Today, we are celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi, one of the greatest last stands in history that was fought on September 12, 1897, by 21 Sikh soldiers of the British India Army against 10,000 Afghans in the Samana Valley of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which was then part of India.
During this battle, all the 21 soldiers of 36 Sikh Regiment fought till their last breath against the Afghan hordes with unprecedented courage and unparalleled valour and went down as superheroes. Here’s the story of the Saragarhi’s legendary battle.
Saragarhi was a small village in the Kohat district along with the Samana range (modern-day Pakistan). The British succeeded in gaining control over the Khyber Pakhtunwa region, although they were prone to attacks from rebellious Pashtuns. Saragarhi served as a communication post between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gullistan which served as headquarters for the British Indian army in the North-Western region, as these two forts were not visible to each other despite being a few miles apart.
The Greatest Last Stand In History!
On September 12, 1897, 10,000 Pashtuns attacked Saragarhi in order to break communication between the two forts.
The Battle of Saragarhi is considered to be one of the greatest last stands in history. Where 21 soldiers of the 36 Sikh Regiment fought an army of over 10,000 Afghans and killed more than 600 of them before perishing to enemy bullets. The 36 Sikh Regiment leader Ishar Singh managed to kill over 20 enemies in this epic battle. They held the enemy at bay for one full day, till reinforcement arrived.
The efforts of 36th Sikh Regiment soldiers never went unnoticed when the news received a standing ovation at the British Parliament in London. A commemorative tablet was put stating the names of the 21 men, after recognising their efforts.
Post the battle, Col. Haughton narrated the heart-wrenching story of the battle to the top brass of the British Indian Army. As a result, all 21 soldiers were awarded the prestigious Indian Order of Merit Class III award. It was also for the first time in history, that each and every member of the unit won the gallantry awards for a single battle.
Remembrance and legacy
Khalsa Bahadur is an epic poem written by Chuhar Singh describing the chivalry and sacrifice of Sikh soldiers at the Battle of Saragarhi. The poem is 55 pages long in the Punjabi language.
In remembrance of these 21 warriors, the British built two Gurudwaras, one in Amritsar near the Golden Temple and another in Ferozepur Cantonment, which was in the district where these men hailed from.
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