NADAUN, BATTLE OF, fought on 20 March 1691, was a significant conflict between an imperial expeditionary force, supported by Raja Kirpal Chand of Kangra and Raja Dyal of Bijharval in the Sivalik Hills, and several neighboring chieftains, who had the backing of Guru Gobind Singh. The hill barons, taking advantage of Emperor Aurangzeb’s preoccupation with the Maratha insurgency in the South, had failed to pay their annual tributes to the imperial treasury. Early in 1691, orders were issued to Hifzullah Khan, also known as Miari Khan, the Governor of Jammu, to recover the arrears. Miari Khan dispatched a punitive force led by Alif Khan.
Two of the chieftains, Raja Kirpal Chand and Raja Dyal, submitted without resistance and even aligned themselves with Alif Khan. Raja Bhim Chand of Kahlur (Bilaspur), who rallied the remaining rulers to resist, sought help from Guru Gobind Singh. The Guru responded by joining the effort with a group of his chosen Sikhs. The two armies clashed at Nadaun on the left bank of the River Beas, located 32 km southeast of Kangra and 12 km from the temple town of Jawalamukhi. Guru Gobind Singh recounted the battle in his autobiographical poem, Bachitra Natak. According to his account, as the enemy, led by Dyal and Kirpal, advanced, a fierce battle broke out but was resolved quickly.
Guru Gobind Singh wrote: “The Almighty God hastened the end of the fight and the opposing host was pushed back into the river… Alif Khan fled in utter disarray, leaving his camp to take care of itself.”
Gurdwara Patshahi Dasvin, located on the west bank of the River Beas, commemorates this battle. The sanctum, a square room measuring 6 meters with doors on all four sides, is topped by a dome with a brass pinnacle. The Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a raised platform inside. The current structure was constructed in 1929 by Rai Bahadur Baisakha Singh. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which took control of the shrine in 1935, now administers it through a local committee.
References:
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Bachitra Natak.
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Saina Pat, Sri Gur Sobha (ed. Ganda Singh), Patiala, 1967.
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Kuir Singh, Gurbilas Patshahi 10 (ed. Shamsher Singh Ashok), Patiala, 1968.
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Seva Singh, Shahid Bilas (ed. Giani Garja Singh), Ludhiana, 1961.
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Gian Singh, Giani, Twarikh Guru Khalsa [Reprint], Patiala, 1970.
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Padam, Piara Singh and Giani Garja Singh, eds., Guru Kian Sakhian
