'Hari Singh Nalwa — Khalsaji da Champion' in Gurmukhi to be available later this year.


Hari Singh Nalwa’s 173rd death anniversary on 30 April 2010
  
This was it, thought General Hari Singh Nalwa as he marched from Peshawar towards Jamrud to face the wrath of the Kingdom of Kabul.

The small fortified village of Jamrud, situated on the south-side of a range of mountains at the mouth of the Khyber Pass, was inhabited by the Misha Khel Khyberis renowned for their excellent marksmanship and total lack of respect for any authority. The Sikh occupation of Jamrud in the latter half of 1836 was rather strongly contested, but it appeared that the place was taken by surprise. On its capture, Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa, the Commander-in-Chief of the army along the western frontier of the Sikh Kingdom, had given instructions to fortify the position without delay. A small existing fort had been immediately put into repair.

The news of the conquest of Jamrud had put Amir Dost Mohammed Khan, the Afghan ruler, into a state of great alarm. General Hari Singh’s latest possession gave the Sikhs the command of the entrance into the valley of Khyber. The Khyber Pass started at the foothills of the mountains near Jamrud and ended west of Torkham in the Kingdom of Kabul. For the past eight centuries, marauders indulging in loot, plunder, rape and forcible conversions to Islam had used this route into the sub-continent. If this was a prelude to further aggressive measures, thought the Amir, he saw in the intimation and submission of the people of Khyber, the road lay open to Jelalabad. Were the Sikhs to take Jalalabad, their next stop would be Kabul.

North West Frontier
Amir Dost Mohammed could ill afford to go to war with the Sikhs — he simply did not have the resources.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s grandson, Kanwar Nau Nihal Singh, was scheduled to be married in March.  The Commander-in-chief of the army of the neighbouring country of Hindustan, Lt. General Sir Henry Fane, had accepted the Maharaja’s invitation to attend the celebration. Troops and artillery had been withdrawn from all over the Sikh Kingdom and a skeleton force now guarded the North West Frontier — a serious tactical mistake. Three-fourths of the Punjab army consisting of 30 battalions of infantry, 5 regiments of regular and 15,000 irregular cavalry, besides 100 pieces of horse artillery were assembled in Amritsar to impress the British invitee. The force left to guard the frontier in Peshawar consisted of about 10,000 troops — irregular (NAI/fsc 10-4-1837: 16).

Hari Singh Nalwa’s lieutenant, Mahan Singh, and a garrison of 600 men guarded the farthest Sikh post at Jamrud. By March, the Afghans had completely surrounded the Sikh position at Jamrud. A rough estimate suggests that on this occasion each Sikh was pitched against 100 Afghans. Not only was there a paucity of men in the Jamrud fort, it lacked ammunition, armament, food and water to sustain the men and their horses.

Sikh Forward Policy
When the Afghans descended from the heights of Kabul into the valley of Khyber, Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa was stationed at Peshawar with a skeleton force. Sumergarh, the famous Sikh fort dominating the skyline of Peshawar in the twenty-first century, was built by Hari Singh Nalwa following the conquest of the district by the Sikhs. This fort was built on the site of the earlier Afghan fort called the Bala Hissar. Sumergarh was capable of holding 10,000 men within its walls. It was a very strong fort and could easily have withstood the onslaught of the Afghans.

The Maharaja was considerably perturbed by the report of Dost Mohammed’s preparations to renew his contest with him. Hari Singh Nalwa had strict instructions not to engage in military action. Instead of increasing the force in Peshawar, Ranjit Singh had desired his Sardar, in the event of the enemy appearing, to concentrate his troops in their different fortified positions and to maintain himself in them until reinforced (NAI/fsc 10-4-1837: 16).

To say that the Sikhs and the Afghans were unevenly matched was an understatement. Hari Singh Nalwa’s informants would have acquainted him with the strength of the Afghan Army reinforced as it was by the Pathan tribesmen inhabiting this frontier. Hari Singh could have quite easily withdrawn into Sumergarh; instead, he chose to march forth to the rescue of his men in Jamrud, leaving behind a small garrison to guard the city and fort of Peshawar.

Hari Singh Nalwa, the battle-hardened general and the military strategist, could foresee the consequences of adopting a defensive strategy. He would have carefully considered the consequences of his retreat into the fort as advised by the Maharaja. He knew that the Sumergarh fort was strong enough to provide protection to him and his men till the arrival of reinforcements. He also knew that were he to seek refuge, the surrounding regions would undoubtedly be subjected to a bloody holocaust by the invading Afghans. The road to Attock lay open as there was no substantial force to protect that frontier. The Sikh Army, consequent to its departure from Lahore, would take at least a week to reach the Jamrud frontier ― giving the Afghans enough time to reclaim the trans-Indus territory. In Hari Singh’s view, any further delay in departing towards Jamrud would have been disastrous and detrimental to the larger interests of the Sarkar Khalsaji.

