Gurdwara Shaheedan, Fatehsar, Gujrat, where Sikhs got 17,000 Hindu Girls released from Durranis and sent to their homes
Ahmed Shah Durrani became king of Afghanistan after the death of Nadir Shah. His penchant to raid, loot and plunder was irresistible. He raided India eight times from 1748 to1767. (1) In first invasion on India in 1748 he was defeated at Manupur. (2 & 3) He raided second time (1749) to avenge the defeat and took over the control of west of Indus.
In Third Invasion (1752) Adina the Subedar of Lahore aided by Sikhs and Adina beg Lahore and Multan were ceded to him. In fourth invasion (1955) he was defeated by the Sikhs at the battle of Sabzavar but invaded again along with his son Timur in 1756 at the invitation of Mughlani Begum wife of Mir Mannu and ransacked and plundered Lahore, Sirhind, Delhi, Mathura, Vrindavan and Agra where he took women slaves including the daughters of late Mohammad Shah and Almgir II along with 17,000 girls from the towns of Mathura Vrindavan and Agra (4) Sikhs along with troops of Adina Beg fought together against Afghans at Hoshiarpur and Sikhs defeated and captured 20,000 horsemen of Timur Shah Durrani. Sikhs then followed the retreating Durrani forces, defeated them and got released the captured 17,000 girls and women earlier captured from Mathura, Vrindavan, Agra and Delhi and arranged to send them each to their homes. This release took place at Gujrat now in Pakistan, 15 kilometres from Wazirabad. Number of Sikhs laid down their lives where this battle took place. Shahidi Gurdwara Fatehsar commemorated the battle and release of the girls and women.
This Gurdwara existed in eighty century but was first taken over by Sanyasis and then by Udasis. Gradually the Hindu rituals and idol worship was also started in this Sikh Gurdwara and it was converted into a Shiv Mandir. This however, had to be vacated in 1947 after which its fate is not known. Guru Hargobind Sahib also visited this site while returning from Kashmir and went to Wazirabad from this place. Gurdwara Damdama Sahib and Gurdwara Dhaki Darwaza Sixth Guru commemorated his visit to the place. Gurdwara Shaheedan Fatehsar was 400 karam from Gurdwara Damdama Sahib Sixth Guru. (5). Peeved at this release of girls, Durrani attacked the Sikhs in 1762 with very large forces with an aim to eliminate them and killed over 30,000 Sikhs in Ghalugharas. Sikhs however, did not allow Durrani even to cross Lahore when they attacked him and taken Lahore back. Do the Hindu brethren remember the great sacrifices of the Sikhs to get their girls released from Durrani Forces and ensuring them that they reach their homes back.
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