ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SIRHIND (30º-37'N, 76º-23'E)</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 NAME="keywords" CONTENT="SIRHIND"> <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">&#65279SIRHIND (30º-37'N, 76º-23'E), pronounced Sarhind, an ancient town lying along the Grand Trunk Road (now renamed Sher Sh&#257h S&#363r&#299 M&#257rg) midway between Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 and Amb&#257l&#257, derives its name probably from Sairindh&#257s, a tribe that according to Var&#257hamihira (AD 505-87), <i>Brihat Sam&#775hit&#257</i>, once inhabited this part of the country. According to Heuin Tsang, the Chinese traveller who visited India during the seventh century, Sirhind was the capital of the district of Sh&#299-to-t&#363-lo, or Shatadru (the River Sutlej), which was about 2000 <i>l&#299</i>. or 533 km in circuit. The Shatadru principality subsequently became part of the vast kingdom called Trigat of which Jalandhar was the capital. At the time of the struggle between the Hind&#363sh&#257h&#299 kings and the Turkish rulers of <u>Gh</u>azn&#299, Sirhind was an important outpost on the eastern frontier of the Hind&#363sh&#257h&#299 empire. With the contraction of their territory under the <u>Gh</u>aznivid onslaught, the Hind&#363sh&#257h&#299 capital was shifted in 1012 to Sirhind, where it remained till the death of Trilochanp&#257l, the last ruling king of the dynasty. At the close of the twelfth century, the town was occupied by the Chauh&#257ns. During the invasions of Muhammad <u>Gh</u>or&#299, Sirhind, along with Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257, constituted the most important military outpost of Prithv&#299 R&#257j Chauh&#257n, the last R&#257jp&#363t ruler of Delhi. Under the Slave kings, Sirhind constituted one of the six territorial divisions of the Punjab. In the time of Emperor Akbar the rival towns of Sun&#257m and Sam&#257n&#257 were subordinated to it and included in what was called Sirhind <i>sark&#257r</i> of the <i>S&#363bah</i> of Delhi. Under the Mu<u>gh</u>als Sirhind was the second largest city of the Punjab and the strongest fortified town between Delhi and Lahore. The town also enjoyed considerable commercial importance. According to N&#257sir 'Al&#299 Sirhind&#299, <i>T&#257r&#299kh-i-N&#257sir&#299</i>, Sirhind at that time possessed buildings which had no parallel in the whole of India. Spread over an area of 3 kos (10 km approximately) on the banks of the River Ha&#7749sal&#257 (now known as Sirhind N&#257l&#257), it had many beautiful gardens and several canals. Emperor Jah&#257&#7749g&#299r, who made several visits to Sirhind, refers in his memoirs to the captivating beauty of its gardens.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The jurisdiction of Sirhind <i>sark&#257r</i> extended to Anandpur which was the seat of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh in the closing decades of the seventeenth century. At the instance of one of the hill rulers, R&#257j&#257 Ajmer Chand, Waz&#299r <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the <i>faujd&#257r</i> of Sirhind, despatched some troops along with a couple of artillery pieces to reinforce the hill army attacking Anandpur. An inconclusive encounter took place on 13-14 October 1700. Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh after a brief interval returned to Anandpur but had to quit it again on 5-6 December 1705 under pressure of a prolonged siege by the hill chief supported by Sirhind troops. Under the orders of the <i>faujd&#257r</i>, Naw&#257b Waz&#299r <u>Kh</u>&#257n, Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's two younger sons, aged nine and seven, were cruelly done to death. According to Sikh tradition, they were enclosed alive in a wall in Sirhind and executed as the masonry rose up to their necks. Sirhind was for this reason the accurst city in the eyes of the Sikhs. Mobilized under the flag of Band&#257 Si&#7749gh Bah&#257dur after the death of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh in November 1708, they made a fierce attack upon Sirhind. The Mu<u>gh</u>al army was routed and Waz&#299r <u>Kh</u>&#257n killed in the battle of Chappar-Chi&#7771&#299 fought on 12 May 1710. Sirhind was occupied by the Sikhs two days later, and Bh&#257&#299 B&#257j Si&#7749gh was appointed governor. The town was, however, taken again by the imperial forces.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In March 1748, Sirhind was seized, but only temporarily, by Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299, the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n general of N&#257dir Sh&#257h who succeeded his master in the possession of the eastern part of his dominions. But the Durr&#257n&#299 was defeated by the Mu<u>gh</u>al rulers of Delhi who reoccupied the town, although the invader reconquered it during his fourth invasion during 1756-57. Early in 1758, the Sikhs, in collaboration with the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257s, sacked Sirhind, drove Prince Taim&#363r, son of Ahmad Sh&#257h and his viceroy at Lahore, out of the Punjab. Ahmad Sh&#257h defeated the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257s at P&#257n&#299pat in January 1761, and struck the Sikhs a severe blow in what is known as Va&#7693&#7693&#257 Ghall&#363gh&#257r&#257, the Great Massacre, that took place on 5 February 1762. Sikhs rallied and attacked Sirhind on 17 May 1762, defeating its <i>faujd&#257r</i>, Zain <u>Kh</u>&#257n, who purchased peace by paying Rs 50,000 as tribute to the Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. A more decisive battle took place on 14 January 1764 when Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, under Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257, made another assault upon Sirhind. Zain <u>Kh</u>&#257n was killed in action and Sirhind was occupied and subjected to plunder and destruction. The booty was donated for the repair and reconstruction of the sacred shrines at Amritsar demolished by Ahmad Sh&#257h. The territories of the Sirhind <i>sark&#257r</i> were divided among the leaders of the Dal <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, but no one was willing to take the town of Sirhind where Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's younger sons were subjected to a cruel fate. By a unanimous will it was made over to Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 Si&#7749gh, descendant of Bh&#257&#299 Bhagat&#363, who soon after (2 August 1764) transferred possession to Sard&#257r &#256l&#257 Si&#7749gh, founder of the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 family. Sirhind thereafter remained part of the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 territory, until the state lapsed in 1948.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Karam Si&#7749gh of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 (1813-45) had <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> constructed in Sirhind in memory of the young martyrs and their grandmother, M&#257t&#257 Gujar&#299. He changed the name of the <i>niz&#257mat</i> or district from Sirhind to Fatehga&#7771h S&#257hib, after the name of the principal <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i>. Besides the Sikh shrines, Sirhind has an important Muslim monument Rauz&#257 Shar&#299f Mujjadid Alf S&#257n&#299, the mausoleum of Shai<u>kh</u> Ahmad Sirhind&#299 (1569-1624), the fundamentalist leader of the orthodox Naqshband&#299 school of S&#363f&#299sm. There are a number of other tombs in the compound mostly of the members of Shai<u>kh</u> Ahmad's house.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>See</i> FATEHGA&#7770H S&#256HIB, GURDW&#256R&#256</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Kuir Si&#7749gh, <i>Gurbil&#257s P&#257tsh&#257h&#299 10</i>, ed. Shamsher Si&#7749gh Ashok. Patiala, 1968<BR> <li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>. Amritsar, 1927-35<BR> <li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u> Gur&#363 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257</i> [Reprint]. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Narotam, T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 T&#299rath Sa&#7749grahi</i>. Kankhal, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"> Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Sard&#257r Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257</i>. Patiala, 1969<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>Guru Gobind Singh</i>. Chandigarh, 1966<BR> <li class="C1"> Gupta, Hari Ram, <i>History of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1978-82<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">M. S. &#256hl&#363w&#257l&#299&#257<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>