One of the greatest military geniuses a successful General yet least known warrior in Indian history was General Zorawar Singh. A true legend ,a fiercest warrior a great planner and executioner whose legacy of conquests in the Himalayas shaped Indian frontiers for posterity. For his incredibly stunning victories in Ladakh, Tibet, Baltistan and Skardu General Zorawar Singh has been refereed to by historians as "Conqueror of Ladakh" and the "Napoleon of India". It's because of General Zorawar's conquest of Ladakh India's international border extends till Ladakh to this day.
Zorawar Singh a Dogra Rajput was born in Kahlur in Bilaspur in erstwhile undivided state of Punjab in 1786. As a young boy joined the army of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu . His sincerity and valor impressed Maharaja and with successive conquests was made general. After conquering the hilly region of Kishtwar he was appointed Governor(wazir) of Kishtwar by Maharaja Gulab Singh.Traditionally Dogra Rajputs excelled in mountain warfare negotiating mountain ranges with comfort and the warrior clan formed the bulk of General Zorawar expeditionary force.
Zorawar Singh’s fort, Ladakh
General Zorawar Singh impressive conquests started in 1834 with expansionary military expeditions to Ladakh. During the course of time Leh,Kargil and eventually Ladakh was annexed to the Kingdom of Jammu. In 1840 General Zorawar Singh invaded Baltistan (in modern Pakistan) and after fierce fighting merged the state with Jammu Kingdom. With the conquest of Balti kingdom the central district of Skardu also came under Dogra domain of Jammu. The victory over Baltistan is significant as it is one of the most rugged terrain,situated in the Karakoram range to the south of K2, the world’s second highest mountain.
General Zorawar Singh’s next and the last military expedition was the invasion of western Tibetan region. Sweeping all resistance before them the General captured Gartok in August 1841 and with victory of Taklakot in September 1841 and construction of a fort at a place called Cohi-t’ang, Zorawar’s conquest of western Tibet was complete. It was further observed that it was the interference of the British, in a bid to protect their self-interest that weakened the General's position during his expedition to Lama's territory and ultimately led to his death.On 12th December, 1841 General Zorawar Singh was hit by a bullet on his left shoulder and died at Taklakot .In an operation lasting three and a half months, some 550 miles of Tibetan territory was captured by General Zorawar Singh.
The Tibetans however recognized the valor of General Zorawar Singh and built a memorial at Taklakot in his memory. Tibetans call it “Singh-ba-Chorten” at To-Yo. Postal Department had published a brief biographical note on General Zorawar Singh in the information brochure that was published along with the commemorative postage stamp released on 31.12.2000 to honor a valiant Son of the soil.
No comments:
Post a Comment