The Rise of Sikh Military - Guru Hargobind

Sikhs made a name for themselves as ferocious soldiers. They served in major conflicts in modern history, from the wars of India and Pakistan, the 2 World Wars, or even British war for imperial expansion. How the Sikhs whose religion promoted harmony developed a reputation as valiant warriors?

Persecution

The great martial skills of the Sikhs traced its roots in the 17th century when the community’s survival threatened by Mughal persecution. With the death of a Guru and a father, a son took leadership and armed the Sikhs. From fear, they mustered their courage and formed a new military that faced the might of the Mughal army in battle and triumphed.

Guru Arjan (r. 1581 – 1606), the 5th Guru, led Sikhism to new heights. He transformed Amritsar, the center of Sikhism, into a wealthy commercial city that allowed the construction of the Harimandir, now known as the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He also wrote hymns that he added to the growing Sikh scripture Adi Granth. From him a Guru expanded his role from just a religious leader to also a community leader as well. Under his Guruship Sikhs expanded in influence as well as membership.

Guru Arjan’s execution, for his achievement, brought shock, grief, anger, and fear to Sikhs. The execution came as a retribution for Guru Arjan’s support to a rebellious Mughal Prince. In 1605, Emperor Akbar known for his tolerance and legendary sagacious rule ended with his passing. Jahangir assumed the throne, but one of his sons Khushru rebelled. Guru Arjan said to have supported this rebellion and thus Emperor Jahangir ordered his arrest, torture, and execution. The gruesome fate of the late Guru brought the succession of his son Hargobind as the 6th Guru of Sikhs.

Guru Hargobind, despite being only about a decade old, must then lead the Sikhs in preparation for what it seemed to be dark days ahead for the newly fledgling religion. He undertook a major paradigm shift that turned the Sikhs from silent followers to dangerously lethal army.

Foundation of a Sikh Army

Guru Hargobind had been training for the role of Guru. Born in 1595 in Wadali Village, he stood was Guru Arjan’s only child. He received education under the supervision of Baba Buddha, a respected Sikh that began to serve the Gurus since the time of Guru Nanak. He studied sciences and Sikh theology besides excelling in athletics. One of his tutors commented regarding Hargobind, “The Guru was a mighty hero, a great benefactor and a powerful enemy-smasher.” By 1606, despite still being a student, he had to take on the burden of leading a frightful community of Sikhs.

The succession ceremony of Guru Hargobind defined the style of his leadership. During the said ceremony, Hargobind refused to wear the Seli, a traditional woolen cord worn on the head by Gurus since the time of Guru Nanak proclaiming, “My seli will be my sword belt and I shall wear turban with a royal aigrette.” He also wore 2 swords to represent miri/piri with miri equivalent to political power and piri to spiritual authority. Thus, with his act in the ceremony, he finalized what his late father began, consolidating the powers of the guru over spiritual and political.

Militarization of the Sikh began at earnest. With their backs against the rope, the Sikh must fight for their beliefs. Just like Mohammad who called for arm struggle, Hargobind did the same for the Sikhs. He argued that the world contained both good and evil, and when evil tilt the balance into its favor, the good has the duty to fight to keep it at bay. He then issues Hukamnamas or decrees or encyclical letters in religious terms that ordered various Sikh dioceses or masands to contribute horses and weapons rather than money as part of their tithe.

Training of Sikhs for battle also started. Hargobind labelled recruits as Sant Sipahi or Soldier-Saints. He began with 52 Sikhs who he made his body guards. Their formation and development stood as a model for the rest of the army. Recruits received in payment religious service and 2 meals a day. The Guru had no problem with supplies as Amritsar’s commercial network developed by the late Guru Arjan remained strong. Moreover, various masands contributed farm produce that help to feed the army. From 52, the Sikh army grew to 500 men.

Organization of the army then followed. Guru Hargobind divided his 500 troops into 5 units with 100 soldiers each. The initial 5 commanders of the unit included Bidhi Chand, Bidhi Pirana, Bidhi Jetha, Bidhi Paira, and Bidhi Langha. The Guru supplemented his forces with several Pathan mercenaries led by Painda Khan. These mercenaries served also as military adviser supervising the training of the initial Sikh army.

