Dogra conquest of Baltistan (1839-1840)

Map showing Dogra conquest of Baltistan in 1840
Date1839-1840
Location
Baltistan
Result Dogra Victory
Territorial
changes		 Baltistan becomes a part of Dogra dynasty
Belligerents
Dogra dynasty Maqpon kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Zorawar Singh
Mehta Basti Ram
Muhammad Shah
Nidhan Singh
Wazir Lakhpat		 Raja Ahmed Shah  Surrendered
Wazir Gulam Hasan  †
Wazir Sultan Beg  †
Strength
15,000 13,000
Casualties and losses
400 2,000
Ahmed Shah surrendered and was taken prisoner, his son Muhammad Shah was made the governer of Skardu under Dogra dynasty.

The Dogra conquest of Baltistan (1839-40) was a military campaign led by a Dogra commander, Gen. Zorawar Singh. It resulted in the surrender of Raja Ahmed Shah of the Maqpon Dynasty.[1][2]

Background

Muhammad Shah, the son of Raja Ahmed Shah of Maqpon, fled to Leh and sought the aid of Zorawar Singh to defeat his father. Ahmed Shah sent some Ladakhi rebels to capture Muhammad Shah but Zorawar Singh defeated them.[3][4]

Battle

After defeating the Ladakhi rebels Zorawar Singh marched towards Baltistan with an army of 15,000 Dogras in late 1839. Zorawar Singh sent 5000 men under Nidhan Singh but they lost their way in the mountains, many soldiers perished from cold. But after some days Mehta Basti Ram established their contact with main army. Zorawar Singh defeated Ahmed Shah's forces and Botis at Wanko Pass and a decisive victory at battle of Thamo khon, where the defeated Botis fled towards the fort of Skardu.[5][1][6]

Zorawar Singh laid a siege on the fort of Skardu, which lasted for a few days. One night the Dogras climbed a steep mountain and from that position started firing down and forced Ahmed Shah to surrender.[7][8]

Aftermath

Ahmed Shah was taken prisoner and his kingdom became a part of Dogra dynasty. Muhammad Shah, the son of Ahmed Shah was made the governer of Skardu, who promised to pay 7000 rupees annual tribute to Dogras.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Kaul, Shridhar; Kaul, H. N. (1992). Ladakh Through the Ages, Towards a New Identity. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-85182-75-9.
  2. ^ Cunningham, Sir Alexander (1998). Ladák, Physical, Statistical, and Historical, with Notices of the Surrounding Countries. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-1296-9.
  3. ^ Sehgal, Narender (2013-01-01). A State In Turbulence Jammu & Kashmir: A State In Turbulence Jammu & Kashmir by Narender Sehgal: A State in Turbulence Jammu & Kashmir - Unraveling the Complexities. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-8430-242-4.
  4. ^ Hāṇḍā, Omacanda (2001). Buddhist Western Himalaya: A politico-religious history. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-124-5.
  5. ^ Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1978). Indian Conquest of the Himalayan Territories: Military Exploits of General Zorawar Singh Dogra. Ajaya.
  6. ^ Kaul, Shridhar; Kaul, H. N. (1992). Ladakh Through the Ages, Towards a New Identity. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-85182-75-9.
  7. ^ Afridi, Banat Gul (1988). Baltistan in History. Emjay Books International.
  8. ^ Charak, Prof Sukhdev Singh (2016-09-08). GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN 978-81-230-2648-0.
  9. ^ Hāṇḍā, Omacanda (2001). Buddhist Western Himalaya: A politico-religious history. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-124-5.
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