Dogra conquest of Baltistan
| Dogra conquest of Baltistan (1839-1840) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Dogra conquests | |||||||||
 Skardu fort | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Dogra dynasty | Maqpon kingdom | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Zorawar Singh Mehta Basti Ram Muhammad Shah Nidhan Singh Wazir Lakhpat |
Raja Ahmed Shah Wazir Ghulam Hussain | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 15,000 | 22,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 400 | 500 | ||||||||
| Ahmed Shah surrendered and was taken prisoner, his son Muhammad Shah was made the governer of Skandu under Dogra dynasty | |||||||||
Dogra conquest of Baltistan was a military campaign led by Dogra Rajput General Zorawar Singh against Raja Ahmed Shah of Skardu, where Raja Ahmed Shah surrendered the fort of Skardu to Zorawar Singh.[1][2]
Background[edit]
Muhammad Shah, the son of Raja Ahmed Shah, fled to Leh and sought the aid of Zorawar Singh to defeat his father. Ahmed Shah sent some Ladakhi rebels to capture Muhammad Shah but Zorawar Singh defeated them.[3][2]
Battle[edit]
After defeating the Ladakhi rebels Zorawar Singh marched towards Baltistan with an army of 15,000 Dogras in late 1839. Zorawar Singh sent 5000 men under Nidhan Singh but they lost their way in the mountains, many soldiers perished from cold. But after some days Mehta Basti Ram established their contact with main army.[4] Zorawar Singh defeated Ahmed Shah's forces and Botis at Wanko Pass and Thano Kun, where the defeated Botis fled towards the fort of Skardu. Zorawar Singh, on behalf of Dogra dynasty laid a siege on the fort of Skardu, which lasted for a few days. One night the Dogras climbed a steep mountain and from that position started firing down and forced Ahmed Shah to surrender.[5][1]
Aftermath[edit]
Ahmed Shah was taken prisoner and his kingdom became a part of Dogra dynasty. Muhammad Shah, the son of Ahmed Shah was made the governer of Skardu, who promised to pay 7000 rupees annual tribute to Dogras.[4][3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1978). Indian Conquest of the Himalayan Territories: Military Exploits of General Zorawar Singh Dogra. Ajaya.
- ^ a b Datta, Chaman Lal (1984). General Zorawar Singh, His Life and Achievements in Ladakh, Baltistan, and Tibet. Deep & Deep Publications.
- ^ a b Charak, Prof Sukhdev Singh (2016-09-08). GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN 978-81-230-2648-0.
- ^ a b Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1983). General Zorawar Singh. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
- ^ Datta, Chaman Lal (1973). Ladakh and Western Himalayan Politics, 1819-1848: The Dogra Conquest of Ladakh, Baltistan, and West Tibet, and Reactions of the Other Powers. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. ISBN 978-0-88386-204-9.