The Sikh army trained in the Akhara or wrestling ground located in front of the Akal Takht where the Guru also supervised the army. Sikhs honed their skills in horsemanship, marksmanship and hand to hand combat. In hand to hand combat, the ancient Indian martial art of Gatka took prominence. Other than formal training in the Akhara, the Guru also promoted physical activities and sports such as hunting. From hunting, he commented that men learn to be quick, clever, and resourceful. He also motivated his troops with military music of vars.

Sikh weaponry utilized wide array of swords as well as range weapons. They had the khanda, an old traditional Indian weapon efficient in cutting and slashing perfect for cavalry. They had the tulwar, a traditional sword which Guru Hargobind used in his succession ceremony to represent Miri/Piri and also efficient in slashing just as the khanda but distinguishable by its curve similar to sabre of Europe. Sikhs also may have used the katar dagger, an edged weapon brought by the Mughals. Soldiers held this dagger as if throwing a punch and in battle could be very quick and versatile. They also had axes to complement their swords. For range weapon, they had the traditional bow and arrow as well as matchlocks. They however, had a unique range weapon known as the chakkar quoit, an ancient Indian weapon with a shape of circle with sharp edges and thrown in volley into the enemy.

Fortification also began in several Sikh dominated cities. Lohgarh Fort near Amritsar served as an example of a fort constructed upon the instruction of the Guru. It began with mud bricks but eventually developed into a hilltop fortress by 1710.

Sikh Soldiers, 19th century

Military Campaign

The strength of the new Sikh army came under test by various battles with the Mughals. The skills of the soldiers and the leaders of the Sikh Army faced off with imperial forces in 4 separate battles. Their success or failure determined the fate of Sikhism – survive or perish in face of growing persecution.

Guru Hargobind said to have been imprisoned around 1612. This imprisonment, however, shrouded by mystery due to different claims of various sources – from the reason of the imprisonment to the length of imprisonment. For the reasons, claims ranged from a governor named Chandu Shah threatened by growing militarization of Sikhs convinced Jahangir during his time of illness to imprison the Guru in Gwalior fort to be cured. Another source claimed that the imprisonment resulted from an unpaid fine imposed by Jahangir to the Guru’s father the late Guru Arjan. The length of imprisonment also varied from 12 years to a mere 40 days. Nevertheless, the imprisonment episode ended with Jahangir releasing the Sikh leader to gain his support for other campaigns in the sub-continent. He also me with the Guru Hargobind and impressed by the wisdom and skills of the Guru in hunting, the Mughal Emperor became close with the Sikh leader. As a result of this, chances of armed conflict with the Emperor drastically subsided for the meantime.

The Battle of Rohilla, a battle against a local raja, first tested the young Sikh army. The battle ensued due to the establishment of Hargobindpur, a new town founded by the Guru in the banks of Beas River. Their presence in the area threatened the local chief who in a skirmish with the Sikhs fell in battle. The son of the dead chieftain sought the intervention of the Mughal Governor Abdullah Khan who quickly mobilized an army of 10,000. Guru Hargobind then prepared his army numbering at 5,000 and the 2 sides clashed. The governor and son of the late chief perished in the ensuing battle. Guru Hargobind successfully passed his army through its baptismal of fire.

The death of Jahangir came as a tragedy for Guru Hargobind in 1627. The Emperor had been a friend, but same cannot be said for the next Emperor, Shah Jahan. Despite being well-known for his extravagant display of affection and mourning that led to the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan made a notorious image as an orthodox Muslim dedicated in the propagating Islam at the cost of other. In other words, time of tolerance ended and the feared time of armed conflict with the Mughals reemerged once again.

