Quotes From British/Mougals About The Sikhs ?

[BhaiSukhSingh]

Fetah Sangat Jee

i need direct quotes from texts book or people about how the Sikhs were seen through the british/Mougals eyes when it came to fighting. I seen a video some time ago and it was one of the Mougal king who said Thing like they(sikhs) fight like lions there is nothing that we can bribe them with money woman. When they attack the enemy they do not kill the wounded they do not attack anyone running from the battle etc etc.

Please provide assitance.

Many Thanks

[saggu]

I've heard this book contains alot of eye witness accounts of Sikhs from many perspectives. Check it out.

'Sicques, Tigers or Thieves: Eyewitness Accounts of the Sikhs (1606-1809)' by Amandeep Singh Madra & Parmjit Singh

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sicques-Tigers-Thieves-Eyewitness-1606-1809/dp/1403962014/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1320299910&sr=8-7

[Jatha Nihang Singha]

Afghan soldiers of the Durrani Empire

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Between the years 1747 to 1769, the Emperor of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Abdali of the Durrani dynasty invaded India nine times, majority of the time entering through the Punjab. A member of Abdali’s entourage was the Qazi (Muslim religious judge) Nur Muhammad.

Qazi Nur Muhammad has documented the invasions of Abdali in the “Jangnama”. During one of the war councils of the Shah’s, a member of the Baluchistan troops rode on horse back to report a surprise attack by the Sikhs. Qazi Nur Muhammad has written this about the war tactics of the Sikhs ”A troop advances and, firing a shot from some distance, retires to reload their muskets while another troop starts firing from another point. Thus, while they can relax somewhat by turns, they do not allow any respite to their enemy.”

Jathedar Baba Gurbakhsh Singh Ji Shaheed

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After one days rest, a group of thirty Sikhs surprised the invaders again, as Qazi Nur Muhammad has written “These dogs (as the author has called the Sikhs) were only thirty in number. They were not in the least afraid. They had neither the fear of slaughter nor the dread of death. They grappled with the ghazis (Muslim suicide squads) and, in the engagement, spilt their blood and sacrificed their lives for their Guru” ( This attack was headed by Baba Gurbakhsh Singh Ji of the Tarna Dal and his jatha). Ahmad Shah returned to Lahore where he held another council of war at which Mir Muhammad Nasir Khan expressed the opinion that they should advance to Sirhind where they should stay awaiting further news from Najb ud Daulah, who had been besieged in Delhi by Raja Jawahar Singh of Bharatpur and his Sikh allies of the Budha Dal under Jathedar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Ahmad Shah Durrani resumed his march but, conscious as he was of the might of the roving Sikh bands, he followed a circuitous route through Batala, Hoshiarpur and Ropar and, avoiding Sirhind altogether, proceeded via Pirijore, Naraingarh and Jagadhri reaching Kurijpura, near Karnal, by the middle of February 1765 after meeting with stiff resistance at many places en route.

After this attack Abdali decided to return back to Afghanistan, but the Sikhs were not ready to let the invaders off so easily. The Dal Khalsa blocked the passage of the Shah and his army at Phillaur. Abdali tried to bypass the Sikhs and tried crossing the river Satluj, the Khalsa caught up to Abdali and his men quite quickly.

A seven day battle ensued between the Dal Khalsa (Budha Dal & Tarna Dal) and the army of Ahmad Shah. Abdali’s army suffered heavy losses of men, materials and animals. Qazi Nur Muhammad has written “When I recall that day, I tremble with the fear of the Doomsday.”

The Qazi has further written about the Sikhs that he encountered “Do not call the dogs (the Sikhs) dogs, because they are lions (and) are courageous like lions in the battlefield. How can a hero, who roars like a lion be called a dog? (Moreover) like lions they spread terror in the field of battle. If you wish to learn the art of war, come face to face with them in the battlefield. They will demonstrate it (art of war) to you in such a way that one and all will shower praise on them.

If you wish to learn the science of war, O swordsman, learn from them. They advance at the enemy boldly and come back safely after action. Understand, Singh is their title, a form of address for them. It is not justice to call them dogs; if you do not know Hindustani language, then understand that the word ‘Singh’ means a lion.”Truly, they are lion in battle, and at times of peace, they surpass “Hatim” (in generosity ).

