Vahiguru ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru ji ki Fatih!

This week, we are called to reflect on the Chota Ghallughara of 17 May 1746. We are drawn to the profound lessons of resilience and courage that echo through time, through generations. On this fateful day, near Kahnuvan, Gurdaspur, Panjab, approximately 10,000 to 15,000 Sikhs perished, marking the deadliest toll in Sikh history up to that point.

This chapter in our history was marked by the merciless persecution and slaughter of thousands of Sikhs, underscoring the brutality and injustice endured by the community. It's catalyst? Vengeance. Lakhpat Rai, the Revenue Minister in the Lahore government, sought to avenge the death of his brother, Jaspat Rai. With the consent of Lahore governor Yahiya Khan, Lakhpat Rai began a genocidal campaign against the Sikhs by rounding up, torturing, and executing all Sikhs in Lahore on 10 March 1746.

A large contingent of the Khalsa, numbering 15,000, had encamped in the jungle near Kahnuvan. The Mughal Army, made up of 50,000 infantry and cavalry, surrounded the jungle, catching the Khalsa off guard. Despite a valiant attempt to break through Mughal lines, the Khalsa suffered devastating losses. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Sikh warriors met the moment with brave acceptance, resisting the Mughal forces to the best of their ability.

The survivors sought refuge across the Ravi River, but encountered further hostility from Hindu hill tribes. They broke through Mughal lines once more, albeit at significant cost, and crossed over the Ravi. Many succumbed to exhaustion and injuries, while others perished in the treacherous river currents.

Undeterred, the survivors pressed on, heading South. They crossed the Beas and then the Sutlej, finally finding safety in the Lakhi jungle, a Khalsa stronghold since the time of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. Ultimately, 7,000 Sikh warriors fell in the grueling two-day battle, with 3,000 captured alive. These captives were paraded around Lahore atop donkeys before enduring months of torture and execution.

What does our history tell us? In the face of the Chota Ghallughara's horrors, the Sikhs demonstrated indomitable will and strength. In times of overwhelming adversity, they were unwavering in their courage, determination, and solidarity. The odds were stacked against them, and they refused to surrender their faith, identity, or dignity. The Sikhs battled and resisted till the end.

In 1747, the Sarbat Khalsa (legislative body-like Sikh Collective gathering) at Sri Amritsar Jiu on Vaisakhi day passed a Gurmata (resolution on behalf of the Guru Khalsa Panth) to build the Ram Rauni fort at Amritsar. A Gurmata appointed Jassa Singh Ahluwalia the Commander of Sikh forces and reduced the number of Sikhs groupings to be recognized in Sarbat Khalsa to 11 from 65. It also required that the records of the territories controlled by each group (misl) be maintained at the Akal Takht. The Sikhs responded to chaos, violence, and instability with a calm and clear-eyed approach to the moment, once again asserting their sovereignty rooted in the timeless One. By 1765, the Sikhs captured Lahore and re-established their Raj.

These Sikhs, despite everything, cultivated a victorious attitude based on the experience of Nam—Identification with the 1, which in turn cultivates the exceptional optimism of Charhdi Kala (Spirit Ascendent). The rulers and their allies may change, as do the battlefields and the strategies. The Sikhs, through the Khalsa, continue to assert our Guru-granted sovereignty, always as a nation, cyclically as a nation-state.

Today, we honor the memory of those Sikhs who fought in 1746 and draw inspiration from their unwavering courage and resilience, sacrifice, and vision for what we can be.

We remember them.

May Wisdom-Guru guide us!