Chamkaur

Build up

Guru Gobind Singh Ji reached Chamkaur Sahib, 16kms from Ropar. Here the owner of a double storeyed house with a large raised compound, offered Guru Ji shelter. The Guru and the 42 remaining Sikhs converted the mud house into a fort with great haste. The 42 sikhs were tired and hungry after the ambush at the River Sarsa which depleted their army to only 42 from 550 plus.

By the time it was dark on December 21, 1704, Guru Saheb had orgainzed the fortress into a stronghold. Guru Ji detailed nine men to take position on each of the four walls and to make sure the enemy did not scale the wall. While two sikhs guarded the gate, Guru Ji, Baba Ajit Singh, Baba Jujhar Singh, Bhai Daya singh and Bhai Sant Singh held the top storey to watch the enemy's movements.

The Battle

The enemy surrounded the fortress on the morning of December 22 1704. The army had just over 100,000 men whereas Guru Ji only had 42 soldiers. Bitter fighting ensued. The eager and gallant men of Guru offered tough resistence. Five sikhs went out to face the enemy who were edging their way closer to the fort. After killing several of the enemy, the first five became martyrs. The brave Mokham Singh (one of the panj piaare), following his fellow Sikhs also fell in battle, his body pierced by scores of bullets. Bhai Himmat Singh (one of the panj piaare) asked permission to go forth and repel the enemy. He too was slayed in battle but not before he had killed an uncountable amount of Mughal soldiers.

Nahar Khan, an enemy general, attempted to scale the wall but was sent to the next world by Guru Ji's arrow. Gairat Khan, another enemy officer tried to attempt to scale the wall but the result was the same. he too was pierced by Guru Saheb's arrow. After this no mughal attempted to scale the wall because they had lost countless soldiers. They planned one last rush in which they would kill Guru Gobind Singh. They utterly failed, with scores shot down by gun and bow. Next Guru Ji sent 6 more sikhs to fight the oppression. They killed scores before being fatally wounded. After this, Baba Ajit Singh requested permission from Guru Ji to go and fight. Guru Ji blessed his son and sent him to fight along with several more sikhs. These sikhs again killed innumerable mughal soldiers. But the numbers became too much and Baba Ajit Singh was fatally wounded. Following in his brother's footsteps, Baba Jujhar Singh requested permission to go and fight with the next batch of Sikhs. Guru Ji blessed his son and sent him proudly to fight the enemy. Scores of the enemy lay dead at the hands of the few sikhs which had been sent out but it was not enough, Baba Jujhar Singh attained martyrdom along with his brother, three of the panj piaare and thirty seven other sikhs. For a whole day the Sikhs had repelled the mughal army despite being outnumbered massively.

The Outcome

There were only five singhs left with Guru Ji on the evening of December 22 ,1704. Fighting pasued at nightfall while the mughals regrouped but this also gave vaulable time to the few remaining sikhs to hatch a plan. The five singhs left were Bhai Dharam Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh (the two remaining panj piaare) and Bhai Man Singh, Bhai Sangat Singh and finally Bhai Sant Singh. They begged Guru Ji to escape, they said "At Kesgarh Sahib we watched you beseeching the five beloved ones to initiate you with Amrit. You had said then, I am of the Khalsa, and the Khalsa is mine. Today we ask in the capacity of the Khalsa to beseech you to leave Chamkaur and escape to a safer place." Guru Saheb had no choice but to accept their demands. It was decided that Guru Ji, Man Singh and the two panj piaare would leave the fort and that they would dress up Sant Singh to look like Guru Ji because he had an uncanny resemblence to Guru Ji. Guru Ji killed the few soldiers that were on watch. Then they left in the pitch dark and started to shout Sat Sri Akal. The mughals who couldn't see where anyone was ended killing several of their own while Guru Ji and the three sikhs who accompanied him escaped. They had previously agreed if they had split up to meet on the outskirts of Machhiwara, twenty seven kilometres away. Sant singh and Sangat Singh inflicted great losses to the enemy at night. As day broke, the mughals launched an all out attack on the fortress. They finally entered the fort but Bhai Sangat Singh and Bhao Sant singh charged on horseback. They engaged the enemy and killed scores of the enemy before attaining martyrdom. The mughals thought they had killed Guru Ji but they had already escaped. The Khalsa lived to fight another day.