When they take the Indian sword in their hands they traverse the country from Hind to Sind. None can stand against them in battle, howsoever strong he may be. When they handle the spear, they shatter the ranks of the enemy. When they raise the heads of their spears towa-rds the sky, they would pierce even through the Caucasus (in the process). When they adjust the strings of the bows, place in them the enemy killing arrows (and) pull the strings to their ears, the body of the enemy begins to shiver with fear. When their battle axes fall upon the armour of their opponents, their armour becomes their coffin.

“The body of every one of them is like a piece of rock and in physical grandeur everyone of them is more than fifty men. It is said that Behram Gore killed wild asses and lions. But if he were to come face to face with them even he would bow before them (Singhs). Besides usual arms, they take their guns in hand (and) come into the field of action jumping (and) roaring like lions and raise slogans. They tear asunder the chests of many and shed blood of several (of their enemy) in the dust. You say that musket is a weapon of ancient times, it appears to be a creation of these dogs rather than Socrates. Who else than these (dogs) can be adept in the use of muskets. They do not bother (even if) there are innumerable muskets. To the right and the left, in front and towards the back, they go on operating hundreds of muskets angrily and regularly.”

If you do not believe in what I say, you may enquire of the brave swordsmen who would tell you more than myself and would praise them for their fighting. This bears witness to (my statement) that they faced thirty thousand heroes in the battlefield. If their armies take to flight, it is a war tactics of theirs. They resort to this deception in order to make the angry army grow bold and run in their pursuit. When they find them separated from the main body and away from help and reinforcement, they at once turn back and fight more ferociously (literal translation – they set fire even to water).

“Did you not see that while fighting the Pathans, they took to flight which was deceptive. A world famous wrestler wielding high esteem and respect alight-ed from his horse and showed his great style as if he were Tuhmatan ( a great warrior of Iran). O valiant fighter, do justice to their (act of ) war. One of their armies invaded Multan and put the city to plunder and devastation and killed many of its inhabitants and carried away an immense booty. I am not sufficiently strong in mind to express what the dogs did there. But as God willed it, each of us has to submit to His Will.”

Besides their fighting, listen to one more thing in which they excell all other warriors. They never kill a coward who is running away from the battlefield. They do not rob a woman of her wealth or ornaments whether she is rich or a servant (“Kaneez”). There is no adultry among these dogs, nor are they mischieveous people. A woman, whether young or old, they call a “Burhi”. The word Burhi, means in Indian language, an old lady. There is no thief amongst these dogs, nor is there amongst them any mean people. They do not keep company with adulters and house thiefs though all their acts may not be commendable.”

If you are not acquainted with their religion, I tell you that the Sikhs are the disciples of the Guru – that pious Guru lived at Chak (Amritsar). The ways and manners of these people were laid down by Nanak who showed these Sikhs a separate path. He was succeeded by Guru Gobind Singh from whom they received the title of Singh. They are not part of the Hindus, who have a separate religion of their own. “Now that you have familiarised yourself with the behaviour of the Sikhs, you may also know something about their country. They have divided the Punjab amongst themselves and have bestowed it upon every young and old.”

Painting of an armed Sikh chief from the Misl period (late 1700's)

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[Jatha Nihang Singha]

“Into the Lion’s mouth” Accounts of the Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849)

Painting depicting the battle of Aliwal between the Sikh army and British invaders in 1846

“The Seikh Artillery, with whom we contended, were picked men, both for valour and size; the were indeed gigantic, their usual stature being from six feet to six feet three inches, muscular and active in proportion. We were only like Lilliputians in comparison with those huge monsters, and I marvel they did not kill us all and swallow us slick out the way. Had they been without tasting food for a while, I am sure we would have been but a scanty meal for their numerous army, but fortunately they had been well fed, or possibly we might have become their prey…..

We lost lots of men before we got to the enemy’s principal battery, for we were pushed, as it were, into the lion’s mouth; when we did reach it, the gunners resorted to their tolwols (giant swords) and we our bayonets, then came the tug of war with clashing steel in earnest. In describing, to the best of my ability, the most desperate conflict which took place, I might present to your imagination such scenes of horror as were never witnessed in this country. What a picture of horror I beheld when we and the Seikhs were straining every nerve to deeds of barbarity, wholly bent on mutual destruction, wielding sanguinary weapons, swords and bayonets. The ground in a few minutes was sprinkled with the blood of hundreds of brave men.

