First Battle of Anandpur

First Battle of Anandpur
Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars
Date 1700 Location Anandpur Result Guru Gobind Singh victory.
Belligerents
Guru Gobind Singh's Sikhs	Mughal Empire Rajas of the Sivalik Hills
Commanders and leaders
Panj Piare	Din Beg Painda Khan†
Strength
Unknown	10,000

The First Battle of Anandpur was fought at Anandpur, between the armies of the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughal forces aided by the Rajas of the Sivalik Hills.

Cause

The increasing power of Guru Gobind Singh, and his establishment of a military order (Khalsa) alarmed the Rajas of the Sivalik hills. After some failed attempts to check the Guru's power, the Rajas pleaded the Mughals to help them against the Guru.

The Mughal viceroy of Delhi sent his generals Din Beg and Painda Khan, each with an army of five thousand men, to subdue the Guru.^[1] The Mughal forces were joined by the armies of the hill chiefs at Rupar. The Guru appointed the Panj Piare, his five beloved Sikhs, as the generals of his army.

The battle

According to the Sikh chronicles, Guru Gobind Singh refused to play the role of an aggressor, as he had vowed never to strike except in self-defence.

After Painde Khan's death, Din Beg assumed the command of his troops.^[2] However, he failed to overpower the Guru's forces. The hill Rajas fled from the battlefield, and Din Beg was forced to retreat after being wounded. He was pursued by the Guru's army as far as Rupar.

Aftermath

After the Mughal generals failed to dive off the Guru from Anandpur, the hill Rajas formed an alliance and attacked Anandpur, leading to the Battle of Anandpur (1701).

References