Battle of Gujrat (1797)

VictorSikh sardarsSahib Singh Bhangi, Milkha Singh and others, raised by Bedi Ram Singh

1797vs

Durrani governor of RohtasAhmad Khan Shahanchibashi

Shah Zaman had left Ahmad Khan Shahanchibashi at Rohtas to hold the land between the Jhelum and the Indus. When he marched on the Sikh chiefs of Gujrat, they gathered and broke his army.

Date: 1797Where: Gujrat, between the Jhelum and the Chenab (now in Pakistan)Type: Battle

1 min read WhatsApp

Cite

MLA

“Battle of Gujrat (1797).” Hindu History, 2026, https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/battle-of-gujrat-1797/. Accessed .

APA

Hindu History. (2026). Battle of Gujrat (1797). Retrieved , from https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/battle-of-gujrat-1797/

Result

The Afghan governor was defeated near Gujrat and his camp was plundered.

01The governor left behind

Shah Zaman hurried back to Kabul early in 1797 to deal with his brother Mahmud. His man at Rohtas, Ahmad Khan Shahanchibashi, was told to stop the Sikh chiefs from returning to their lands west of the Chenab. Sahib Singh Bhangi held Gujrat and Milkha Singh had pushed as far as Rawalpindi. When a local chief, Hayat Khan, rose against Sahib Singh, the governor crossed the Jhelum to finish the Sikhs off.

02The call to arms

Sikh tradition remembers that Bedi Ram Singh of Kotli in the Sialkot country called the Khalsa to a dharam yudh against the governor’s excesses, and the sardars of the doab joined Sahib Singh. They met the Afghans near Gujrat and routed them, taking their baggage. Rohtas itself stayed in Durrani hands for the moment, but the Afghans no longer rode freely east of the Jhelum.

Why it matters

With Amritsar the same winter, Gujrat undid the gains of Shah Zaman’s third invasion.

01The governor left behind

02The call to arms

Places near the battlefield 1

Gujranwala