October 17, 1762: A total solar eclipse passed over northern India on Diwali. Ganda Singh, citing various sources, claims it lasted 18 gharis— over seven hours. Modern calculations place it between one and four in the afternoon. It was ‘in the grey light of a sun in total eclipse’ that the Sikhs and the arriving Afghans fought the Battle of Amritsar, ending with the Afghans retreating ignominiously ‘when the sunless day was blacked out by a moonless night.’
On the Battle of Amritsar, Diwali 1762
On the Battle of Amritsar, Diwali 1762
On the Battle of Amritsar, Diwali 1762
October 17, 1762: A total solar eclipse passed over northern India on Diwali. Ganda Singh, citing various sources, claims it lasted 18 gharis— over seven hours. Modern calculations place it between one and four in the afternoon. It was ‘in the grey light of a sun in total eclipse’ that the Sikhs and the arriving Afghans fought the Battle of Amritsar, ending with the Afghans retreating ignominiously ‘when the sunless day was blacked out by a moonless night.’