Thank you for this very helpful visualisation. Mapping out the battle and conquests really brings out how geostrategically planned out the campaigns were. In my view, the planning for these campaigns might have gone on for a while, possibly even beginning in Nanded. In terms of cartographic representation, it would be interesting to juxtapose this with a satellite map. These Sikh campaigns were so devastating for the Mughal empire for multiple reasons : one that the region conquered by the Khalsa Army was all plains territory wedged between the Rajputana deserts and the Himalayas. It cut off north central India from the Silk Road economy, in addition to land tax revenues, and also perhaps more importantly the mercenary markets of Central Asia. An interesting historical correlation is that the East India Company’s trading rights, which had revoked by Aurangzeb after a brief war (Child’s War), were reinstated by Farrukhaiyyar after the shock of the Sikh campaigns. No doubt the loss of northern land and trade revenues was a factor.
One of the most intriguing part of Banda Singh’s adventures & the following advent of Sikh Misls is the legitimacy of it all. The legitimacy in the sense that was this what was desired of him by the Guru himself ?!? Guru Gobind Singh Ji had befriended Bahadur Shah & the latter played host to him in Nanded. Guru Sahb even helped Bahadur Shah in the war of succession by sending a Sikh contingent to fight alongside Bahadur Shah in the Battle of Jajua. So when We see Banda Singh in conflict with Bahadur Shah.. it raises a few questions to Banda’s personal ambitions vis a vis the Guru’s directives ?!?
Thank you for this very helpful visualisation. Mapping out the battle and conquests really brings out how geostrategically planned out the campaigns were. In my view, the planning for these campaigns might have gone on for a while, possibly even beginning in Nanded. In terms of cartographic representation, it would be interesting to juxtapose this with a satellite map. These Sikh campaigns were so devastating for the Mughal empire for multiple reasons : one that the region conquered by the Khalsa Army was all plains territory wedged between the Rajputana deserts and the Himalayas. It cut off north central India from the Silk Road economy, in addition to land tax revenues, and also perhaps more importantly the mercenary markets of Central Asia. An interesting historical correlation is that the East India Company’s trading rights, which had revoked by Aurangzeb after a brief war (Child’s War), were reinstated by Farrukhaiyyar after the shock of the Sikh campaigns. No doubt the loss of northern land and trade revenues was a factor.
Thank you once again. Hope for more soon.
Please can you do the same for the entire misl period? Starting right from 1716 all the way to the establishment of Sikh Empire
One of the most intriguing part of Banda Singh’s adventures & the following advent of Sikh Misls is the legitimacy of it all. The legitimacy in the sense that was this what was desired of him by the Guru himself ?!? Guru Gobind Singh Ji had befriended Bahadur Shah & the latter played host to him in Nanded. Guru Sahb even helped Bahadur Shah in the war of succession by sending a Sikh contingent to fight alongside Bahadur Shah in the Battle of Jajua. So when We see Banda Singh in conflict with Bahadur Shah.. it raises a few questions to Banda’s personal ambitions vis a vis the Guru’s directives ?!?