The Battle of Amritsar became the second battle from which the Sikh Army faced the Mughals. The battle erupted as a result of, as per stories, a hawk. A hawk of a Mughal hunting party flew in the area of hunting Sikhs. The Sikhs sent their own hawk to Mughal which resulted to fight in which the Sikh won. When the troops arrogantly tried to retrieve the hawk’s corpse, the insulted Sikhs resisted. The Mughals reported the incident to the local governor who then sent General Mukhlis Khan with 7,000 troops to teach the Sikhs a lesson. Sympathizers of the Sikh community informed the Guru of the impeding raid. The Guru, in the middle of preparing for his daughter’s wedding, caught off guard by the news. He decided the fort of Lohgarh delay the impeding attack while he prepared his forces for battle. Thus, the Guru abandoned his home in the fort and left some Sikhs to attempt to defend the mud brick fort. The battle of Amritsar began with the Sikh defense of Lohgarh fort. Lacking in numbers and strong defense, the Sikh defenders overran by Mughals. The Guru’s home in the fort plundered by soldiers. The 2nd day of the battle saw Guru Hargobind’s forces of 2,800 face of with the Mughal army. The battle went throughout the day, but victory went to Guru Hargobind and the Mughal commander Mukhlis Khan had fallen in battle. Following his victory, the Guru spared Amritsar the problems of siege and he decided to settle in Bhatinda where he continued to battle the Mughals.

The Battle of Lahira took place in the road between Bhatinda and Baranala. The Guru’s forces of 4,000 faced a Mughal army of 35,000 led by Lala Beg and Qumar (Kumar) Beg. Guru Hargobind realized the vast difference in numbers and decided to weaken the Mughal army before facing them in battle. He ordered Ria Jodh to position the army in Lehra Bega along the road between Bhatinda and Baranal aplacing the supply of water in the area under Sikh control. He aimed to deprive the Mughals of water they badly needed due to the sultry heat. After the Mughals had been exhausted by lack of water, he ordered the attack and the battle raged for 18 hours. Eventually, his tactic paid off and the Mughals retreated with his army suffering 1,200 losses.

The Battle of Kratarpur followed in 1635. After the battle in Bhatinda, Guru Hagobind decided to retire in Kartarpur, but then the commanders of his Pathan mercenary Painda Khan became the new source of problem. The Guru chased out Painda as the Pathan became arrogant and a liability. This punishment led Painda to go to the Mughal governor of Lahore Wazir Khan offering him assistance in defeating the Sikhs. Guru Hargobind must face Painda Khan who brought 50,000 Mughal troops commanded by Kale Khan and Qutub Khan in the fields of Kartarpur. Sikh troops slayed Kale Khan in battle, while the Guru himself dueled with Painda with the former achieving victory at the cost of the life of the latter. The whole battle resulted with Sikh victory who suffered 700 casualties as a result of battle.

The victories against the Mughal uplifted the morale of the Sikh by destroying the aura of Mughal invincibility. Guru Hargobind retired in Kiraptur until his passing in 1644.

Legacy and Summing Up

Guru Hargobind saw the militarization of Sikhs. From scratch, the Guru established a martial tradition that later developed and defined Sikhs as fearsome warriors. Despite being new in the art of war and even at the face of vastly numerically superior forces, the Guru and his forces managed to defeat the most powerful empire in India at that time. The legacy of Guru Hargobind passed on to his successors, from his foundations followed the great military campaigns of Guru Gobind Sigh, Banda Singh Bahadur, and the founder of the Sikh Empire Ranjit Singh.

The rise of Sikh military also reveal the effects of persecution. When a marginalize people pushed into a corner, it caused radicalization or in the case of the Guru militarization. The marginalize people stands up either to survive or perish. In the case of Sikhs, they succeeded in surviving yet Guru Hargobind had the wisdom to know the limits of armed resistance. He continued to preach spiritual wellbeing and tolerance. His battle fought with care for his people and not hatred for his opponents. He sought not the destruction of the Mughals but the survival of the Sikhs. From this need came a new martial tradition.

See also:

Basics of Sikhism

Guru Nanak

Bibliography:

Books:

Bonarjee, P.D. A Handbook of the Fighting Races of India. Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co., 1899.

Gandhi, Surjit Singh. History of Sikh Gurus Retold, Volume II. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd., 2007.

Websites:

“Nishan Sahib: History of the Sacred Banner & Its Symbols.” Sikh Museum. Accessed on April 18, 2020. URL: http://www.sikhmuseum.com/nishan/index.html

“The Sixth Master Guru Hargobind (1595 – 1644).” Sikhs.org. Accessed on April 18, 2020. URL: https://www.sikhs.org/guru6.htm

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Hargobind.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on April 18, 2020. URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hargobind