Draft:Battle of Ladakh (1842)

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The Battle of Ladakh (1842) was one of the major engagements between the Dogra dynasty under the Sikh Empire against the Tibetans under the Qing dynasty. The battle was fought on September 6, 1842 and ended as a Sikh victory, resulting in the Sikh Empire taking control of Ladakh.[1]

Battle of Ladakh (1842)
Part of Dogra–Tibetan war
Location
Ladakh, India
Result

Sikh Victory[2]

  • Tibetan attack on Ladakh repulsed.
  • Sikh Empire annexes Ladakh[3]
Territorial
changes		 Sikh Empire regains control over all of Ladakh[4]
Belligerents

Sikh Empire

Qing Empire

Commanders and leaders
Wazir Lakhpat
Diwan Hari Chand		 Tibetan General Ragasha  †[5]
Strength
Unknown Unknown, but larger.[6]
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

Background[edit]

The Dogras had invaded Tibet in the Dogra–Tibetan war under the suizerenity of the Sikh Empire, however lost their general, Zorawar Singh in a battle. Encouraged by the victory, the Tibetans would go on to invade Ladakh. The leader of the Dogra dynasty, Gulab Singh immediately sent relief forces and reinforcements, which included Sikh and Dogra troops.[7][8]

Battle[edit]

The Battle took place on September 6, 1842. The Tibetans would invade Ladakh under the command of General Ragasha. The Tibetans decided upon a night attack, however were found out and could not do any major damage, instead they were pushed back.[9] The Tibetans took shelter in a fortification, which was later attacked by the Dogras but had to withdraw. After four days, there was no clear victor. The Dogras decided to flood the Tibetan camp which was situated in a low level valley, after three days, the Tibetan camps were successfully flooded and had to be abandoned. When the Tibetans fled, the Dogras led several attacks and Wazir Mustaddi were sent to negotiate a truce, the Tibetan men came to the Dogra camped but were made prisoners.[10] Among the seized, Tibetan General Ragasha was killed as an act of vengeance for Zorawar Singh.[11] Another battle took place where the Khalsa (Dogras) repulsed the Tibetans, many of the Tibetans being killed.[12][13]

Aftermath[edit]

Upon hearing of this struggle, Raja Gulab Singh had sent 4,000 reinforcements, however, upon hearing of the victory at Ladakh, they had halted their march. Raja Gulab Singh himself arrived in Leh shortly after, building a new fort in Leh, replacing the old one.[15] Gulab Singh also sent Vakils (agents) to negotiate peace treaties with the Tibetan chiefs.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ SUKHDEV SINGH CHARAK. GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH.
  2. ^ Francke, August Hermann (1998). A History of Western Tibet: One of the Unknown Empires (illustrated, revised ed.). Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 161. ISBN 9788120813946.
  3. ^ "General Zorawar Singh".
  4. ^ "General Zorawar Singh".
  5. ^ "General Zorawar Singh".
  6. ^ "General Zorawar Singh".
  7. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20181123065805/http://pahar.in/mountains/Books%20and%20Articles/Indian%20Subcontinent/1961%20Gulab%20Singh%20and%20Creation%20of%20Dogra%20State%20of%20Jammu%20Kashmir%20and%20Ladakh%20by%20Huttenback%20from%20J%20Asian%20Studies%20v20%20s.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2024-04-24. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ Francke, August Hermann (1995). A history of Western Tibet : one of the unknown empires. Public Resource. New Delhi : Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-1043-9.
  9. ^ SUKHDEV SINGH CHARAK. GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH.
  10. ^ SUKHDEV SINGH CHARAK. GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH.
  11. ^ SUKHDEV SINGH CHARAK. GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH.
  12. ^ Duggal, Kartar Singh (2001). Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the last to lay arms. Internet Archive. New Delhi : Abhinav Publications. ISBN 978-81-7017-410-3.
  13. ^ SUKHDEV SINGH CHARAK. GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH.
  14. ^ "General Zorawar Singh".
  15. ^ SUKHDEV SINGH CHARAK. GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH.
  16. ^ SUKHDEV SINGH CHARAK. GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH.
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