Fight of the sannyasis at Thanesar

01The fair at Kurukshetra

Thanesar, on the field of Kurukshetra, drew great crowds at the eclipse and other holy days, when pilgrims bathed in its tank and gave alms to the ascetics who sat on its banks. In April 1567 Akbar was passing through on his way to put down the rising of the Uzbek nobles in the east. Abul Fazl and Badauni both record that two bands of sannyasis were then quarrelling over the best place at the tank, and that they asked the emperor to let them settle it by fighting.

02The fight

They fought first with swords, then with bows and stones. The band the Akbarnama calls the Puris was the smaller and began to give way. Akbar then sent some of his own men to help them, and the other band was driven off with many killed. The two chroniclers tell the story as a spectacle of the emperor’s camp. It is also one of the earliest records of armed bands among the Dashanami sannyasis, who later fought as soldiers in the wars of the 18th century.