Hari Singh set forth to meet the Afghans at the mouth of the Khyber Pass. His only hope of successfully protecting this hard-gained frontier of the Sikh Kingdom was his own formidable reputation as the vanquisher of the Afghans and the fear his name evoked in their hearts. His mere appearance would have the effect of keeping them in check. As the commander in the field, he could create a fierce battle condition and keep them engaged until reinforcements came to his assistance. If these arrived in time, he was all set to first take Jalalabad and then proceed to Kabul, in accordance with the Sikh Forward Policy. The capture of Jamrud had been yet another step in that direction. Once Jalalabad was taken by the Sikhs, Dost Mohammed had no option but to flee from Kabul.

The bravery of the Sikh forces and the valour with which Hari Singh Nalwa led his army against a far superior Afghan force was truly admirable. This battle was undertaken for the protection of Jamrud, Peshawar and the entire North West Frontier of the Sikh Kingdom. All the odds were stacked against Hari Singh, yet he set off to face the enemy unheeding the advice of his men and at the peril of his own life.
Hari Singh had repeatedly requisitioned Lahore for troops. After waiting in vain, for almost one month, for the arrival of reinforcements Hari Singh Nalwa set off to face the foe. It was clear to him that any further delay meant sure death for his men stationed in the fort of Jamrud — if not at the hands of the Afghans, then from thirst. The Afghans were congratulating themselves on being on the verge of taking the Jamrud fort, when quite unexpectedly on the morning of 30 April 1837 (23 Mohurrum Hijri1253 and 20 Baisakh VS1894) General Hari Singh Nalwa arrived.

Hari Singh Nalwa’s force of 10,000 men comprised seven battalions of infantry and 4,500 irregular horsemen with 25 pieces of ordinance of various calibres. Half of Hari Singh Nalwa’s army was of doubtful reliability and integrity. Under similar circumstances any other force would have fled the scene, but not the Sikhs. Led by the battle-scarred and highly experienced General Hari Singh Nalwa, the Sikhs kept their spirits high and courageously set forth to face the Afghans.

Raging Battle
When General Hari Singh Nalwa arrived in Jamrud he faced the entire army of the Afghans, supported by the mulkia. The Afghans had collected there with the sole objective of driving the Sikhs out of Jamrud and Peshawar. On arrival, Hari Singh set out to reconnoitre the ground occupied by the Afghans at the entrance of the valley of Khyber (NAI/fsc 12-6-1837: 7). The field of battle was a large plain surrounded by hills. Dost Mohammed Khan’s sons were so overwhelmed at his sudden appearance and assuming that he came to fight, immediately commenced action. Most of the Afghan forces, however, continued to hide in the surrounding hills.
Hari Singh played a ruse to draw out the hidden enemy. He first rode up to the hills and then suddenly retreated. The concealed Afghan forces from the neighbouring mountainous heights spilled into the plain; where upon a great battle ensued. The air rent with war cries and the action was predictably fierce, unrelenting and bloody. The armies fought blindly, decimating all that stood in their way. Hari Singh Nalwa led from the front and bore down on the enemy like a fierce thunderstorm, inspiring his men onwards to victory. The flash of swords was blinding. Muskets, cannons, zamburkas and jezails blazed, lighting up the fiercely hot summer sky. The heat of Peshawar, at this time of the year, has been described as becoming almost inflammable.

Hari Singh advanced on the enemy position and by Afghan accounts captured three cannons, totally routing their army (NAI/fpc 7-8-1837: 86). The battle had commenced with a discharge of cannons that lasted for about three hours. At this critical juncture, Hari Singh Nalwa saw that his presence alone could retrieve the day. Despite the entreaties of his trusted officers, he rode to the front and urged his men to stand their ground and repulse the enemy (Griffin, 1865: 188). “The brave leader was present everywhere amid his retiring and rallying masses…” (Cunningham, 1849: 191) This emboldened his men and they attacked the Afghans with renewed vigour. There were many different versions of what exactly happened after this on that eventful day. According to one account, it was at this juncture, that two bullets struck Hari Singh — one in the side and the other in the stomach. Mortally wounded and fearing to dishearten his men, Hari Singh quietly turned his horse’s head and managed to ride to his tent. “The Afghans...acknowledge that on this day they were worsted. The success of the Sikhs was counterbalanced by the loss of their commander Huree Singh…” (Prinsep, 1846: (2) 138)

