Battle of Chamkaur

Battle of Chamkaur
	Part of Mughal-Sikh Wars and Hill States-Sikh Wars
Date	6 December 1704
Location	Near the village of Chamkaur, Rupnagar district, Punjab, India
Result	Mughal and Hindu Hill Chief victory
Belligerents
Mughal Empire; Alliance of Hill States and Jammu State (c. 850–1812)	Khalsa (Sikhs)
Commanders and leaders
Mughal Commanders Wazir Khan; Zabardast Khan; Khwaja Muhammad (WIA); Nahar Khan †; Mu'nim Khan; Ghairat Khan †; Hill State Commanders Ajmer Chand; Fateh Shah; ;	Guru Gobind Singh Daya Singh; Dharam Singh; Mohkam Singh †; Himmat Singh †; Sahib Singh †; Alam Singh Nachna †; Ajit Singh †; Jujhar Singh †;
Strength
Unknown, but much larger (Gobind Singh's Zafarnama metaphorically states that the Mughal soldiers numbered 1 million);	40
Casualties and losses
Khwaja Muhammad injured; Nahar Khan killed; Ghairat Khan killed; Innumerable Mughal soldiers Killed.;	Ajit Singh killed; Jujhar Singh killed; Mohkam Singh killed; Bhai Himmat Singh killed; Sahib Singh killed; Sangat Singh killed; 31 other Sikh soldiers killed;

The Battle of Chamkaur, also known as Battle of Chamkaur Sahib or the Second battle of Chamkaur, was fought between the Khalsa, led by Guru Gobind Singh, and the coalition forces of the Mughals led by Wazir Khan and Hindu hill chiefs. Guru Gobind Singh makes a reference to this battle in his letter Zafarnama.

Preamble to the battle

After Guru Gobind Singh left Anandpur Sahib on the night of 5 and 6 December 1704,^[1] or 1705^[14] he crossed the Sarsa River with his disciples. While they were crossing, the Mughals and hill kings attacked. Guru Gobind Singh and his followers asked permission of the city chief for shelter to rest for the night in their garhi or haveli. He refused, but his younger brother allowed the Sikhs to stay in the haveli.^[3] According to contemporary Mughal sources, namely a letter sent to Wazir Khan of the Sirhind Sarkar, the Mughals dispatched a force consisting of 700 cavalry and a park of artillery to Chamkaur, where Guru Gobind Singh was taking refuge at the dwelling of a local zamindar of Chamkaur.^[15]

Battle

Despite giving assurance of safe conduct, the Mughal soldiers were looking for Guru Gobind Singh, to take his head as a trophy. After learning that the party of Sikhs had taken shelter in the haveli, they laid siege upon it. The actual battle is said to have taken place outside the haveli where Guru Gobind Singh was resting.^[3] A council of Panj Piare was convened during the battle, whom ordered Guru Gobind Singh to leave the battlefield to preserve his life and continue leading the Sikhs, a request which the Guru obeyed.^[16] Negotiations broke down and the Sikh soldiers chose to engage the overwhelming Mughal forces, thus allowing their Guru to escape. Another Sikh who resembled the Guru, Sangat Singh, donned the Guru's clothes and remained with the soldiers. The next morning the remaining Sikhs were killed by Mughal forces.^[17]

Aftermath

The Guru emphasised how he was proud that his sons had died fighting in battle, and that he had 'thousands of sons – the Singhs'. He also said that he would never trust Aurangzeb again due to the broken vow he took on the Quran.^[18]

Zafarnama

Zafarnama or "Epistle of Victory" is a letter that was written by Guru Gobind Singh to the then Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Zafarnama vividly describes what happened at Chamkaur, and also holds Aurangzeb responsible for what occurred and promises he broke.

