5 February
On this day in 1762
Wadda Ghallughara, the Great Holocaust
Ahmad Shah Abdali's forces fell on a Sikh column moving with its women, children and elderly near Kup, close to Malerkotla, in 1762. Tens of thousands were killed in a single day, yet the Panth regrouped within months.
Also on this day
- 1762Ahmad Shah invaded for the 6th time This invassion was primarily against the Sikhs. The Sikhs had besieged Jandiala. Ahmad Shah reached Jandiala by forced marches. In the meantime Sikhs had moved to Malerkotla. Ahmad Shah surprised the Sikhs at Kup Raheera near Malaerkotla (now in Sangrur district) and the two armies met in a straight fight. Sikhs were encumbered with families and camp followers and lost more than 30,000 Sikh - mostly old men, women, and children, out of a total of 50,000. However, the main body of the Sikhs fighting force remained intact. Hwowever, the hand written copy of the Holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib had to be lodged near here in the house of a muslim, who kept the holy scripture respectfully for about two centuries. It is said to have been taken to Pakistan by that family at the time of India’s Partition in 1947. This battle is known as the "Wada Ghallughar." Ahmad Shah reached Amritsar and destroyed Hari Mandir and the holy tank. Ahmad Shah stayed the entire year 1762 in Panjab to subdue and crush the Sikhs, but he totally failed in the objective. Despite the heavy loss of life and the Holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikhs fought several subsequent wars with Ahmed Shah Abdali and eventually convince him to leave Punjab. Soon they recuperated and established their own kingdom, the Khalsa rule in Punjab. With the establishment of the Sikh rule, the Western borders of India were sealed forever to the Mughal invaders.
- 1921The famous Sikh shrine, Punja Sahib was brought under management control of Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC)