The Great Holocaust
(Events)
The Great Holocaust (February 5, 1762)
The Sikhs gave a good thrashing to the returning
armies of Ahmed Shah Abdali after the Battle of Panipat. Having been enraged
by this, Abdali decided to teach Sikhs a lesson in his next invasion. Although
the Sikhs had prepared for safety in anticipation of the attack, the suddenness
with which it came, took them by surprise. Consequently thousands of Sikhs
laid down their lives fighting in the plains of Kup. Under the command
of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, various Sikh misls (confederacies) came
together and fought unitedly to save the Panth (Sikh Nation).
This massacre, known as Vada Ghallughara (Great
Holocaust), claimed the lives of 50 thousand Sikhs. Nonetheless, the same
year, Sikhs took over Sirhind and celebrated Baisakhi (the birth anniversary
of the Khalsa) at Amritsar. |