After his escape from Chamkaur, the exhausted Guru is said to have been carried by two Pathans (Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan) to Jatpur where he was received by the local Muslim chieftain. He later went to Dina, and stayed at Mai Desanji's house, where he wrote "Zafarnama" in Persian, in 111 verses.^[18]

Dating

According to Hari Ram Gupta, the battle of Chamkaur was fought on the Bikrami date of Magh Shudi 7 Samvat 1761, which corresponds to 22 December 1704 in the Gregorian calendar. However, according to Pal Singh Purewal, this date conversion by Hari Ram Gupta was an error and the true date of Poh 8 corresponds to 7 December. According to Purewal, Gupta likely converted the date using a modern panchangs rather than a historical one corresponding to that era, historical shifts in calendar dates were not accounted for.^[19]^[20]

References

^ ^a ^b Singha (2000, p. 43)
^ Louis E. Fenech, The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh, (Oxford University Press, 2013), 66; "The Ẓafar-nāmah in this light assumes the form of an intriguing tautology: certainly the Guru was routed by Mughal forces at both Anandpur and Chamkaur; put bluntly, he and his Sikh were militarily defeated and left scattered."
^ ^a ^b ^c "Chamkaur Sahib". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Punjabi University Patiala. 19 December 2000. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
^ Louis E. Fenech (2013). The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-19-993145-3.
^ "Panj Pyare the Five Beloved of Sikh History – Guru Gobind Singh Creates the Original Panj Pyare of 1699". about.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
^ Raj Pal Singh (2004). The Sikhs : Their Journey Of Five Hundred Years. Pentagon Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-8186505465.
^ Singha, H. S (2000). The encyclopedia of Sikhism. Hemkunt Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
^ ^a ^b English Translation Zafarnamah stanza 19 " And, what could my forty men do (at Chamkaur), when a hundred thousand men, unawares, pounced upon them? (19)"
^ ^a ^b "Zafarnamah Hindi". "गुरसनह चि कारे कुनद चिहल नर gursaneh ch kaare kunadh chihal nar कि दह लख बरआयद बरो बेख़बर stanza १९ k dheh lakh baraayadh baro bekhhabar stanza 19"
^ Jagtar Singh, Sokhi (2016–2017). Zafarnamah (Patshahi Dasveen). Jagtar Singh Sokhi, Sokhi House ,ward no. 4 Mudki Distt Ferozepur. p. 21. Retrieved 7 February 2022. gursaneh ch kaare kunadh chihal nar k dheh lakh baraayadh baro bekhhabar what can forty hungry men do when ten lac strong army pounces upon them ?
^ Singh, Prof. Surinderjit. guru Gobind singh'sZAFARNAMAH. p. 44. Retrieved 7 February 2022. Gursanah chi kare kunad chihal nar. Ki dab lak bar dyad baro bekhabar.19.What can at all do, the forty famished men, When attacked suddenly by a million foemen.19
^ Dasam Granth Manuscript. Panjab Digital Library of custodian Dera Gurusar Khudda Hoshiarpur. Translation written on the ANGS of Sree Dasam Granth – By Mashaqat Singh
^ Dhillon, Dr Dalbir Singh (1988). Sikhism – Origin and Development. Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. p. 151. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016.
^ "Gobind Singh ,Guru". 19 December 2000. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
^ Grewal, J. S.; Habib, Irfan (2001). Sikh History from Persian Sources: Translations of Major Texts. India: Tulika. pp. 97–98. ISBN 8185229171.
^ Sandhu, Gian Singh (2023). "34. Who are the current panj pyare?". Who Are the Sikhs? An Exploration of the Beliefs, Practices, & Traditions of the Sikh People. Archway Publishing. ISBN 978-1-6657-3953-5. OCLC 1376370414. At crucial moments of Sikh history, the panj pyare have collectively acted as supreme authority for the Sikhs. For example, during the battle of Chamkaur, the last five surviving Sikhs constituted themselves into the Council of Five, and they commanded Guru Gobind to leave the fortress and save himself to reassemble the Sikhs. Before Guru Gobind Singh passed away, he ended the line of living gurus. Through the institution of the panj pyare, the Guru envisioned a continuing society that would conduct itself democratically and choose its leaders based on merit.
^ Dogra, R. C.; Mansukhani, G. S. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture. Vikas Publishing House. p. 100. ISBN 0706983688.
^ ^a ^b Singh, Guru Gobind. "Zafarnama stanza 45" (PDF). zafarnama.com. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
^ Purewal, Pal Singh (2008). The Problem of Date Conversions in Sikh History (PDF). pp. 1–5.
^ Purewal, Pal Singh (2018). "Nanakshahi Calendar corrects historians' goofs, simplifies dates". The World Sikh News. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2025.

