 Battle of Saragarhi
SBS

The last Sikh soldier to attain martyrdom

Finally, after the four brave soldiers were killed, Sepoy Gurmukh Singh signalled Fort Lockhart to get an approval to join the fight as he was the only one left. After which, he came down from the tower with a rifle in his hand and joined the battle. The last words of the 19-year-old Gurmukh (the youngest of the lot) were ‘Jo Boley So Nihaal, Sat Sri Akal!’ Gurmukh Singh single-handedly fought 20 Pathans before falling.

Saragarhi Fight
History Extra

British shocked by death toll of Pathans

The fierce fight put up by the Sikh soldiers gave just enough time to the two forts, Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan, to prepare themselves for invasion or attack. Apart from that, the Sikh soldiers took the number of casualties of the Pathans to a hefty 180. However, according to some sources, the death toll of the Afghan Pathans was more than 600 as per the bodies that the reinforcement British troops found around Saragarhi.

21 Sikh Against 10,000 Afghan
Today

Highest gallantry honor

The 21 Sikh soldiers who lost their lives fighting the Battle of Saragarhi bravely were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit (equivalent to the Param Vir Chakra of the present day) which was the highest gallantry award an Indian soldier could receive at that time. All the soldiers belonged to the Majha region of Punjab.

The names of the 21 soldiers are as follows, Havildar Ishar Singh, Naik Lal Singh, Lance Naik Chanda Singh, Sepoy Sundar Singh, Sepoy Ram Singh, Sepoy Uttar Singh, Sepoy Sahib Singh, Sepoy Hira Singh, Sepoy Daya Singh, Sepoy Jivan Singh, Sepoy Bhola Singh, Sepoy Narayan Singh, Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, Sepoy Jivan Singh, Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, Sepoy Ram Singh, Sepoy Bhagwan Singh, Sepoy Bhagwan Singh, Sepoy Buta Singh, Sepoy Jivan Singh, Sepoy Nand Singh

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Indian Order of Merit
London Medal Company

The bravery of these soldiers is remembered in the epic poem ‘Khalsa Bahadur’.
The Battle of Saragarhi is one of the eight stories of collective bravery published by UNESCO.

The 21 remembered till date

On September 12, every year, all units of the Sikh Regiment celebrate the Saragarhi Day also known as the Regimental Battle Honours Day to commemorate the Battle of Saragarhi. Not just that, Saragarhi Day is observed by the Sikhs all over the world as well.

The battle is known to be one of the greatest ‘last stands’ in the military history as an army of only 21 gallant Sikh soldiers faced and fought fiercely the 10,000-12,000 invaders of the Afridi and Orakzai tribes of the Pashtun.

21 Sikhs Saragarhi
21 Sikh soldiers in Kesari. Dharma Productions /YouTube

A statement made by Queen Victoria in the British Parliament 1987 described the valour and heroism of the soldiers beautifully – “It is no exaggeration to record that the armies which possess the valiant Sikhs cannot face defeat in war.”

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