Battle of Rohilla | |||||||
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Part of Early Mughal-Sikh Wars | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Units involved | |||||||
unknown | 4,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
unknown | unknown |
The Battle of Rohilla, also known as the Battle of Hargobindpur, was a 1621 campaign by the Mughal Empire against the growing influence of the Sikhs.[1]
After the execution of Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Hargobind fully militarized the Sikhs into a proper militia mostly based on an irregular cavalry style of warfare.[2] In 1621, Hargobind envisaged a plan to develop a town, Sri Hargobindpur, that was founded by his father. A dispute over the possession of land and plans to erect a building ensued between the Guru and a Khatri moneylender named Bhagwan Das. Accordingly, Bhagwan Das attacked the Guru's camp and was subsequently killed in the fight. Das' son, Rattan Chand, and Karam Chand, the son of Chandu Shah (an antipathetic figure in Sikh tradition), forged an alliance and incited the Faujdar of Jalandhar, Abdul Khan, to send an expedition against Guru Hargobind. The Sikhs fought and defeated the contingent of 4,000 Mughal troops sent by Abdul Khan, near the Beas River. The Sikh General Jattu as well as Abdul Khan and his sons were killed in the fighting.[3][1][2]