Zorawar Singh (Dogra general)
Zorawar Singh | |
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Grandson
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Military career | |
Allegiance | Dogra Dynasty |
Rank | Wazir |
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Zorawar Singh (1784–12 December 1841) was a military general of the
Early life and career
He was born in September 1784 in a Kahluria
Zorawar Singh fulfilled his task and his grateful ruler made him commissariat officer of all forts north of Jammu. He was later made governor of Kishtwar and was given the title of Wazir (minister).[13]
Even though it was a newly conquered region Zorawar had no trouble in keeping the peace; many of the local Rajputs were recruited into his army. In 1835 the nearby region of Paddar was taken from Chamba (now in Himachal Pradesh) in the course of a battle. Paddar later became known for its sapphire mines. But this was a mere sideshow to General Zorawar Singh's more famous expeditions, on which he had already embarked in the previous year.
Ladakh campaigns
To the east of Kishtwar and Kashmir are the snow-clad mountains of the upper
The Rajputs of Jammu and Himachal have traditionally excelled in mountain fighting; therefore Zorawar had no trouble in crossing the mountain ranges and entering Ladakh through the source of the Suru River where his 5000 men defeated an army of local
Alarmed at the gains of the Dogras, the governor of Kashmir, Mehan Singh, incited the Ladakhi chieftains to rebel but Zorawar quickly marched back to the Himalayan valleys and subdued the rebels, now forcing the Raja of Zanskar to also pay a separate tribute to Jammu. But in 1836 Mehan Singh, who was in correspondence with the Lahore durbar, this time instigated the Gyalpo to revolt — Zorawar force-marched his army in ten days to surprise the Ladakhis and forced them to submit. He now built a fort outside Leh and placed there a garrison of 300 men under Dalel Singh — the Gyalpo was deposed to an estate and a Ladakhi general, Ngorub Stanzin, was made King. But the latter did not prove to be loyal hence the Gyalpo was restored to his throne in 1838.
Baltistan campaign
To the northwest of Ladakh, and to the north of Kashmir, lies the region of Baltistan. Muhammad Shah, the son of the ruler of Skardu, Raja Ahmad Shah, fled to Leh and sought the aid of the Gyalpo and Zorawar against his father. But some of the Ladakhi nobles allowed Ahmad Shah to imprison his son and sought his aid in a general rebellion against the Dogras. After defeating the Ladakhi rebels Zorawar invaded Baltistan in the winter of 1839/40 (Petech, Kingdom of ladakh, p. 144, Datta, Ladakh, p. 122 etc. etc.), adding a large contingent of Ladakhis to his army.[16]
The advance brigade of 5,000 under Nidhan Singh lost its way in the cold and snow and was surrounded by the enemy; many soldiers perished from the cold. Then Mehta Basti Ram, a prominent Rajput from Kishtwar, established contact with the main force. On their arrival the Botis of Skardu were defeated and forced to flee. They were chased to the fort of Skardu which was invested by Zorawar for a few days. One night the Dogras scaled the steep mountain behind the fort and after some fighting captured the small fort on its crest. From this position the next day they began firing down at the main fort and forced the Raja to surrender. Zorawar built a fort on the banks of the Indus where he placed a contingent of his soldiers.
After placing Muhammad Shah on the throne for an annual tribute of 7000 rupees, a Dogra contingent under Wazir Lakhpat advanced westwards, conquered the fort of Astor and took its Darad Raja prisoner. However this Raja was tributary to Mehan Singh, the governor of Kashmir, who was alarmed at the Dogra conquests since they only expanded the kingdom of Gulab Singh while not bringing any benefit to the Lahore durbar. His complaint at Lahore was forwarded to Raja Gulab Singh at Jammu and he ordered the Darad Raja to be released.[17]
Tibet expedition and Death
One column under the Ladakhi prince, Nono Sungnam, followed the course of the
The fall of Taklakot finds mention in the report of the Chinese Imperial Resident, Meng Pao, at Lhasa:[18]
On my arrival at Taklakot a force of only about 1,000 local troops could be mustered, which was divided and stationed as guards at different posts. A guard post was quickly established at a strategic pass near Taklakot to stop the invaders, but these local troops were not brave enough to fight off the Shen-Pa (Dogras) and fled at the approach of the invaders. The distance between Central Tibet and Taklakot is several thousand li…because of the cowardice of the local troops; our forces had to withdraw to the foot of the Tsa Mountain near the Mayum Pass. Reinforcements are essential in order to withstand these violent and unruly invaders.
