After leaving
Anandpur Sahib,
Guru Gobind Singh and his Sikhs faced a desperate situation. They were surrounded by enemies—Mughal forces behind them and the hill chiefs who had betrayed them on their left. The Guru and his followers kept moving towards
Chamkaur, but the Mughal army was fast approaching. Realizing the danger, the Guru halted near Chamkaur and sent two Sikhs into the village to find a safe place to stay. They found a small, two-story mud house with a large open courtyard. The house had two owners, and one of them offered his portion for shelter. Without delay,
Guru Gobind Singh and his men quickly entered the house on the evening of 21 December 1704, just before the enemy could reach them. By the next morning, 22 December, the Mughals had completely surrounded the house.
Guru Gobind Singh divided his men into three groups—one was assigned to guard the main entrance, another took positions in the upper story to observe enemy movements, and the rest defended the surrounding walls to prevent the enemy from climbing over. Before attacking, the Mughal commanders sent a messenger to persuade the Guru to surrender. They warned him that he was not fighting weak and disorganized hill chiefs anymore but the mighty Mughal Empire, ruled by Aurangzeb, who was known as "the king of kings" and "the protector of the world." They demanded that Guru Gobind Singh stop fighting, submit to
Aurangzeb, and convert to Islam. When the messenger delivered this message, Ajit Singh, could not tolerate the insult. He immediately drew his sword and warned the messenger that if he spoke another word, he would cut him into pieces. Enraged, the messenger returned to the Mughal camp with this defiant reply. Soon after, the battle began. The Sikhs, dressed in their new uniforms prescribed by the Guru, stood firm despite being heavily outnumbered. The Mughals attacked with cannons and muskets, while the Sikhs responded with arrows and gunfire from behind the walls, windows, rooftops, and even through small gaps in the doors. The sound of gunfire and the clash of weapons filled the air as the Sikhs bravely defended themselves. The Mughal soldiers were struck down one after another, but the Sikhs also suffered heavy losses.
Guru Gobind Singh later described the battle in a letter to
Aurangzeb, saying that his small group of warriors had fought against thousands who had broken their oaths. He personally shot an arrow at Nahar Khan, a Mughal officer, forcing him to retreat. Many other Mughal leaders also fled from the battlefield, proving that their earlier boasts were empty. As the battle raged on, Guru Gobind Singh watched his men fight to their last breath. Ajit Singh, led a charge against the enemy, cutting down many soldiers before he was eventually overwhelmed and killed. His Younger brother,
Jujhar Singh, who was still in his early teens, also fought bravely, refusing to back down despite facing trained soldiers. One by one, the Sikhs fell, their bodies piling up in the courtyard and around the house. The battlefield was covered in blood, with severed heads and limbs scattered like broken toys. The sun set early on that short winter day, and by nightfall, only five Sikhs remained alive with Guru Gobind Singh. As
Guru Gobind Singh reflected on the day's sacrifices, the five surviving Sikhs made a bold decision. They declared themselves the Guru and ordered him to escape for the survival of the Khalsa. Obeying their command, he left at midnight with three Sikhs, while Sant Singh, who resembled him, stayed behind wearing the Guru’s clothes. When the enemy attacked again, they killed Sant Singh, believing him to be the Guru. This sacrifice allowed Guru Gobind Singh to escape, making the Battle of Chamkaur a symbol of Sikh bravery and resilience. == Legacy ==