Battle of Gokul
| Battle of Gokul | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Durrani Empire | Naga Sadhus | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Ahmad Shah Durrani Jahan Khan | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| 2,000 men died combined from both sides | |||||||||
The Battle of Gokul was an Afghan victory over Naga Sadhus, though the Afghans withdrew without sacking the city.
Background
Toward the end of February 1757, the Afghan forces arrived at and attacked Mathura. The city, despite being inhabited overwhelmingly by non-combatants, mainly pilgrims due to the Hindu Holi festival, was attacked and the inhabitants were massacred by the Afghans. The Afghan forces slaughtered and defiled the bodies of Hindu ascetics by humiliating them with slaughtered cows. Temples of the city were razed, and the images of idols were destroyed. Jahan Khan furthered the massacre by rewarding a bounty of five rupees for every Hindu head, resulting in the death of thousands of men, women, and children. The Muslims of the city were subjected to the attack as well. Following his massacre at Mathura, Jahan Khan continued his campaign, with the city of Vrindavan being attacked and its inhabitants massacred on 6 March.[1][2][3] The Tarikh-I-Husain Shahi establishes the idol destruction in line with iconoclasm, remarking: "Idols were broken and kicked about like polo-balls by the Islamic heroes."[4]
Battle
Ahmad Shah, following Jahan Khan, attacked the city of Gokul on 16 March, which was inhabited by Naga Sadhus, a Hindu Bhakti sect. The Afghans attacked the city where a battle ensued, resulting in the death of 2,000 men for both sides. Jugal Kishor, a diplomat from the Bengal Subah, informed Ahmad Shah that there was nothing of value in Gokul. Ahmad Shah ordered a withdrawal, sparing the city from a sacking.[5][6][1]
Aftermath
On 21 March, Jahan Khan arrived before Agra with 15,000 men, besieging the city. Civilians from the town received Jahan Khan and his army, promising 500,000 rupees in tribute. However, after failing to raise the amount, Afghan forces entered the city, plundering it and massacring over 2,000. The Afghan forces attempted to seize the citadel but failed due to the defense of Mirza Saifullah, the garrison commander. He defended the fort with extensive artillery usage, preventing the Afghans from approaching with cannons. Jahan Khan seized 100,000 rupees in tribute, before withdrawing to Ahmad Shah's camp on 24 March after being recalled.[7][3]
References
- ^ a b Lee, Jonathan L. (2022-03-08). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-78914-019-4.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. pp. 176–178.
- ^ a b Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. pp. 85–87.
- ^ Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1971). 1754-1771 (Panipat). 3d ed. 1966, 1971 printing. Orient Longman. p. 119.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. p. 179.
- ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. p. 88.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. pp. 176–177.