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{{short description|Massacre}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2015}}

'''Chhota Ghallughara''' ({{lang-pa|ਛੋਟਾ ਘੱਲੂਘਾਰਾ}} {{IPA-pa|tʃʰoʈɑ kə̀lːuɡɑ̀ɾɑ|}}), "Smaller Massacre") was a massacre of a significant proportion of the [[Sikh]] population by the [[Mughal Empire]]. [[Jaspat Rai]]'s brother Lakhpat Rai with Mughal army killed an estimated 7,000 Sikhs in these attacks.<ref>A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy, [https://books.google.com/books?id=vcSRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA86&dq= p.86], Routledge, W. Owen Cole, Piara Singh Sambhi, 2005</ref> ''Chhōtā Ghallūghārā'' is distinguished from the ''[[Sikh holocaust of 1762|Vaddā Ghallūghārā]]'', [[Sikh holocaust of 1762|the greater massacre'' of 1762]].<ref>According to the Punjabi-English Dictionary, eds. S. S. Joshi, Mukhtiar Singh Gill, (Patiala, India: Punjabi University Publication Bureau, 1994) the definitions of "GHALLOOGHAARAA" are as follows: "holocaust, massacre, great destruction, deluge, genocide, slaughter, (historically) the great loss of life suffered by Sikhs at the hands of their rulers, particularly on 1 May 1746 and 5 February 1762" (p. 293).</ref>

== Background ==

===Origins of Sikhism===
[[Sikhism]] began in the days of [[Guru Nanak]] (1469–1539) and grew to be a distinctive social force especially after the formation of the Order of [[Khalsa]] in 1699. Since the martyrdom of the fifth Sikh Guru, [[Guru Arjan]] in 1606, Sikhs have known the use of arms and the need of [[self-defense]]. The Khalsa was designated to oppose the tyranny of the Mughal Empire and any other form of injustice.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lawrence|first1=Cecile|last2=Churn|first2=Natalie|title=Movements in Time: Revolution, Social Justice and Times of Change|date=2012|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|location=Newcastle upon Tyne|isbn=9781443845526|page=123|edition=First}}</ref> Through much of the early eighteenth century, the Khalsa was outlawed by the government and survived in the safety of remote forests, deserts, and swamplands of the [[Punjab region]] and neighbouring [[Kashmir]] and [[Rajasthan]].<ref>Hari Ram Gupta, A History of the Sikhs from Nadir Shah's Invasion to the Rise of Ranjit Singh (1739–1799); Volume I: Evolution of the Sikh Confederacies (1739–1768), Simla, Minerva Book Shop, 1952, p. 10; Khushwant Singh, A History of the Sikhs, Volume I: 1469–1839, Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1978, p. 121.</ref>

===Persecution of the Sikhs (1739–46)===
[[Zakariya Khan Bahadur]], the Governor of Lahore, offered lucrative rewards for the discovery and killing of Sikhs. A substantial monetary reward was offered for information on the whereabouts of a Sikh. A blanket was offered to anyone who managed to cut off the distinctive mane of a Sikh or Khalsa and a larger sum for the delivery of a Sikh skull.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chowdhry|first1=Mohindra|title=Defence of Europe by Sikh Soldiers in the World Wars|date=2018|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|location=Leicestershire|isbn=9781788037983|page=88}}</ref> The plunder of Sikh homes was made lawful and anyone giving shelter to or withholding information about the movements of the Sikhs was liable to themselves being executed. Zakaria Khan's police scoured the countryside and brought back hundreds of Sikhs in chains. They were publicly executed at the horse market of Lahore, since renamed "Shahidganj", "place of the martyred".<ref>Hari Ram Gupta, A History of the Sikhs from Nadir Shah's Invasion to the Rise of Ranjit Singh (1739–1799); Volume I: Evolution of the Sikh Confederacies (1739–1768), Simla, Minerva Book Shop, 1952, pp. 7–13; Khushwant Singh, A History of the Sikhs, Volume I: 1469–1839, Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1978, p. 127.</ref>

====Bhai Bota Singh====
During the days of persecution Bhai Bota Singh who lived in the forest would come out in search of food from sympathizers and occasionally would visit [[Amritsar]] by night and take a dip in the holy pool around [[Harimandir Sahib]]. One day he was noticed by some people who thought he was a Sikh but a member of their party objected saying he could not have been a Sikh, for had he been one, he would not have concealed himself so. Other versions of the story say that Mughal guards were passing the forest when one said that the Sikhs were all deceased and there were none left.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Harjinder|title=Game of Love|date=2008|publisher=Akaal Publishers|isbn=9780955458712|page=28}}</ref>

