PhilSalisbury74 at 12:07, 6 August 2025

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{{Short description|Conflict between Dogras and Namgyal Dynasty (1834-1835)}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Dogra invasion of Ladakh
| width =
| partof = Dogra conquests
| image = Painting of Zorawar Singh Kahluria receiving the Gyalpo (Raja) and Gyalmo (Queen) of the Namgyal Dynasty of Ladakh, circa 19th century.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = General Zorawar Singh (seated left) with the Gyalpo (King) and Gyalmo (Queen) of Ladakh. circa 19th century depiction.
| date = August 1834 to October 1835
| place = [[Ladakh]]
| coordinates = 
| map_type =
| map_relief =
| map_size =
| map_marksize =
| map_caption =
| map_label =
| territory = Ladakh becomes a tributary of [[Dogra dynasty|Dogras]]
| result = [[Dogra dynasty|Dogra Rajput]] victory
| status =
| combatants_header =
| combatant1 = [[File:Sikh Empire flag.jpg|25px]] [[Sikh Empire]]
*[[File:Dogra Flag.png|25px]] [[Dogra dynasty]]
| combatant2 = [[Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh]]
| combatant3 =
| commander1 = [[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] [[Mehta Basti Ram]] Rana Zalim Singh Mia Rai Singh Sardar Uttam Singh Mian Tuta Mirza Rasul Beg Surtu Rana{{KIA}} Wazir Uttam Padihar{{KIA}} Hazru Wazir{{KIA}}
| commander2 = [[Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh#List of kings|Tsehpal Namgyal]] Banka Kahloon{{WIA}} Bazgoo Kahlon{{POW}} Moru Tadsi{{POW}} Mandal{{KIA}} Gajapu Dorje Namgyal Chovang Nabdan Rahim Khan
| commander3 =
| units1 = [[Jammu and Kashmir Rifles|Fateh Shibji battalion]]
| units2 = Unknown
| units3 =
| strength1 = 5,000
| strength2 = 22,000
| strength3 =
| casualties1 = Around 300 killed
| casualties2 = Around 800 killed 7,200 taken prisoners
| casualties3 =
| notes =
| campaignbox =
}}
The '''Dogra invasion of Ladakh''' was a successful military campaign led by [[Dogra dynasty|Dogra]] [[Rajput]] general [[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] from August 1834 to October 1835 during the reign of [[Gulab Singh]] of [[Dogra dynasty]] against the [[Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh|Namgyal dynasty]] of [[Ladakh]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Charak |first=Sukh Dev Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lO8JAQAAIAAJ |title=Indian Conquest of the Himalayan Territories: Military Exploits of General Zorawar Singh Dogra |date=1978 |publisher=Ajaya |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bawa |first=Satinder Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_k3TAAAAMAAJ |title=Gulab Singh of Jammu, Ladakh, and Kashmir, 1792-1846 |date=1966 |publisher=University of Wisconsin--Madison |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ahluwalia |first=H. P. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=db4qAAAAMAAJ |title=Hermit Kingdom, Ladakh |date=1980 |publisher=Vikas |isbn=978-0-7069-1022-3 |language=en}}</ref>

==Background==
The Raja of Timbus, who was a vassal of the [[Gyalpo of Ladakh|Gyalpo]], sought help from [[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] against Gyalpo.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Charak |first=Prof Sukhdev Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_qk-DwAAQBAJ&q=Timbus |title=GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH |date=2016-09-08 |publisher=Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting |isbn=978-81-230-2648-0 |language=en}}</ref> Also [[Gulabnama]] states that [[Kishtwar]] faced drought that year due to which [[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] invaded [[Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh|Ladakh]] to collect revenue from the [[Gyalpo of Ladakh|Gyalpo]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sukhdev Singh Charak |url=https://archive.org/details/english-translation-of-gulabnama-of-diwan-kirpa-ram-persian-history-of-the-mahar/mode/1up?q= |title=English Translation Of Gulabnama Of Diwan Kirpa Ram Persian History Of The Maharaja Gulab Singh Sukhdev Singh Charak}}</ref>

==Invasion==
[[File:Fragment from a painted scroll depicting Zorawar Singh of the Sikh Empire's army marching through the mountains of Ladakh.webp|thumb|right|250px|Scroll fragment depicting Zorawar Singh's army marching through the mountains of Ladakh]]
On 16th August 1834, Dogra forced marched from [[Kishtwar]] and entered the Gyalpo's territory by passing the [[Suru River (Indus)|Suru river]], where they met with an army of 5000 [[Boto people|Botis]] under a commander named Mangal. They defeated the Botis with only six or seven casualties, while the enemies lost 40 men.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Francke |first=August Hermann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PotEAQAAMAAJ |title=A History of Ladakh |date=1977 |publisher=Sterling Publishers |language=en}}</ref> The Dogra forces halted at [[Suru River (Indus)|Suru]] for eight days, where local zamindars submitted to them in a group and [[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] built a fort there. [[Dogras]] next advanced to Shakhar, where they defeated the Thai Sultan of the fort and imposed a tax of four rupees on each house.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Petech |first=Luciano |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4oduAAAAMAAJ |title=The Kingdom of Ladakh: C. 950-1842 A.D. |date=1977 |publisher=Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente |isbn=978-88-6323-058-1 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Sodh Khar (Fort) Kargil.jpg|thumb|Fort of Sod destroyed by Dogra army]]
[[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] left 35 men to guard the fort and marched through Langkarchu and Manji to Paskyum, where the Dogras were again opposed by the Ladakis. After a minor conflict, the commander of Ladakis fled to the fort of Sod. [[Mehta Basti Ram]] was sent to capture Sod with 500 men in which he succeeded. A whole month was wasted in negotiating with the local [[Zamindar|zamindars]] while more than 6000 prisoners were captured by dogras in Sod and Paskyum.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Chaman Lal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TvgdAAAAMAAJ |title=General Zorawar Singh, His Life and Achievements in Ladakh, Baltistan, and Tibet |date=1984 |publisher=Deep & Deep Publications |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bakshi |first=G. D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e08sAAAAIAAJ&q=zorawar+singh+banka+kahlon |title=The Indian Military Revival: The Saga of the Fateh Shibji |date=1987 |publisher=Lancer International |isbn=978-81-7062-023-5 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:'Setting on fire of Pashkym fort', from a painted scroll documenting the joint Dogra-Sikh invasions of Ladakh, Baltistan, and Western Tibet, ca.1840's.jpg|thumb|Paskyum fort being set afire after Dogra victory, painting from an 1850s scroll]]

