Cite
MLA
“Battle of the Ravi Ford.” Hindu History, 2026, https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/battle-of-the-ravi-ford-1762/. Accessed .
APA
Hindu History. (2026). Battle of the Ravi Ford. Retrieved , from https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/battle-of-the-ravi-ford-1762/
Abdali beat off the Sikh attacks and got his army across the river, but left Punjab without having subdued them.
01Harried to the river
Abdali’s sixth invasion in 1762 brought the Vadda Ghallughara and the destruction of the Harmandir Sahib, but through the year the Sikhs gathered again. In October they fought him near Amritsar on the day of Diwali. By December the Shah had decided to return to Kabul. As his army began to cross the Ravi, the Sikh horsemen closed in and started cutting out pack animals and stragglers from the baggage train on the near bank.
02The Shah’s charge
Abdali held his own guard on the bank and did not move until most of his army was across. The Sikhs grew bolder and rode up close enough to fire their matchlocks into his camp. On 12 December, after the afternoon prayer, the Shah mounted and charged at the head of his guard with drawn swords. The Sikhs gave way, as was their practice against a heavy charge, and he did not follow them. He crossed the river and left Punjab.
Abdali held the field, but the Sikhs held Punjab. Within two years they took Sirhind and Lahore, and his later invasions never recovered the province.
