The Battle of Naushera

India had to face attacks by foreign invaders many more times than any other nation in this world. Majority of these attacks came from the invaders who had passed the natural barrier of Himalayas through Khyber pass in the North West of India. These invaders were lured by riches of India, zeal to convert people to their beliefs or world domination through force. Greeks under Alexander attacked India in about 400 B.C., obviously their object was world domination In 600's A.D., Mohammed Bin Qasim from Arabia attacked Sindh and thus bringing in whole new series of invasion to India by the followers of Islam. These invaders wanted to increase the territory of Islam as well as plunder the riches of India by looting and destroying its rich temples. After attacks by Arabian and Turkish invaders, Mughal invaders from Central Asia attacked India and became Emperors. This dynasty effectively ruled for six generations. Then Afghani invaders started a ttacking small cities in Punjab. By 1700's Afghanis created small city states all over Punjab and North East. Rohillas of Awadh (UP), Tipu Sultan of South India, Nawab of Malerkotla, Multan, Kashmir all were Afghanis. These Afghanis were tyrants and wrecked havoc on local population in their districts. They deployed tactics of rape and rapine, of forceful conversions of minorities. Children born out of forceful marriages and rapes were given a special caste of "Ranghars". Ranghars were specially targeted by Maulavis to fill them a zeal of Islam, in order to make them fighters of Islam. Sikhs who opposed these Afghanis and Mughal landlords and governors were their staunch enemies. Sikh fought with Afghanis and Mughals and eventually under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh they were able to wrest control of the biggest city in Punjab named Lahore from the hands of Mughals. Their next target was to bring these isolated pockets of Afghanis under their control. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was helped by his many generals among them Hari Singh Nalua was his most decorated general. Sardar Hari Singh Nalua was born at Gujranwala in Year 1791 (Now in Pakistan). His father's name was Gurdial Singh Uppal and mother was Dharam Kaur. Gurdial Singh, father of Sardar Hari Singh Nalua was in army of Ranjit Singh commanding a detachment. He expired in 1798 fighting Afghanis, when Hari Singh was only seven years of age. Hari Singh who was physically quite stout and strong and impressive too in appearance, standing over 6 feet in height, learnt the art of warfare. He could continuously ride for 14 hours at a stretch. Baron Charles Hugel states that Hari Singh besides his general knowledge about the statistics of many of the European states, was well versed in Persian. He impressed him extremely with his overall achievements. Hari Singh was administered Pahul that is initiatory rites of the Sikhism where person takes a vow that he will always protect the weak one's and will never fail in doing his Dharma, when he grew up and assumed the responsibility of supervising the affairs of his father's territory. Hari singh presented himself before Maharaja Ranjit Singh in his open Durbar. The Maharaja was so impressed by the feats of chivalry shown by him that he was taken in the royal service as a personal khidmatgar or an attendant. Maharaja commissioned him in 1804 by granted him a command of a cavalry of 700 men and horses with the honor of Sardar. Hari Singh Nalua named his regiment 'Sher-Dil-Rajman'. HaWhy is Hari singh called "Nalua" and not Uppal? The reason is that he came to be known by an incident which took place during the early days of his joining the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. "During the course of hunting expedition he happened to be a victim of a sudden attack of a tiger. The attack was so subtle and unexpected that he did not gain time to pull out his sword. Sardar Hari Singh Nalua faced the crucial situation with such boldness that he managed to catch hold of the jaw of the beast forcefully with his hands and pushed it away with the prowess of arms arranging thus to kill it with his sword. Baron Charles Hugel says he was called Nalua for 'having cloven the head of a tiger who had already seized him as its pray'. " The Sikhs passing through a series of battles and struggles with many martyrdom's, established themselves as a political power in the Punjab in 1765 after they defeated the governor of Ahmad Shah Abdali at Lahore. But their mode of fighting then was hardly suited to the requirements of a well organized state. Maharaja Ranjit Singh out of these Sikhs became leader of whole Khalsa (Sarbat Khalsa). He built up a strong , centralized and effectively controlled military system by getting the best elements in foreign with the best elements found in the indigenous fighting systems. After some major campaigns of Multan and Kasur where Hari Singh Nalua's regiment fought with distinction, Maharaja turned towards Kashmir. Hari Singh Nalua's regiment "Sher-Dil-Rajman' was in forefront in campaign to get back Shah Shuja from the Governor of Kashmir, Shah Shuja's wife Wafa Begum had promised Kohinoor Diamond for Maharaja if her husband was to be freed from prison of Kashmir. In 1814 A.D., Hari Singh forces routed Kashmiri forces. Shah Shuja gave Ranjit Singh kohinoor Diamond, from that day on till his death Maharaja Ranjit Singh wore that Diamond on his right shoulder. Meanwhile, Through political means, Ranjit Singh installed Jahan Dad Khan as governor of Peshawar. Earlier Governor of Peshawar was under Afghani suzerain. To subdue the Afghani rulers who were ruling various pockets all over Punjab Nalwa deployed and used all possible means. In 1821, Dost Mohammed Khan and Yar Mohammed Khan, two Afghanis were able to expel the Maharaja's nominee Jahan Dad Khan from Peshawar and thus an expedition was undertook by Punjabi forces. This time the forces were being led as follows: cavalry by Sardar Hari Singh Nalua, Infantry by Dhanna Singh Malwai, and Jagat Singh Attariwala, Artillery by Mian Ghaus Khan. Dost Mohammed Khan managed to reconcile by paying a handsome nazarana to Maharaja and by accepting the submission to Khalsa kingdom rather than to kingdom of Kabul. This attack by Durbar forces ended without a bloodshed.