On hearing about the [[Dogras|Dogra]] advances, [[Gyalpo of Ladakh|Gyalpo]] sent Banka Kahlon, the prime minister of Ladakh, and four other chiefs: Gajapu, Dorje Namgyal, Chovang Nabdan, and Rahim Khan with 22,000 men at Mulbil.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bawa |first=Satinder Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UcUBAAAAMAAJ&q=zorawar+singh+banka+kahlon |title=The Jammu Fox: A Biography of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Kashmir, 1792-1857 |date=1974 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |isbn=978-0-8093-0652-7 |language=en}}</ref> Banka Kahlon dispatched convoys, who reached the [[Dogras|Dogra]] camp and agreed to their terms, and asked the Dogras to send confidential agents along with them. [[Mehta Basti Ram]] was being sent, but Gola and Nanda, along with 500 Dogra troops, were sent along the convoys which in turn was a trap laid by Banka Kahlon. Ratan Singh, a Dogra troop, escaped and reached the Dogra camp.<ref name=":2" />

[[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] learned of Banka Kahlon's march towards them, so he ordered a retreat to Langkarchu where [[dogras]] planned for four months. Banka advanced to Langkarchu, the Ladakhi troops were exhausted after the long journey, so they set up their camp some miles away from Langkarchu. The Dogras attacked the Ladakhi camp with swords, where many Ladakhis were slain or fled with Banka Kahlon, 600 Ladakhis died in an avalanche and 1200 were made prisoners.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Charak |first=Sukh Dev Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YCEeAAAAMAAJ |title=Jammu Kingdom |date=1980 |publisher=Light & Life Publishers |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

After this decisive victory [[dogras]] marched to Mulbil, halted for 15 days, and moved to [[Lamayouro]], where they met an envoy from the Gyalpo suing for peace. Zorawar invaded Ladakh just to collect tribute, so a meeting was fixed with the [[Gyalpo of Ladakh|Gyalpo]] at [[Bazgoo]]. The meeting was shifted to the [[Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh|Namgyal]] capital [[Leh]], but unfortunately, this peace talk was ruined by Gyalpo's son and both sides drew their swords. Some horseman immediately carried intelligence to the Dogra camp at [[Bazgoo]] and soon 5000 Dogras marched towards Leh. [[Gyalpo of Ladakh|Gyalpo]], on seeing such a large army, fell on his knees to [[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] and promised to pay tribute to [[Dogras]]. Gyalpo agreed to pay 50,000 rupees as war indemnity and 20,000 rupees as annual tribute.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bakshi |first=S. R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U1LEY1yWmagC&dq=zorawar+singh+50%2C000+tribute&pg=PA155 |title=Kashmir: History and People |date=1997 |publisher=Sarup & Sons |isbn=978-81-85431-96-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Charak |first=Sukh Dev Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TOO1AAAAIAAJ&q=zorawar+singh+50,000+tribute |title=General Zorawar Singh |date=1983 |publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India |language=en}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Alarmed by the advances of [[Dogra dynasty|Dogras]], Mehan Singh, the governor of [[Kashmir]], motivated Ladakhi chiefs such as the Raja of [[Zanskar]] to revolt, but Zorawar Singh crushed it and the Raja was forced to pay a separate tribute.

In 1836, Mehan Singh asked the [[Gyalpo of Ladakh|Gyalpo]] to revolt. [[Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)|Zorawar Singh]] again marched to [[Leh]] and crushed the revolt within ten days. [[Gyalpo of Ladakh|Gyalpo]] was deposed and Ngorub Stanzin was made the vassal ruler. Again in 1838, Gyalpo was reinstalled as Ngorub revolted against Dogras.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=K. Brahma |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=psTeAAAAMAAJ |title=History of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, 1820-1956: The State Force Background |date=1990 |publisher=Lancer International |isbn=978-81-7062-091-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Charak |first=Sukh Dev Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dL21AAAAIAAJ |title=History and Culture of Himalayan States |date=1980 |publisher=Light & Life Publishers |language=en}}</ref>
{{clear}}

== See also ==
* [[Dogra–Tibetan war]]
* [[Dogra invasion of Baltistan]]
* [[Battle of Ladakh]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

=== Further reading ===
* {{cite journal|first=Rinchen |last=Dolma | journal=[[Indian History Congress]] | volume=79 | pages=457–465| date=2018 | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26906279 | title=The Early Years of the Dogra Conquest of Ladakh (1834-1846)|jstor=26906279 }}

[[Category:Dogra]]
[[Category:Military history of Kashmir]]
[[Category:History of Ladakh]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Rajputs]]
[[Category:1834 in India]]
[[Category:1835 in India]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1834]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1835]]
[[Category:Invasions]]

Dogra invasion of Ladakh - Revision history

PhilSalisbury74 at 12:07, 6 August 2025