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{{Short description|1705 battle in Punjab, India}}
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{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Chamkaur
| partof = '''[[Mughal-Sikh Wars]]'''
| image =
| caption = [[Jujhar Singh]] fighting the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] soldiers.
| date = 6 December 1705 <ref> {{cite web|title= Gobind Singh ,Guru|url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/sikh-gurus/gobind-singh-guru|access-date= 6 March 2021}}</ref>
| place = Near the village of [[Chamkaur]], [[Rupnagar district]], [[Punjab, India]]
| coordinates =
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| latitude =
| longitude =
| map_size =
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| territory =
| result = Mughal victory.<ref>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.''"</ref><ref name=eos />

| combatant1 = [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|50px]] [[Mughal Empire]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Punjab flag.svg|50px]] [[Khalsa]]
| commander1 = [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]] [[Aurangzeb]]
* [[Wazir Khan (Sirhind)|Wazir Khan]]
* Zabardast Khan
* Khwaja Muhammad{{WIA}}
* Nahar Khan{{KIA}}
* Mu'nim Khan.<ref name="Fenech2013p14">{{cite book|author=Louis E. Fenech|title=The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUUfAQAAQBAJ |year=2013|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-993145-3 |pages=87 }}</ref>
* Ghairat Khan{{KIA}}
| commander2 = [[File:Punjab flag.svg|25px]] [[Guru Gobind Singh]]
* [[Bhai Daya Singh]]
* [[Dharam Singh (Sikhism)|Bhai Dharam Singh]]
* [[Bhai Mohkam Singh]]{{KIA}}
* [[Himmat Singh (Sikhism)|Bhai Himmat Singh]]{{KIA}}
* [[Sahib Singh (Sikhism)|Bhai Sahib Singh]]{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite web |url= http://sikhism.about.com/od/historicalpersonalities/tp/Panj-Pyare-The-Five-Beloved.htm |title=Panj Pyare the Five Beloved of Sikh History – Guru Gobind Singh Creates the Original Panj Pyare of 1699 |work=about.com |access-date=27 April 2012}}</ref>
* [[Ajit Singh (Sikhism)|Sahibzada Ajit Singh]]{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite book|title= The Sikhs : Their Journey Of Five Hundred Years|author= Raj Pal Singh|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ra19YSPDliQC&q=hargobind+jahangir&pg=PA34|publisher= Pentagon Press|year= 2004|isbn= 978-8186505465|pages= 34}}</ref>
* [[Sahibzada Jujhar Singh]]{{KIA}}
* 40 other Sikh soldiers
| strength1 = Unknown, but much larger<ref name="Singha2000">{{cite book|last=Singha|first=H. S|title=The encyclopedia of Sikhism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqIbJz7vMn0C|access-date=December 22, 2011|year=2000|publisher=Hemkunt Press|isbn=978-81-7010-301-1|page=31}}</ref> {{small|(Gobind Singh's ''[[Zafarnama (letter)|Zafarnama]]'' metaphorically states that the Mughal soldiers numbered 1 million)}}{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
| strength2 = 48{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
| casualties1 = * Khwaja Muhammad injured
* Nahar Khan killed
* Ghairat Khan killed
* Innumerable Mughal soldiers Killed.
| casualties2 = * [[Ajit Singh (Sikhism)|Sahibzada Ajit Singh]] killed
* [[Sahibzada Jujhar Singh]] killed
* [[Bhai Mohkam Singh]] killed
* [[Himmat Singh (Sikhism)|Bhai Himmat Singh]] killed
* [[Sahib Singh (Sikhism)|Bhai Sahib Singh]] killed
* 39 other Sikh soldiers killed<ref name=dalbirsingh144>{{cite book |last=Dhillon |first=Dr Dalbir Singh |date=1988 |title=Sikhism – Origin and Development |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=osnkLKPMWykC&pg=PA144 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers and Distributors |page=151 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917230548/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=osnkLKPMWykC&pg=PA144 |archive-date=17 September 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
}}
{{Campaignbox Mughal-Sikh Wars}}
[[File:Zafarnama.jpg|300px|thumb|The Zafarnama of [[Guru Gobind Singh]]]]

The '''Battle of Chamkaur''', also known as '''Battle of Chamkaur Sahib''', was a battle fought between the Khalsa, led by [[Guru Gobind Singh]], and the coalition forces of the Mughals led by [[Wazir Khan (Sirhind)|Wazir Khan]]. Guru Gobind Singh makes a reference to this battle in his victory letter [[Zafarnama (letter)|Zafarnama]].

==Preamble to the battle==
After Guru Gobind Singh left [[Anandpur Sahib]] on the night of December 5 and 6, 1704,<ref>{{harvtxt|Singha|2000|page=43}}</ref> he crossed the Sarsa river with his disciples. While they were crossing, the mughals and hill chiefs 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.<ref name=eos>{{cite web |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/punjab/chamkaur-sahib |title=Chamkaur Sahib |website=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University Patiala |access-date=28 December 2020 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

==The 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.<ref name=eos/> 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.<ref name="Dogra">{{cite book |last1=Dogra |first1=R. C. |last2=Mansukhani |first2=G. S. |title=Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture |year=1995 |publisher=Vikas Publishing House |isbn=0706983688 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofs0000dogr/page/100 100] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofs0000dogr/page/100 }}</ref>

==Aftermath==
The Guru emphasized 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.<ref name="ZN3">{{cite web|last=Singh|first=Guru Gobind|title=Zafarnama stanza 45|url=http://www.zafarnama.com/Download/zafarnama.pdf|publisher=zafarnama.com|access-date=September 24, 2013}}</ref>

==Zafarnama==
[[Zafarnama (letter)|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 mayi Desan ji house, where he wrote "Zafarnama" in Persian, in 111 verses.<ref name="ZN3" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070701000619/http://www.singhsabha.com/battle_of_chamkaur.htm Battle description at singhsabha.com]

{{coord missing|Punjab (India)}}
{{Guru Gobind Singh}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamkaur, Battle Of}}
[[Category:Conflicts in 1704]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Mughal Empire|Chamkaur]]
[[Category:1704 in India]]
[[Category: Battles involving the Sikhs|Chamkaur]]

Battle of Chamkaur - Revision history

CleanupBot at 04:27, 29 January 2022