History of The Battle of Saragarhi....
[26/03, 3:15 p.m.] Avtar Bhogal U. K: Order of Merit
The 21 Sikh non-commissioned officers and soldiers who died in the Battle of Saragarhi were from the Majha region of Punjab and were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, at that time the highest gallantry award which an Indian soldier could receive. The corresponding gallantry award was the Victoria Cross. The award is equivalent to today's Param Vir Chakra awarded by the President of India.
The names of the 21 recipients of the gallantry award are:[1][16]
Havildar Ishar Singh (regimental number 165)
Naik Lal Singh (332)
Lance Naik Chanda Singh (546)
Sepoy Sundar Singh (1321)
Sepoy Ram Singh (287)
Sepoy Uttar Singh (492)
Sepoy Sahib Singh (182)
Sepoy Hira Singh (359)
Sepoy Daya Singh (687)
Sepoy Jivan Singh (760)
Sepoy Bhola Singh (791)
Sepoy Narayan Singh (834)
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh (814)
Sepoy Jivan Singh (871)
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh (1733)
Sepoy Ram Singh (163)
Sepoy Bhagwan Singh (1257)
Sepoy Bhagwan Singh (1265)
Sepoy Buta Singh (1556)
Sepoy Jivan Singh (1651)
Sepoy Nand Singh (1221)
[26/03, 3:15 p.m.] Avtar Bhogal U. K: The much-awaited Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra film Kesari has finally hit theatres today and fans have been buzzing about the film ever since they saw the trailer. We already know that the film is based on the famous historical event – the Battle of Saragarhi, in which 21 Sikh soldiers of the British India Army fought valiantly against a massive force of 10,000 Afghan tribal warriors.
However, a lot of you may not know about the more minute details from the battle that is considered one of the greatest in not only Indian, but world history. So without further adieu, here are 10 facts about the Battle of Saragarhi that you should know before you watch Akshay Kumar’s Kesari:
While the Afghan tribes had claimed that they only lost a total of 180 men in the Battle of Saragarhi, it was reported that a total of 600 bodies of Afghan tribal warriors were found on the battlefield.
The Afghan tribal army, with 10,000 warriors couldn’t breach the Saragarhi Fort, in northwest frontier of India at the time, for over 7 hours
The Sikh soldiers did have a tiny advantage. Due to the fact that they were in the British Indian Army, they did have the latest rifle, which was technologically superior – the Martini Henry rifle. It was a breech-loading rifle which weighed approximately 10 pounds and could be fitted with a 20-inch bayonet for close-quarter combat.
It was said that the Afghans were so in awe of the Sikh soldiers that they tried to not only bribe them to give up the fort but also offered them to join the Afghan army. Of course, the Sikh soldiers lead by Havildar Ishar Singh (played by Akshay Kumar) had other plans.
All 21 soldiers laid down their life and held the fort for 7 hours. However, their sacrifice didn’t go in vain because their resistance at the Saragarhi Fort delayed the Afghan’s advancing to the Fort Gulistan and gave the time for reinforcements to reach.
It is also said that once the Afghans had breached the walls of the fort, platoon leader Havildar Ishar Singh asked his team members to retreat further inside the fort and took two of his best soldiers to face the Afghans face-to-face.
Great Britain had halted their parliament during proceedings to give a standing ovation to those 21 fallen Sikh soldiers for their courage and bravery. In fact, none other than Queen Victoria herself had said at the time: “It is no exaggeration to record that the armies which possess the valiant Sikhs cannot face defeat in war. 21 vs 10,000.”
The Battle of Saragarhi considered to be the last of the greatest stands. In fact, it is also recorded in the collection of list “8 stories of collective bravery in the history of mankind” assembled by UNESCO.
The only reason that the world today knows about the details of the Battle of Saragarhi is because of heliographic messages, which were communicated between the Sikh troops and Lt Col John Haughton at Fort Lockhart and Major Charles Des Voeux in Gulistan.
