ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>MUKHLISGA&#7770H FORT</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279MU<u>KH</u>LISGA&#7770H FORT on the lower slopes of the &#346iv&#257lak foothills in Sa&#7693haur&#257 <i>parganah</i> of Sirhind <i>sark&#257r</i> was established by Mu<u>kh</u>lis <u>Kh</u>&#257n, a minor chief during the reign of the Mu<u>gh</u>al emperor Sh&#257h Jah&#257n (1628-58). Band&#257 Si&#7749gh Bah&#257dur (1670-1716), after the conquest of Sa&#7693haur&#257 and Sirhind in 1710 which made him the virtual master of the territories between the Yamun&#257 and the Sutlej as also of the sub-mountainous tract up to Gurd&#257spur and P&#257&#7789h&#257nko&#7789 made Mu<u>kh</u>lisga&#7771h his headquarters renaming the fort Lohga&#7771h (lit. Steel Fort). When emperor Bah&#257dur Sh&#257h heard about the exploits of Band&#257 Si&#7749gh, he commanded the governors of Delhi and Oudh to quell the Sikh rising, and himself hastened north to supervise the operation. A massive Mu<u>gh</u>al force of sixteen thousand horse and foot laid a siege around Mu<u>kh</u>lisga&#7771h which continued for several months. For want of provisions, the Sikhs were reduced to rigorous straits. On the night of 10 December 1710, Band&#257 Si&#7749gh in a desperate bid to escape hacked his way through the imperial cordon and escaped towards the higher reaches of the Siv&#257liks.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Ganda Singh, <i> Life of Banda Singh Bahadur </i>. Amritsar, 1935<BR> <li class="C1"> Bha&#7749g&#363, Ratan Si&#7749gh, <i> Prach&#299n Panth Prak&#257sh </i>. Amritsar, 1970<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>