Hari Singh Nalwa’s success in the Battle of Jamrud was to make him immortal. On this occasion, not only had the Sikhs defeated every stated objective of the Afghans by retaining possession of both Peshawar and Jamrud, but they had successfully contended with a foe at least five times their numbers. The Sikhs achieved this feat by simply adhering to the Sardar’s dying wish of concealing the news of his death till the arrival of reinforcements from Lahore. The news was so well concealed that the Sikh soldiers were also unaware of their leader’s demise. The sheer terror of Hari Singh Nalwa’s name kept the Afghans in check for almost two weeks, until the arrival of the entire Sikh Army. The Afghans could confirm his death only after this happened, at which time they commenced their retreat or more appropriately their flight.

The battle finds mention in the nineteenth century work of poets of the Punjab:

Ballad speaks …
Zoye — Zaahra rahe naa zara qaayam, aisa Sikhan Pathana nu dangiya jee,
Hari Singh Sardar talwar phar ke, muh saiyan Pathana da rangya jee,
Afzal Khan Pathan daler yaaro, munh pher ke laran ton sangya jee,
Qadaryaar oh chhadd maidan geya, darra jaa Khaiber waala langhya jee. [19]
(Misr Hari Chand urf Qadaryaar, late 19th cent.: Siharfi Teeji, 182)
Zoye — The Sikhs fought the Pathans with such valour that the latter lost their ground.
Sardar Hari Singh, sword in hand, bloodied the face of hundreds of Pathans.
Afzal Khan was a brave Pathan, but even he shied away from battle.
He left the field of battle and retreated to the other side of the Khyber Pass, said Qadaryaar.

Kabit
Aisa humme judh kabu dekhiya dekhaye naahee, jaisa Sardar Hari Singh karvaaya hai,
Jaisa Khumbhkaran Hanumaan balwaan beech, Lanka de maidan Ram Chand karvaaya hai,
Taisa Arjan ne judh naal Kairvan de khoob keeta, Dhanusurth ant duaapar lagaaya hai,
Kahe Ram Dayal aisa Singh Sardar, Kattak bhayaa beshumaar judh bhaara karvaaya hai. [42]
(Ram Dayal, 1840: f 107 b)
I have neither heard of nor witnessed a battle such as the one commanded by Sardar Hari Singh.
It is comparable to the battle fought between the valiant Hanuman and Kumbhkaran in Lanka under the command of Sri Ramchander.
It is also comparable to the great battle fought between Arjan and the Kaurvas at Kurukshetra, in the duappar yuj.
So momentous was this battle fought by the Singh Sardar beyond the violent river Attock, said Ram Dayal.

Hari Singh Nalwa entered the annals of the history of the sub-continent as one of its greatest patriots. He had upheld the Khalsa code of honour, self-respect and independence. His success was not limited to withholding an invader that completely outnumbered him, but he also irrevocably blocked entry into the sub-continent through the Khyber Pass.  Even in death, he emerged the victor. In one lifetime he had redeemed eight centuries of humiliation suffered by his ancestors and countrymen.

War on Terror Continues…
Ongoing events in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan and in Afghanistan have turned the spotlight on Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa. Today, the armies of the world are collectively trying to tackle the terrorism unleashed upon humanity from the very region where 173 years ago Hari Singh Nalwa gained his most spectacular victory.

References:                
Cunningham, J.D. (1849). A History of the Sikhs from the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutleje, ed. H.L.O. Garrett, rvd edn 1915, rpt, Delhi: Low Price Publications, 1997.

Griffin, L.H. (1865). The Panjab Chiefs, Lahore: Chronicle Press.

Misr Hari Chand urf Qadaryaar. ‘Jang Peshaur Singha te Pathana di’ in ed. Gobind Singh Lamba. nd. Chonnvian Punjabi Siharphian, Punjab: Languages Department, (Gurmukhi).

Prinsep, H.T. comp. (1834). Origin of the Sikh Power in the Punjab and Political Life of Muha-raja Runjeet Singh, rpt, Punjab: Languages Department, 1970.

Ram Dayal, ‘Jang Nama Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa’, Khalsa College, Amritsar, MS 1604 E., (Gurmukhi).

(Abridged from, ‘Hari Singh Nalwa ― Champion of the Khalsaji’, New Delhi: Manohar, 2009).