Sikh warrior - R3-kaur/Sikh-warriors GitHub Wiki

Hari Singh Nalwa: who was he? As the Governor of Kashmir, Hazara, and Peshawar, Hari Singh Nalwa was a well-liked general in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army. He became well-known for his triumphs against the Afghans and his capacity to rule over a number of areas close to the Afghan border. Nalwa was also essential in keeping the Afghans from entering Punjab through the Khyber Pass, which had for ages been the main entry point for foreign invaders into IndiaNalwa was so dreaded by the Afghan people, according to former Guru Nanak Dev University vice chancellor Dr. S P Singh, that Afghan women would invoke his name to frighten their misbehaving kids.'If you don't stop sobbing, Haria Ragle (Hari Singh Nalwa) will show up,' is a popular theme among moms. He added that Nalwa took control of many regions along the Afghanistan border and the Khyber Pass, preventing the Afghans from making inroads into the northwest frontier. To build a secure empire and protect against repeated incursions by the Afghans, Maharaja Ranjit Singh formed two armies. One of the armies included soldiers from France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Greece, along with modern weaponry. The other army was entrusted to Nalwa, who had already defeated thousands of Hazars, a tribe from Afghanistan, with a smaller force. In recognition of Nalwa's bravery and achievements, the Indian government issued a stamp in his honour in 2013.

Nalwa, a well-known Sikh warrior, fought several battles that led to the loss of Afghan territory, claims historian Dr. Satish K. Kapoor. Nalwa defeated Afghan monarch Kutab-ud-din Khan at the battle of Kasur in 1807 at the age of barely 16. Later, in 1813, he and his commanders triumphed in the battle of Attock against Azim Khan and his brother Dost Mohammad Khan, achieving the first significant Sikh victory over Durrani Pathans. Additionally, Nalwa's army triumphed at the Battle of Peshawar in 1818 and seized Jamrud, a fort at the Khyber Pass's entry to Afghanistan, in 1837. Dr. Kapoor points out that the Afghans were also defeated in battles in Multan, Hazara, Manekera and Kashmir. These victories expanded the Sikh empire and created great fear of Nalwa among the Afghans. Therefore, Nalwa was stationed in Peshawar to guard the border between Afghanistan and Punjab.

Nalwa's military career came to an end with the Battle of Jamrud. Dost Muhammad Khan and his five sons engaged in combat with the Sikh army, which had just 600 troops and little supplies and was vastly outnumbered. Nalwa, who was at the time in Peshawar, hurried to Jamrud to aid the surrounded Sikh army. The Afghan army was unaware of Nalwa's presence and started to withdraw as a result. Nalwa, however, was killed after suffering a serious wounded in the conflict. He gave orders to his soldiers before he died not to inform anybody of his death until they received backup from Lahore. Nalwa had been invited to the Maharaja Ranjit Singh's grandson Nau Nihal Singh's wedding in Lahore before the war. He turned down the offer for fear Dost Muhammad Khan would take advantage of the situation to attack Jamrud while he was abroad. Khan declined an invitation to the wedding despite being invited as well. The northwest border and Peshawar may have joined Afghanistan if Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Nalwa had not seized power in these regions. This may have sparked more Afghan incursions into Delhi and Punjab.

In 1791, Hari Singh was born in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan) into the Uppal family. Sadly, his father Gurdial Singh passed suddenly when he was just seven years old, putting him in the care of his maternal uncle. Hari Singh rose to fame for his courage at a young age after it was said that he killed a tiger while out hunting. He was given the names "Nalwa" and "Bagh Maar" (tiger killer) for this deed. He was abruptly assaulted by the tiger, according to a common legend, and had no time to draw his sword. He made a split-second choice to kill the tiger by holding it by the mouth, pushing it back with his body, and drawing his sword. When Maharaja Ranjit Singh heard this story, he was moved and cried, "Wah Mere Raja Nal Wah!" Interestingly, there are parallels between this tale and the Mahabharata, in which Nala, the Kushwah kingdom's ruler and the son of Veerasena, was similarly known for his courage. The bravery and military planning displayed in Hari Singh Nalwa's narrative should never be forgotten. Indeed, the legacy that this most dreaded Sikh fighter has left behind continues to motivate many.