Vexed by the observer's remark, Bhai Bota Singh set on a plan whereby he and his companion Bhai Garja Singh took up a position on the main highway near [[Tarn Taran Sahib|Tarn Taran]]. There, they proclaimed the sovereignty of Khalsa and collected a small toll tax from each passerby.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Grewal|first1=J. S.|title=The Sikhs of the Punjab, Volumes 2-3|date=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521637640|page=[https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew/page/90 90]|url=https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew/page/90}}</ref> They also sent a notice with a traveller for the governor to get his attention.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McLeod|first1=W. H.|title=The A to Z of Sikhism (Volume 45 of The A to Z Guide Series)|date=2005|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Plymouth|isbn=9780810863446|page=39}}</ref> After seven days 1000 soldiers<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gandhi|first1=Surjit|title=Sikhs in the Eighteenth Century: Their Struggle for Survival and Supremacy|date=1999|publisher=Singh Bros|isbn=9788172052171|page=124}}</ref> with 100 horsemen<ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Ganda|title=Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia|date=1990|publisher=Punjabi University|page=30}}</ref> came to apprehend the two Sikhs who then died fighting.<ref>J.S. Grewal, "The Sikhs of Punjab", [[The New Cambridge History of India]], Cambridge, 1998, p. 90; Bhagat Singh, "Bota Singh", The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume I, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1995, pp. 387–88.</ref>

====The Martydom of Mani Singh Shaheed====
[[File:Sikh Saheed.jpg|thumb|120px|upright|[[Bhai Mani Singh]] being tortured by dismemberment]]
[[Bhai Mani Singh]] was a significant Sikh scholar and teacher who lived in the city of [[Amritsar]], founded by [[Guru Ram Das]]. For many years, Sikhs had customarily gathered at Amritsar in the spring and fall for the holidays of [[Vaisakhi]] and [[Diwali]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kohli|first1=Surinder|title=The Sikh and Sikhism|date=1993|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors|location=New Delhi|page=59}}</ref> Under the persecution of the Mughals, these festivals had been disrupted.

Bhai Mani Singh sought and obtained Zakaria Khan's permission to hold the Diwali celebration in Amritsar on payment of a tax of 5000 rupees. When Mani Singh found out that the governor had dispatched a large number of soldiers to annihilate the Sikhs gathered at Amritsar, he sent word out to the Sikhs in their forest and desert hideouts, forbidding them from coming.

In consequence, no money was collected and Bhai Mani Singh was prosecuted for not paying the stipulated sum. After a summary trial, he was given the choice of embracing Islam or facing death. Bhai Mani Singh chose the latter and as his punishment, was cut to pieces, joint by joint.<ref>Major Gurmukh Singh, "Bhai Mani Singh", The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume III, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1997, pp.39–41.,</ref>

===Darbar Sahib and Massa Ranghar===
To prevent the Sikhs accessing the holy shrine [Darbar Sahib], or the "Golden Temple", at Amritsar a Mughal military officer named [Massa Ranghar] was stationed there. Massa Ranghar was physically strong, fit and tall. Ranghar not only occupied the holy place, but committed sacrilege by carousing with dancing girls and consuming meat and alcohol in the Sanctum Sanctorum situated in the midst of the sacred pool.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA128|title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism|page=64|author=Fenech, E. Louis|author2=Mcleod, H. W.|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1}}</ref>

This offence continued until news of it reached an isolated band of Sikhs in [[Rajasthan]]. Of them, Mehtab Singh and Sukkha Singh set off to cross the distance to Amritsar. Finding the city strongly guarded, the two disguised themselves as revenue officials. In this guise, they entered the Harmandir Sahib, cut off Ranghar's head and escaped before the Mughal soldiers could realise what had happened. This took place on 11 August 1740.<ref>Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer: Sikh History in 10 Volumes (2009–2012)</ref><ref>Gurdev Singh Deol, `Masse Khan Ranghar`, The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume III, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1997, pp. 63–64; Gurdev Singh Deol, 'Matab Singh', The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume III, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1997, pp. 65–66.</ref>

Sukkha Singh was wounded in the defensive action involving the first Sikh massacre and later died in battle with the invading Afghan army of [[Ahmed Shah Durrani]] in 1752.<ref>Sardar Singh Bhatia, "Sukkha Singh", The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume IV, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1998, pp. 266–67.</ref>

====The Martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singh====
{{See also|Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh}}
[[File:Bhai Taru Singh.jpg|thumb|depicted martyrdom of [[Bhai Taru Singh]] ji]]
[[Zakariya Khan Bahadur|Zakaria Khan]], the governor of Lahore, experienced great frustration in his effort to decimate the Sikhs. He once asked his men, "From where do the Sikhs obtain their nourishment? I have debarred them from all occupations. They realize no taxes, they do not farm, nor are they allowed to do business or join public employment. I have stopped all offerings to their Gurdwaras. No provisions or supplies are accessible to them. Why do they not die of sheer starvation?"<ref name="Bhagat Singh 1998, p. 325">Bhagat Singh, "Bhai Taru Singh", The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume IV, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1998, p. 325.</ref>

