Yahoo Finance How 21 gallant Sikh soldiers took on an army of 10,000 Afghan tribesmen
When it comes to last stand battles, few compare to the Battle of Saragarhi.
Historians have compared it with the Battle of Thermopylae but unlike the legendary battle where a handful of Greek held back a large Persian army, the odds in the Battle of Saragarhi were overwhelmingly large.
Contrary to popular belief which suggests only 300 soldiers fought against the Persian army, the Battle of Thermopylae was actually fought by a significantly large army.
Some suggest that number to be closer to 1500 soldiers which incidentally also included slaves. This isn’t to write off the bravery of King Leonidas’ men since the invading Persian army was said to be around three lakh strong.
The Battle of Saragarhi took place on September 12, 1897 when some 10,000 Afghan tribesmen invaded an outpost in the hamlet of Saragarhi in Afghanistan.
This outpost was located in-between two forts – Gulistan and Lockhart – and served as a mode of centre of heliographic communication between the two. Inside this picket were 21 Sikh soldiers whose job it was to protect this small but important outpost and ensure that the communication went on seamlessly between the two forts.
Saragarhi is a hamlet on the Samana mountain range in what is present-day Pakistan. 21 soldiers from the 36thSikhs infantry regiment of the British Indian Army were posted in the picket. By the late 1800s the British had managed to gain considerable control of the area but the local Pashtuns would keep attacking from time to time. However in 1897 the local tribesmen made several efforts to capture the two forts.
These efforts were thwarted by the bravery of the 36th Sikhs but nothing would come close to the valour shown by the 21 soldiers who fought against the marauding tribesmen that attempted to capture the outpost and then the two forts.
What makes the account of the Battle of Saragarhi reliable and accurate is the fact that Sepoy Gurmukh Singh who was posted there was signalling the events as they happened to Fort Lockhart by heliograph. These events were, in turn, being recorded in the fort and would then be relayed around the world. While this battle received a fair share of press in the western world soon after it happened and indeed the British themselves showed their gratefulness by constructing memorials for the fallen soldiers, it remained a largely untold story until the Akshay Kumar-starrer Kesari was made some years ago.
The Battle of Saragarhi began around 9 am on September 12, 1897 when 6,000 to 10,000 Afghans were spotted making their way to the signalling post there. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, on seeing the hordes, sends a distress signal to Colonel Haughton in Fort Lockhart. Haughton replies that help cannot be sent immediately and so the soldiers in Saragarhi realise they’re on their own.
Instead of retreating, the 21 soldiers decide to hunker down and fight it out. Remember, this is just a picket and it wasn’t designed to withstand an attack of 10,000 people. The Pashtun soldiers come under heavy fire from the Sikhs who are holding out even as Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan have sent SOS messages for backup.
Meanwhile, the Sikhs are holding their positions firing from their strategic position.
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Two Afghan tribesmen manage to make it right up to the wall of the outpost and begin digging the ground underneath. They are in what is a blind spot for the defenders and so they successfully manage to break one of the picket walls. Despite the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, the 21 Sikh soldiers put up such a formidable defence that the Pashtuns reportedly try to entice them to surrender.
On realising that these men would rather die than give up their positions, the Afghans attack again and direct their attack to the wooden gate. Eventually one of the walls crumbles and the tribesmen enter the picket. What follows is a fierce hand-to-hand fight. Eventually, Gurmukh Singh himself requests permission to pack up the heliograph and pick up a rifle and goes into battle himself. By this time almost all of the 21 soldiers have fallen. A short while later, the Saragarhi outpost is overrun by Afghan tribesmen.
By some accounts the 21 Sikh soldiers kill more than 180 Afghan attackers and manage to keep them engaged for an entire day. This proves to be crucial as the two forts receive reinforcements and are able to defend themselves when they come under attack the following day.
To commemorate the exceptional bravery of the men, the British build two gurdwaras – one in Amritsar, near the main entrance of the Golden Temple and the second one in Firozpur from where most of the soldiers fighting at Saragarhi had come from.
September 12 is observed as the Regimental Battle Honours Day of the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army.
