Victory at Sirhind 1710: the battle of Chappar Chiri and the end of Wazir Khan

This day remembers the battle of Chappar Chiri on 12 May 1710, in which the Khalsa led by Baba Banda Singh Bahadur defeated the army of Wazir Khan, the governor of Sirhind, and went on to take the city. For the Sikhs it was the answer to the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzade at Sirhind six years before.

The road to Sirhind

Sent to Punjab by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1708, Banda Singh Bahadur gathered the Khalsa and took Samana, Sadhaura and other towns. Sikhs from across Punjab joined him, many from the Majha crossing the Sutlej to reach him. Wazir Khan, who had ordered the death of Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji, raised a large army with artillery and elephants, and called for a holy war against the Sikhs.

Chappar Chiri

The armies met on the plain of Chappar Chiri, about twenty kilometres from Sirhind. The Khalsa was outnumbered and lacked guns, and the early fighting went hard. Banda Singh Bahadur himself led a charge into the centre of the enemy line, and the Sikhs broke it. Wazir Khan was killed in the battle. Some accounts hold that Baba Deep Singh Ji fought there too, which is why the SGPC's calendar names both leaders. Two days later the Khalsa entered Sirhind.

After the victory

Banda Singh Bahadur appointed a Sikh governor of Sirhind, set up his capital at Lohgarh and struck coins in the name of the Gurus. The Fateh Burj, the tower of victory, now stands at Chappar Chiri.

How the day is observed

Sangats mark the day with kirtan and Ardas, especially at Chappar Chiri and Fatehgarh Sahib.