Battle of Chera Har
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| Battle of Chera Har | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Durrani Empire | Kingdom of Kashmir | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Nur-ud-Din Bamzai Raja Braj Dev |
Sukh Jiwan Mal (POW) Mahanand Dhar (POW) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 30,000 | 50,000–60,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||
The Battle of Chera Har was a conflict that took place in 1762 between Sukh Jiwan, who was ruling Kashmir at the time, and an Afghan-Dogra army. This army was led by Nur-ud-Din and supported by Buland Khan Bamzai.
Background
[edit]After the Battle of Panipat on 14 January 1761, Ahmad Shah had enough time to divert his attention towards the kingdom of Kashmir. He consulted his close aides and deputed Nur-ud-Din Khan Bamzai, a renowned general and a kinsman of his Wazir, Shah Wali Khan, with a force of 30,000 in June 1762.[1] They were initially repelled as all the passes leading to Kashmir were heavily guarded. The Afghan army returned in October of the same year and this time was further assisted by Ranjit Dev who had sent his son Braj Dev on the insistence of Haji Nawab Khan and Sher Muhammad Khan, the sons of Shah Wali Khan. The combined Afghan-Dogra army then camped at the lower plateau of Tosa Maidan.[1][2][3]
Sukh Jiwan and Dhar called all their troops from the frontier districts and gathered them in Srinagar. The amassed troops constituted a total of 50,000 to 60,000.[2]
Battle
[edit]Both the armies met at Chera Har where a fierce battle broke out between both rival factions.[4] At the outset of the battle, a large part of Sukh Jiwan's army, the majority of which were Muslims deserted under the command of his commander-in-chief, Bakht Mal and joined the enemy.[2] This left a sharp blow on Sukh Jiwan's position as the battle ended shortly in the favour of the Afghans.[5]
Aftermath
[edit]Sukh Jiwan and Mahanand Dhar were taken prisoners.[6] While Mahanand Dhar was pardoned, Sukh Jiwan was blinded and sent to Lahore, where he was trampled to death by an elephant, the capital punishment for treason.[1] Bamzai later entered Srinagar and replaced Sukh Jiwan as the governor of Kashmir.[7] Sukh Jiwan ruled for a total of 8 years, 4 months and 8 days.[8] In January 1763, Nur-ud-Din departed from the valley, entrusting its governance to Buland Khan Bamzai.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Prem Nath Bazaz (1954). The History Of Struggle For Freedom In Kashmir. Public Resource. Kashmir Publishing Company. p. 113.
- ^ a b c University Of Panjab. Kashir A History Of Kashmir. p. 310.
- ^ Ajay Verma For Commonwealth Publishers, New Delhi. Kashmir History And Politics. p. 16.
- ^ P N K Bamzai. Culture And Political History Of Kashmir Vol 2 Medieval Kashmir P N K Bamzai Gulshan Books. p. 145.
- ^ eGangotri. A History Of Muslim Rule In Kashmir 1320 1819 R. K. Parmu. p. 357.
- ^ Life, Kashmir (2021-11-14). "Raja Sukh Jiwan Mal". Kashmir Life. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ^ S.R. Bakshi (1997-01-01). Kashmir History and People. unknown library. Sarup & Sons. p. 142.
- ^ Fayaz (Supervisor), Farooq; Mir, Rouf Ahmad (Scholar). "Afghan Rule in Kashmir (A Critical Review of Source Material)". CORE: 11.