Those overgrown brutes of artillery men had great advantage over us, and they fought with unusual courage, many of their lives being bought at the price of ours, i.e, when some of our men plunged their bayonets into the Seikhs, they held them fast by the sockets with their left hands, and cut our men’s heads off with their massive tolwols, with deep regret I saw several of my comrades thus killed”.

J.W. Baldwin, A Narrative of Four Months’ Campaign in India Between the Years 1845-1846.

“Our English cavalry with their blunt swords were most unequally matched against the Sikhs with tulwars so keen of edge that they would split a hair…

I remember reading of a regiment of British cavalry charging a regiment of Sikh calvary. The latter wore voluminous thick puggries round their heads, which our blunt swords were powerless to cut through, and each horsemen had also a buffalo hide shield on his back. They evidently knew that the British sword was blunt and useless, so they kept their horses still and met the British charge by laying flat on their horses’ necks, with their heads protected by their thick turbans and their backs by their shields; and immediately the British soldiers passed through their ranks, the Sikhs swooped round on them and struck back-handed with their sharp, curved swords, in several instances cutting our cavalry men in two”.

Sgt. William Forbes Mitchell (93rd Sutherland Highlanders) writing on the Anglo-Sikh Wars.

For more quotes by the British from the 1800's please visit:

http://www.nihangsingh.org/blog/?cat=53&paged=2

[Singh559]

Love threads like these. Here's my favorite clippet from a book i read ('Sicques, Tigers or Thieves: Eyewitness Accounts of the Sikhs (1606-1809)' ):

We have to look at 3rd person accounts of Sikhs through the lens of Gurbani, though, because they're not always accurate.

[Babbar_Singhsta]

wicked topic , waiting for more ! gurbar akaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalo!

[ThunderousDominator]

Not british or mughals here are some accounts of operation bluestart through enemy eyes

General Brar says in his 1993 book

Notwithstanding the fact that by converting the House Of God into a battlefield all the principles and precepts of the ten Sikh Gurus were thrown overboard it must be admitted that the tenacity with which the millitants held their ground the stubborn valour with which they fought the batle and the high degree of confidence displayed by them merits praise and recognition

Operation Blue Star pg 97

One officer told journalist Satish Jacob

Boy what a fight they gave us if I had three Divs like that I would <banned word filter activated> the hell outta Zia(then pakistan president) any day

Amritsar Mrs. Gandhis Last Battle pg 187

Here is what the Delhi Police Commissioner, Ved Marwah said about one of the greatest martyrs of the 20th century Harjinder Singh Jinda

Harjinder Singh (sic) alias Jinda who was convicted and later hanged for the murder of the former Army Chief, General A.S. Vaidya was no ordinary man. He was arrested twice by the Delhi Police during my tenure as Commissioner of Police, Delhi. This self-confessed killer was not just a ruthless killer. He had another side to his personality: he could be charming and humorous even when injured and battling for his life. When I met him after his arrest by the Delhi Police he seemed anything but a psychopath. He had psychological traits which made him and extraordinary person, but these did not make him mentally unsound.

Jinda was first arrested by the Delhi police in 1985, more by chance than owing to any previous knowledge that he was an active terrorist. A spate of bank robberies had taken place in Delhi and the Delhi Police was under criticism for its inability to stop them. I was daily being taken to task by the Union Home Minister and the media. Till Jinda’s arrest there was no evidence about any possible link between these bank robberies and terrorism in Punjab. Jinda fell into the police net on the basis of a low-grade information about the theft of a car. Only on the day after his arrest when during interrogation, Jinda started speaking about Pakistani plans for shootouts at public places and killings of Hindus to create Hindu-Sikh riots, that that the police realized that they had a big catch in their hands. The acting Additional Commissioner of Police Crime, RK Sharma rang me up in my house on a Sunday morning to inform me about his arrest.