Zorawar and his men now went on pilgrimage to
Owing to intense cold and fatigue, many of the soldiers lost their fingers and toes to frostbite. Mehta Basti Ram writes of men being unable to use weapons effectively due to cold.[21] Others starved to death, while some burnt the wooden stock of their muskets to warm themselves. The Tibetans and their Chinese allies regrouped and advanced to give battle, bypassing the Dogra fort of Chi-T’ang.[17]
Zorawar and his men met them at the Battle of To-yo on 12 December 1841 — in the early exchange of fire the general was wounded in his right shoulder by a matchlock ball.[17] Zorawar was tired of the fighting and said, "Either the Tibetans will take my head and neck, or I shall take it myself (commit suicide)!" Then, shouting Gulab Singh's name, Zorawar said, "The omens are not good!". After he had killed four or five Tibetans, a lance hurled against him thrust right through his chest. He fell to the ground, not uttering a single sound and his sword escaped his hand. Once more the thought occurred to him to seize his sword, but he could not. The Tibetan executioner drew out the lance from Zorawar's chest and also took his sword from the belt. He then cut off Zorawar's head and carried it off. Zorawar Singh's head, hands and ears were cut off and sent to Lhasa authorities.[22][23]
Then the Dogra soldiers lost their way. When the Tibetan infantry also pressed into the entrenchments, the Dogra officers as well as the Ladakhi noblemen became confused. He who could save his life fled, the remainder were killed. A little after noon the battle came to an end.[24]
Legacy
The Zorawar LT is an Indian light tank, named for Zorawar Singh.[25]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1-86064-898-4
- ISBN 978-1-84904-342-7
- ISBN 978-81-7387-186-3.
- ISBN 978-0-8021-9550-0.
- ^ "Army renovates Zorawar Fort in Leh". The Times of India. 13 September 2006.
- ^ "Kashmir: From Amritsar To Agra". Outlook India. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ISBN 978-8128400674.
- ISBN 978-1935501299.
- OCLC 40783274.
- ISBN 978-81-7380-788-6.
- ^ Sukh Dev Singh Charak (1983). General Zorawar Singh. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 14.
- ISBN 978-0-14-306543-2.
And a couple of years later Zorawar Singh, a Dogra Hindu, planted the Sikh flag in the heart of Tibet.
- ^ a b c Cunningham, Alexander (1854). Ladák, physical, statistical, and historical with notices of the surrounding countries. Allen. pp. 10–19, 333–340, 349–354.
- ISBN 978-93-84544-93-5.
- ISBN 9789382652939.
- ISBN 9788173871245.
- ^ a b c Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1983). General Zorawar Singh. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
- ^ Perspectives on South Asian Security by Shanthie Mariey D'Souza, Rajsthree Jetly
- ISBN 9788170622925.
- ^ Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1978). Indian Conquest of the Himalayan Territories: Military Exploits of General Zorawar Singh Dogra. Ajaya.
- ^ H. N. Sinha (1926). Selections from the Nagpur Residency Records. Government of Madhya Pradesh. p. 468.
- ^ H. N. Sinha (1926). Selections from the Nagpur Residency Records. Government of Madhya Pradesh. p. 468. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ A. H. Francke (1926). Antiquities of India Tibet, Part 2, The Chronicles of Ladakh. Superintendent Government Printing, India. p. 133. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ A. H. Francke (1926). Antiquities of India Tibet, Part 2, The Chronicles of Ladakh. Superintendent Government Printing, India. p. 133. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "DRDO light tank 'Zorawar' to be ready for trials by year-end along China border". ET. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
Further reading
- Frederick Drew, The Jummoo & Kashmir territories
- Alexander Cunningham, Ladak
- A. H. Francke, Antiquities of Indian Tibet
- Fisher, Rose, and Huttenback, The Himalayan Battle-ground