External links

Battle description at singhsabha.com

[Singha_2000_page=43-1] Singha (2000, p. 43)

[2] Louis E. Fenech, The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh, (Oxford University Press, 2013), 66; "The Ẓafar-nāmah in this light assumes the form of an intriguing tautology: certainly the Guru was routed by Mughal forces at both Anandpur and Chamkaur; put bluntly, he and his Sikh were militarily defeated and left scattered."

[eos-3] "Chamkaur Sahib". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Punjabi University Patiala. 19 December 2000. Retrieved 28 December 2020.

[Fenech2013p14-4] Louis E. Fenech (2013). The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-19-993145-3.

[5] "Panj Pyare the Five Beloved of Sikh History – Guru Gobind Singh Creates the Original Panj Pyare of 1699". about.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2012.

[6] Raj Pal Singh (2004). The Sikhs : Their Journey Of Five Hundred Years. Pentagon Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-8186505465.

[Singha2000-7] Singha, H. S (2000). The encyclopedia of Sikhism. Hemkunt Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1. Retrieved 22 December 2011.

[ZFN-8] English Translation Zafarnamah stanza 19 " And, what could my forty men do (at Chamkaur), when a hundred thousand men, unawares, pounced upon them? (19)"

[ZFN2-9] "Zafarnamah Hindi". "गुरसनह चि कारे कुनद चिहल नर gursaneh ch kaare kunadh chihal nar कि दह लख बरआयद बरो बेख़बर stanza १९ k dheh lakh baraayadh baro bekhhabar stanza 19"

[ZFN3-10] Jagtar Singh, Sokhi (2016–2017). Zafarnamah (Patshahi Dasveen). Jagtar Singh Sokhi, Sokhi House ,ward no. 4 Mudki Distt Ferozepur. p. 21. Retrieved 7 February 2022. gursaneh ch kaare kunadh chihal nar k dheh lakh baraayadh baro bekhhabar what can forty hungry men do when ten lac strong army pounces upon them ?

[11] Singh, Prof. Surinderjit. guru Gobind singh'sZAFARNAMAH. p. 44. Retrieved 7 February 2022. Gursanah chi kare kunad chihal nar. Ki dab lak bar dyad baro bekhabar.19.What can at all do, the forty famished men, When attacked suddenly by a million foemen.19

[DG-12] Dasam Granth Manuscript. Panjab Digital Library of custodian Dera Gurusar Khudda Hoshiarpur. Translation written on the ANGS of Sree Dasam Granth – By Mashaqat Singh

[dalbirsingh144-13] Dhillon, Dr Dalbir Singh (1988). Sikhism – Origin and Development. Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. p. 151. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016.

[Gobind_Singh_,Guru-14] "Gobind Singh ,Guru". 19 December 2000. Retrieved 6 March 2021.

[15] Grewal, J. S.; Habib, Irfan (2001). Sikh History from Persian Sources: Translations of Major Texts. India: Tulika. pp. 97–98. ISBN 8185229171.

[:3-16] Sandhu, Gian Singh (2023). "34. Who are the current panj pyare?". Who Are the Sikhs? An Exploration of the Beliefs, Practices, & Traditions of the Sikh People. Archway Publishing. ISBN 978-1-6657-3953-5. OCLC 1376370414. At crucial moments of Sikh history, the panj pyare have collectively acted as supreme authority for the Sikhs. For example, during the battle of Chamkaur, the last five surviving Sikhs constituted themselves into the Council of Five, and they commanded Guru Gobind to leave the fortress and save himself to reassemble the Sikhs. Before Guru Gobind Singh passed away, he ended the line of living gurus. Through the institution of the panj pyare, the Guru envisioned a continuing society that would conduct itself democratically and choose its leaders based on merit.

[Dogra-17] Dogra, R. C.; Mansukhani, G. S. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture. Vikas Publishing House. p. 100. ISBN 0706983688.

[ZN3-18] Singh, Guru Gobind. "Zafarnama stanza 45" (PDF). zafarnama.com. Retrieved 24 September 2013.

[19] Purewal, Pal Singh (2008). The Problem of Date Conversions in Sikh History (PDF). pp. 1–5.

[20] Purewal, Pal Singh (2018). "Nanakshahi Calendar corrects historians' goofs, simplifies dates". The World Sikh News. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2025.

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