Remembering the Chotta Ghallughara

Here is the background history of the Chotta Ghallughara, which is the "small holocaust" that is being commemorated today. 

 

Zakaraiya Khan became Governor of Lahore in 1726. He ordered rewards for anyone who removed the scalp of a Sikh, hair of a Sikh, or give information on a Sikh’s location. He punished those who sheltered and protected the Sikhs. Under the rule of Zakaraiya Khan and Lakhput Rai, Bhai Mani Singh Ji was martyred in 1737 cut joint by joint. 

 

Subsequently, Nadir Shah, a Persian invader (Emperor of Iran) was plundering Punjab in 1738-9. Nadir Shah only kept Zakaria Khan as governor by bribe and keeping his son as a hostage, then left. Zakaraiya Khan ordered Bhai Taru Singh Ji to be martyred by removal of his scalp and Bhai Mehtab Singh to be martyred on a wheel in 1745. Bhai Taru Singh Ji stated that Zakaraiya would be killed by his shoes, which he was...he developed urinary retention and then asked for forgiveness from the Khalsa Panth, which they told him he would have to beat himself with Bhai Taru Singh Ji’s shoes. He was cured of his urinary problem but died from the injuries of hitting himself with the shoes. Bhai Taru Singh Ji survived without his scalp from 9^thJune to July 1^stuntil after the death of Zakaraiya Khan.

Next, Yahiya Khan, the son of Zakariya Khan, took over as governor of Lahore. At this time (1745) the Sikhs were living in forests, deserts, and marches; in the dens of lions and wild animals because of the persecution they faced. Having been pushed out of the cities, the Sikhs continued tactics of guerilla warfare. A jatha of Sikhs, led by S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and S. Sukkha Singh Marikambo Ji, then ended up near the estate of Jaspat Rai, brother of Lakhpat Rai, Zakariya Khan’s minister. The Sikhs stopped at Gurdwara Rori Sahib (see pictures and history from our Yatra to Pakistan posts). Jaspat Rai then threatened the Sikhs to vacate the Gurdwara and would not allow them time to make langar; the Sikhs attacked and killed Jaspat Rai. In revenge of his brother’s death, Lakhpat Rai wanted to kill the entire population of Sikhs. He gathered the Sikhs working in Lahore in government departments with their families, and killed them on March 10, 1746. Several thousand Sikhs were killed on this day. Lakhpat said whoever used the word Guru would have their stomach pierced, he said people had to use the word rori for gur, he threw Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jis in the wells and rivers, filled Sri Darbar Sahib with dust and said 1000 Sikhs were to be killed daily.  

 

The Sikhs, led by S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, and S. Sukkha Singh were attacked. Using guerilla tactics, they were able to cause a huge loss to Lakhpat Rai’s forces. Lakhpat Rai then fired cannon balls, set the jungle on fire, and sent out the infantry. The Sikhs were then caught between the flooded Ravi and Lakhpat Rai’s forces, so they headed towards the hills of Jammu hoping for help from the Hindus, who unfortunately had also tied forces. The infantry Sikhs then decided to climb the sandy hills of the Jammu, while the mounted stayed behind. Though they faced losses, they did make it up while the mounted forces were heavily attacked and had to retreat by crossing the Ravi. In the area of

Kathua, 1000 Sikhs were martyred, and 500 were arrested then martyred. The remaining Sikhs made it across, but this terrain was incredibly difficult to live and fight in- it was incredibly swampy, thorny, and with sanded mounds. Lakhpat Rai got the jungle set no fire and thus the shaheeds in this chotta chhamb were all martyred by being set on fire. Fighting continued for two months. The dates of the total Ghallughara are sometime between March and June 1746. The main encounter is said to have happened on May 1, 1746, when 7,000 Sikhs were killed and 3,000 captured then tortured and executed (these skeletons were later found buried at Shaheedganj mosque). In one source it’s estimated in this whole Ghallughara, 40 000 Sikhs were martyred, in others it states this Ghallughara resulted in a loss of ¼-1/3 of the Sikh population. This was a time when the Sikh population was already small due to persecution, but the Khalsa continued to expand and developed 25 misls by 1747 and 65 bands by 1748. 

 

References: 

image and history https://singhstation.net/2020/05/chhota-ghallughara-the-sikh-holocaust-of-1746/

Sikh History Part 2 post 

Sikhiwiki.com