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{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Siege of Kotla Begum
| place = Kotla Begum Fort
| partof = [[Mughal-Sikh Wars]]
| date = September 1710{{efn|[[Rattan Singh Bhangu]] and [[Giani Gian Singh]] have said that this siege was fought long after [[Banda Singh Bahadur|Banda Singh Bahadur's]] death. However, Ganda Singh has followed the book Ibratnama which consists of original sources and states that it was fought during Banda's lifetime.}}
| result = Sikh Victory
| combatant1 = [[File:Blue Putaran Nishan Sahib.png|30px]] [[Khalsa]] ([[Sikhs]])
| combatant2 = [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|30px]] [[Mughal Empire]]
| commander1 = Unknown
| commander2 = [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Mir Mohammad [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Attaullah Khan [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Mohabbat Khan [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Murtaza Khan [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Pahar Mal [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Haji Babar Beg [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Mir Inayat Ali [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Pir Mohammad [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|20px]] Mirza Naki
| strength1 = 700<ref name="Zero">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/Sikhism-ItsPhilosophyAndHistory/page/438/mode/2up|title=Sikhism - Its Philosophy And History|author=Insitute of Sikh Studies|pages=439|isbn=9788185815039}}</ref>
| strength2 = 50,000<ref name=Nahar>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/studies-in-the-history-of-sikhs/page/42/mode/2up|title=Studies In The History Of Sikhs|author=Nahar Singh|year=1935|pages=43}}</ref>-60,000<ref>{{cite book|url=https://sikhdigitallibrary.blogspot.com/2019/03/sikh-martyrs-bhagat-lakshman-singh.html|title=Sikh Martyrs|author=Bhagat Lachhman Singh|year=2005|pages=104-105}}</ref>
| casualties1 = Heavy
| casualties2 = Heavy
}}
{{Campaignbox Mughal-Sikh Wars}}
The '''Siege of Kotla Begum''' was fought in September 1710 between the Sikh forces and Mughal forces led by Mir Mohammad.

==Background==

After Banda Singh Bahadur's return from the [[Battle of Saharanpur]], the Muslims of [[Lahore]] started a [[jihad]] against the Sikhs. Thousands of Muslims gathered with a large green flag which was called the ''Haidri Jhanda''.<ref name="Gupta">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/HistoryOfTheSikhsVol.IiEvolutionOfSikhConfederacies1707-69/page/n35/mode/2up|title=History Of The Sikhs Vol. II Evolution Of Sikh Confederacies (1707-69)|author=Hari Ram Gupta|pages=16}}</ref> First a Sikh contignment hid in a fort in the village of Bharath.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sikh Itihas Dey Somey|author=Karam Singh|year=1928|location=Amritsar}}</ref> The Sikhs after a long fight repulsed this party of Muslims and escaped.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DEAsXfFqwJQC&dq=bhilowal+sikhs&pg=PA235|title=History and Philosophy of the Sikh Religion|author=Khazan Singh|year=1914|pages=235}}</ref> After this, the Muslims got news about a party of Sikhs numbering 700 at Kotla Begum Fort and planned to besiege them.<ref name=Short>{{cite book|title=A Short History Of The Sikhs - Volume 1|author=Teja Singh and Ganda Singh|url=https://archive.org/details/AShortHistoryOfTheSikhs-Volume1/page/n99/mode/2up?q=sahai|publisher=Orient Longmans|year=1950|pages=89}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.29082/page/331/mode/2up|title=Advanced study in History of the Punjab|author=G.S Chhababra|pages=331}}</ref>

==Siege==

When the Mughals arrived at the fort, the Sikhs immediately attacked them and a fierce battle ensued. When the battle escalated into a sword fight, the Mughals began taking heavy losses and decided to retreat.<ref name="Zero"/> Instead of pursuing the retreating Mughals, the Sikhs decided to loot the remains of battle materials left behind by the Mughals and tend to their wounded.<ref name="Harbans">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/BandaSinghBahadurAndSikhSovereignty/page/189/mode/2up|title=Banda Singh Bahadur And Sikh Sovereignty|author=Harbans Kaur Sagoo|pages=174|isbn=9788176293006}}</ref>

==Aftermath==

The Mughals, disappointed by their defeat put up camp at night in village [[Battle of Bhilowal|Bhilowal]].<ref name="Bhangu-1914">{{Cite book |last=Bhangu |first=Rattan Singh |url=https://archive.org/details/SriGurPanthPrakashVolume2episodes82To169/page/69/mode/2up|title=Panth Prakash Vol.2 English Translation|pages=69–73}}</ref> The Sikhs attacked them and inflicted further heavy losses.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Gw9AAAAMAAJ&q=bheelowal+sikhs|title=Sikh Tracts|author=Teja Singh|year=1956|pages=20}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B3k9AAAAMAAJ&q=bheelowal+sikhs|title=India Since 1526|author=Vidya Dhar Mahajan|year=1967|pages=205}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RESzeNDCEuIC&q=bheelowal+sikhs|title=Panjab Under the Later Mughals, 1707-1759|author=Bakhshish Singh Nijjar|year=1972|pages=106}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3n21AAAAIAAJ&q=bheelowal+sikhs|title=Patiala and East Panjab States Union|author=Ganda Singh|year=1951|pages=29}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==
* [[Nihang]]
* [[Martyrdom in Sikhism|Martyrdom and Sikhism]]

[[Category:Battles involving the Sikhs]]
[[Category:1710 in India]]

Siege of Kotla Begum (1710) - Revision history

Ved at 19:00, 12 July 2023