The Great battle of Saragarhi
If there are epic accounts of brave battles fought by the Guru's brave sikhs, Saragarhi is probably one of the most greatest. 21 men of the 36th Sikh Regiment held back 10,000 Afghan Orakzai forces that descended upon the North West Frontier in 1897. This was sach a great record that we cannot even compare it to the Spartan soldiers depicted in the Hollywood film, 300.
The Battle
Communication between Saragarhi and Fort Lockhart took place over heliograph. The Afghan forces approached the village around 9 am; however, Fort Lockhart was unable to send reinforcements immediately. The 21 men in Saragarhi were left to defend their outpost and in extension the forts. They tried their best to stall the Afghans until they were seriously injured, and some of them died. Their leader Ishar Singh managed to kill 20 men.Gurmukh Singh was the last of the men, who kept communicating with Haughton about the events of the defensive. He died when the Pashtuns set ablaze the communication tower.
As the Pashtuns turned their attention to Fort Gullistan, they were intercepted by reinforcements who prevented its conquer. It was retaken on 14 September, and this battle claimed about 4,800 lives.
Where and when did it happen?
Saragarhi was a small village in the Kohat district along the Samana range (now 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.
Between 27 August - 11 September, 1897, the Pashtuns tried to attack these British strongholds but their efforts were continuously thwarted by the 36th Sikh regiment under the command of Col. Haughton. On 12 September, 1897, 10,000 Pashtuns attacked Saragarhi in order to break communication between the two forts.
The impact of the battle
The efforts of these men 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.
"The Government of India have caused this tablet to be erected to the memory of the twenty one non-commissioned officers and men of the 36 Sikh Regiment of the Bengal Infantry whose names are engraved below as a perpetual record of the heroism shown by these gallant soldiers who died at their posts in the defense of the fort of Saragarhi, on the 12 September 1897, fighting against overwhelming numbers, thus proving their loyalty and devotion to their sovereign The Queen Empress of India and gloriously maintaining the reputation of the Sikhs for unflinching courage on the field of battle."
The 21 men were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, which today is equivalent to the Paramvir Chakra.
4. Remembrance and legacy
Chuhar Singh wrote a 55-page poem called Khalsa Bahadur in Gurmukhi extolling the efforts of the brave men.
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.
5. Saragarhi Day
12 September is a special day in the hearts of Sikhs from around the world. The Sikh regiment of the Indian Army celebrate it as Regimental Battle Honours Day. The battle was also commemorated for the first time by the British Armed Forces in Sandhurst, UK in 2014.