I decided to go to the Crime Branch Interrogation Centre to talk to this very ordinary looking man for over one hour and was fascinated by not only what he told me but the way he narrated his story. He had no fear and no remorse. He rather enjoyed talking about his many escapades in which the police, like in the Bombay films, did not come out very well. Here a young man from Amritsar had actually succeeded in getting the better of the entire Delhi Police force and that was something which gave him tremendous satisfaction. He underplayed his role as a terrorist in the cause of achieving Khalistan, perhaps intentionally but had no hesitation in boasting about his daring bank robberies in broad daylight in the heart of Delhi. He insisted on calling Delhi “Rajdhani” and obviously derived immense satisfaction from taking on the police in Delhi. Even at that stage though we did not know much about his terrorist antecedents, he talked in terms of “them” and “us”. It struck me even then that he was more forthcoming and almost friendly with me, because here he was talking to a head of the Delhi Police on an equal footing. He had no hesitation in telling me about his unhappy childhood and his petty crimes in Amritsar.

He was later transferred to Gujarat from where he escaped while being escorted from the jail to the trail court. After his escape he started committing even more daring acts of terrorism. He became a feared terrorist and was well-known both in Delhi and Punjab. We learnt about his involvement in the killing of Lalit Makan the Congress MP and Arjun Dass, a close Sanjay Gandhi associate.

He was arrested for the second time by the Delhi Police in August 1987, in an encounter in the Civil Lines area in which he was seriously injured. He was taken to the Civil Lines Police Station before the arrival of an ambulance. This time there was no doubt that the Delhi Police had scored a major success. His capture was the result of close cooperation between the Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau. I learnt about the encounter on my wireless set and rushed to the Police Station within a few minutes. Jinda was being moved into the ambulance on a stretcher when he saw me. He immediately recognized me and greeted me with a big smile. He must have been in terrible agony, but that did not stop him from joking. “Mubaraq ho. Ab to app ko bahut bari taraqui milegi. Delhi Police ne mujhe pakar liya hai” (Congratulations. Now you will get a promotion-Delhi Police has been able to arrest me). Here was a man almost on his deathbed and yet he had the audacity to poke fun and laugh. I could see that he was enjoying the thought of not only making the supreme sacrifice for the cause in which he believed, but of being able to be one up on the Commissioner of the Delhi Police.

He was take to the Army Hospital in the cantonment, because of security considerations, and miraculously, he responded to the treatment after a successful operation. I went to see him along with DCP Crime, this time not to interrogate him but to see someone who had earned my respect. I must confess that then my feelings for this man were not that of professional police officer for an outlaw but were mixed with some warmth and admiration.

It is important at this point to say something about our system. Here was a known killer of the former Army Chief being treated by the army doctors, who performed nothing short of a miracle in saving his life. When I entered his room he was lying on the bed as the lower portion of his body was completely paralysed. The doctors could not say at that time whether he would ever be able to use his legs again. On seeing me he again greeted warmly and apologized for not being able to get up. He thanked me for coming to see him. He behaved as if he was talking to an old friend. He was in a talkative mood and this time told me all about the terrorist movement in Punjab and their ultimate goal of Khalistan with Pakistani help. He bragged about his escape from Ahmedabad and had absolutely no fear of death. He was certain that his end was not too far off and tauntingly told me that this time the Delhi Police would not make the mistake of handing him over to the Gujarat Police. When I told him that we would not hand him over to the Punjab Police as he suspected but to the Maharashtra Police to face a trial, he could not believe it. We later did hand him over to the Maharashtra Police. He was tried in the Pune Jail for a protracted trial and later hanged.

Terrorism gave Jinda a cause to live for. There was no question of diverting him from the path which he had chosen for himself. He justified the most heinous of his crimes in the name of the “Panth”. It is the combination of political factors and such traits in their personality that attracts people like Jinda to the terrorist movement. The sole aim of his life became commission of terrorist acts, which he firmly believed would in the end succeed in achieving their goal of “Khalistan”. There is no scope for any negotiations with such men. But such personality traits are seen only among the hard-core terrorists. There are of course other types of person among terrorist their supporter and sympathizers who are more amenable to negotiations and compromise.

Ved Marwah Uncivil Wars: Pathology of Terrorism In India p. 16

[ThunderousDominator]

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