The heliographed details of the heroism of those 21 Sikh souls had been telegraphed to London by a journalist, which led every newspaper in Britain to report it on the front page. In 2017, a group of 12 senior Army officials from England visited Saragarhi memorial to pay tributes to the brave souls. For those unaware, Saragarhi memorial day is observed in Britain as well.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
The 21 Sikh non-commissioned officers and soldiers who died in the Battle of Saragarhi were from the Majha region of Punjab and were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, at that time the highest gallantry award which an Indian soldier could receive. The corresponding gallantry award was the Victoria Cross. The award is equivalent to today's Param Vir Chakra awarded by the President of India.
The names of the 21 recipients of the gallantry award are:[1][16]
Havildar Ishar Singh (regimental number 165)
Naik Lal Singh (332)
Lance Naik Chanda Singh (546)
Sepoy Sundar Singh (1321)
Sepoy Ram Singh (287)
Sepoy Uttar Singh (492)
Sepoy Sahib Singh (182)
Sepoy Hira Singh (359)
Sepoy Daya Singh (687)
Sepoy Jivan Singh (760)
Sepoy Bhola Singh (791)
Sepoy Narayan Singh (834)
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh (814)
Sepoy Jivan Singh (871)
Sepoy Gurmukh Singh (1733)
Sepoy Ram Singh (163)
Sepoy Bhagwan Singh (1257)
Sepoy Bhagwan Singh (1265)
Sepoy Buta Singh (1556)
Sepoy Jivan Singh (1651)
Sepoy Nand Singh (1221)
[26/03, 3:15 p.m.] Avtar Bhogal U. K: The much-awaited Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra film Kesari has finally hit theatres today and fans have been buzzing about the film ever since they saw the trailer. We already know that the film is based on the famous historical event – the Battle of Saragarhi, in which 21 Sikh soldiers of the British India Army fought valiantly against a massive force of 10,000 Afghan tribal warriors.
However, a lot of you may not know about the more minute details from the battle that is considered one of the greatest in not only Indian, but world history. So without further adieu, here are 10 facts about the Battle of Saragarhi that you should know before you watch Akshay Kumar’s Kesari:
While the Afghan tribes had claimed that they only lost a total of 180 men in the Battle of Saragarhi, it was reported that a total of 600 bodies of Afghan tribal warriors were found on the battlefield.
The Afghan tribal army, with 10,000 warriors couldn’t breach the Saragarhi Fort, in northwest frontier of India at the time, for over 7 hours
The Sikh soldiers did have a tiny advantage. Due to the fact that they were in the British Indian Army, they did have the latest rifle, which was technologically superior – the Martini Henry rifle. It was a breech-loading rifle which weighed approximately 10 pounds and could be fitted with a 20-inch bayonet for close-quarter combat.
It was said that the Afghans were so in awe of the Sikh soldiers that they tried to not only bribe them to give up the fort but also offered them to join the Afghan army. Of course, the Sikh soldiers lead by Havildar Ishar Singh (played by Akshay Kumar) had other plans.
All 21 soldiers laid down their life and held the fort for 7 hours. However, their sacrifice didn’t go in vain because their resistance at the Saragarhi Fort delayed the Afghan’s advancing to the Fort Gulistan and gave the time for reinforcements to reach.
It is also said that once the Afghans had breached the walls of the fort, platoon leader Havildar Ishar Singh asked his team members to retreat further inside the fort and took two of his best soldiers to face the Afghans face-to-face.
Great Britain had halted their parliament during proceedings to give a standing ovation to those 21 fallen Sikh soldiers for their courage and bravery. In fact, none other than Queen Victoria herself had said at the time: “It is no exaggeration to record that the armies which possess the valiant Sikhs cannot face defeat in war. 21 vs 10,000.”
The Battle of Saragarhi considered to be the last of the greatest stands. In fact, it is also recorded in the collection of list “8 stories of collective bravery in the history of mankind” assembled by UNESCO.
The only reason that the world today knows about the details of the Battle of Saragarhi is because of heliographic messages, which were communicated between the Sikh troops and Lt Col John Haughton at Fort Lockhart and Major Charles Des Voeux in Gulistan.
The heliographed details of the heroism of those 21 Sikh souls had been telegraphed to London by a journalist, which led every newspaper in Britain to report it on the front page. In 2017, a group of 12 senior Army officials from England visited Saragarhi memorial to pay tributes to the brave souls. For those unaware, Saragarhi memorial day is observed in Britain as well.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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