A History of Agriculture in India v2.c87.s5: Guerrilla Warfare
A History of Agriculture in India v2.c87.s5
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Guerrilla Warfare
v2.c87.s5.1
Banda was captured by the Mughals and executed in Delhi in 1716. The period 1716-1768 was a period of life-and-death struggle for the Sikhs. The Mughal Emperor's edict was to arrest every Sikh, wherever found, and if he did not accept Islam to kill him. For every Sikh head a reward was given. Faced by an organized government with a standing army, the Sikhs adopted guerilla tactics. They were expert in handling the matchlock and the sabre. They would attack the Mughal army, inflict losses on them and retreat, then attack them again. They took shelter in jungles. The Lakhi jungle situated between the Sutlej and the Beas was their base. The Siwalik hills of Jammu and Kangra, and the desert area of Malwa were their other two bases and places of refuge. Their horses were so expertly trained that they responded to their voice, touch of the hand and stroke of the heel. On receiving a stroke of the hand they would stop in full gallop. They could also swim across swollen rivers with perfect ease.
v2.c87.s5.2
The Sikhs deprived the Persian marauder Nadir Shah of some of his loot when he was returning to Iran through Punjab in May 1739. "Where do they live?" asked Nadir Shah of Zakriya Khan, the Governor of the Punjab. "On the saddles of their horses," replied Zakriya Khan. "Be warned, therefore," said Nadir perceptively, "for they seem to smack of sovereignty. They might occupy your lands before long."