An informant directed the governor to the village of Puhla where lived a 25-year-old<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nijjar|first1=Bakhshish|title=Panjab Under the Later Mughals, 1707-1759|date=1972|publisher=New Academic Publishing Company|page=114}}</ref> Sikh named Taru Singh who according to the informant would supply food and resources to the Khalsa who were in the forest. Taru Singh's mother and sister both toil and grind grain to make a living, together they earned little but sent what they got.<ref name="Bhagat Singh 1998, p. 325"/>

On hearing this the governor sent a detachment of soldiers to Bhai Taru Singh's village to arrest him and bring him to the provincial capital of Lahore. The year was 1745. When the Sikh heard of their approach, he came out of the village wishing to spare his village any sort of hardship and surrendered to the governor's men. When he refused to convert, his distinctive long hair was scraped from his scalp and the young Sikh left to die. Afterwards Taru Singh was given over to a Sikh family who tended to him for his remaining days.<ref>Hari Ram Gupta, A History of the Sikhs from Nadir Shah's Invasion to the Rise of Ranjit Singh (1739–1799); Volume I: Evolution of the Sikh Confederacies (1739–1768), Simla, Minerva Book Shop, 1952, p. 11; Bhagat Singh, "Bhai Taru Singh", The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume IV, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1998, pp. 325–26; J.S. Grewal, "The Sikhs of Punjab", The New Cambridge History of India, Cambridge, 1998, p. 90.</ref>

==The Massacre of 1746==
It was in this atmosphere of persecution that the ''Chhōṭā Ghallūghārā'' took place in 1746. Early in that year, [[Jaspat Rai]], a military commander was killed in an encounter with a roving band of Sikhs. Jaspat's brother, [[Lakhpat Rai]], who was a revenue minister at Lahore, vowed his revenge.

With the help of the new governor, Yahiya Khan, Lakhpat Rai mobilised the Lahore troops, summoned reinforcements, alerted the dependent rulers of the kingdoms in the Himalayan foothills, and roused the population for a genocide of the "infidel" Sikhs. The Sikh inhabitants of Lahore were first rounded up, then executed on 10 March 1746.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Harbans|title=The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism: E-L|date=1998|publisher=Punjabi University|isbn=9788173802041|page=462}}</ref>

Lakhpat Rai next set out for the swampy forest of Kaahnoovaan, near the town of Gurdaspur, about {{convert|130|km|mi}} to the north-east of Lahore, where Sikhs were reported to have concentrated. Lakhpat had with him with a large force of mostly cavalry, supported by cannon, with which he surrounded the forest and began a systematic search for the Sikhs.

The Sikhs held out for some time and struck back whenever they could. Heavily outnumbered and under-equipped, they decided to escape to the foothills of the Himalayas to the north. The Sikhs crossed the River Ravi and came in sight of the foothills, a {{convert|65|km|mi|adj=on}} trek with the enemy in pursuit, only to find the armies of the hill rajas arrayed to oppose them.

Caught between these two armies and running out of food, the Sikhs suffered heavy casualties. At last, they managed to break through the encirclement and to recross the [[River Ravi]] in a desperate attempt to reach the safety of the [[Lakhi Jungle]], near [[Bathinda]], some {{convert|240|km|mi}} to the south. In the river crossing, many of the weakened Sikhs were swept away by the current. With Lakhpat Rai's forces still in hot pursuit, they crossed two more rivers, the [[Beas River]] and [[Sutlej]], before finally arriving at the sanctuary of the Lakhi Jungle.

An estimated 7,000 Sikhs were killed<ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Kharak|title=Martyrdom in Sikhism|date=2004|publisher=Institute of Sikh Studies|isbn=9788185815244|page=98}}</ref> and 3,000 captured during this operation. The captives were marched back to Lahore, paraded in the streets and publicly beheaded. Given the small numbers of the Sikhs in those days of persecution, the losses will have been a very substantial proportion of their population.

Lakhpat Rai went on to order Sikh places of worship destroyed and their scriptures burnt. He went so far as to decree that anyone uttering the word "[[Guru]]" be put to death and even saying the [[Punjabi language]] word for sugar, "gur", which sounded like "Guru", could be cause for the death penalty.<ref>B.S. Nijjar, "Chhota Ghallughara", The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume I, Patiala, Punjabi University, 1995, pp.460–61.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.deutsches-informationszentrum-sikhreligion.de/Ghallughara_de.php] Sikh Ghallugara
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[[Category:History of Sikhism]]
[[Category:Massacres of Sikhs]]
[[Category:Persecution of Sikhs]]
[[Category:Religiously motivated violence in India]]

Chhota Ghallughara - Revision history

110.225.243.34 at 10:14, 8 June 2021