Reports about the
Sikhs reappearing and winning battles in
Panjab kept arriving at the Delhi court, causing great worry among Emperor
Farrukh Siyar and his ministers. Meanwhile, the Governor of
Lahore,
Abd-us-Samad Khan, did nothing about the situation. Instead, he moved south to the
Lakhi Jungle to deal with a rebellion by the
Bhatti Zamindars, likely to avoid clashing with
Banda Singh Bahadur. On March 20, 1715, the Emperor sharply rebuked him and ordered several nobles, including
Qamr-ud-Din Khan, Afrasiyab Khan, Muzaffar Khan, Raja Udet Singh Bundela, Raja Gopal Singh Bhadauriya, and many others from both Hindu and Muslim communities, to march with their forces to Punjab to reinforce Abd-us-Samad Khan's campaign against the Sikhs. The Emperor also sent orders to various local military officials in
Panjab to join the effort. Responding to these commands, Mirza Ahmad Khan, the Faujdar of
Gujrat, gathered a large group of armed Sayyeds; Iradatmand Khan, the Faujdar of
Eminabad, Nur Muhammad Khan from
Aurangabad and Shaikh Muhammad Dayam from
Batala, Sayyed Hafeez Ali Khan from
Haibatpur, Suhrab Khan from
Kalanaur, Raja Bhim Singh from Katoch; and Har Deva, son of Raja Dhrub Deva of
Jasrota, assembled their troops in
Lahore. At the same time, Arif Beg Khan, the Deputy Governor of
Lahore, left the city and set up camp near
Shah Ganj, likely waiting for
Abd-us-Samad Khan to return from the south.
Banda Singh Bahadur was well aware of the buildup in
Lahore. In response, he quickly decided to construct a basic mud barrier at a small village named Kat Mirza Jan, located between
Kalanaur and
Batala. However, before his fortification was fully complete, a united force of local military leaders, commanded by
Abd-us-Samad Khan and his deputy, Arif Beg, launched an attack on the Sikhs. According to the account in the Siyar-ul-Mutakherin,
Banda Singh held his ground in a manner that amazed everyone; he fought so courageously that he nearly defeated the enemy’s main general. Although he was relentlessly chased, he managed to retreat from one position to another, much like a wild animal darting through dense woods, suffering heavy losses while also inflicting serious damage on his pursuers.
Khafi Khan similarly notes that the Sikhs battled with such ferocity that they almost overwhelmed the opposing forces on several occasions. Lacking a secure defensive position, however, they eventually had no choice but to abandon their posts and withdraw to
Gurdaspur. After retreating, the Sikhs took shelter in a ruined village called
Gurdas Nangal. This location lies about one mile west of today's Gurdas Nangal village, four miles west of
Gurdaspur, and within about a mile of the villages
Nawanpind,
Parowal,
Rajputan,
Jattan, and
Kalianpur. Because the area lacked proper fortifications, they used the enclosed compound of Bhai Duni Chand for protection. Fortunately, this enclosure had a strong, massive wall and was large enough to hold all of Banda Singh’s men. Determined to defend his people,
Banda Singh worked to strengthen the defenses and gather supplies of food and ammunition. He dug a moat around the enclosure using water from a nearby canal and diverted water from the Imperial Canal, known as the Shahi Nahar, along with other small streams flowing from the hills, to create a muddy barrier that made it difficult for enemy soldiers or horses to approach. On April 17, 1715, Emperor
Farrukh Siyar received reports from Delhi that
Abd-us-Samad Khan had tracked the Sikhs to this new position, and that his officers were busy digging trenches and building mounds for a siege. The Emperor then instructed Itmad-ud-Daula to order
Abd-us-Samad Khan to either kill or imprison the Sikh chief and his followers. When Abd-us-Samad Khan and his allies finally arrived at Gurdas Nangal, many Sikhs were out in the surrounding villages gathering supplies. A significant number of these men were captured by the Imperial troops, who were combing the countryside in search of them, and they were brought back to the camp and executed with extreme cruelty and indignity. The
Sikhs enclosure was quickly cut off by the enemy, who maintained such a tight blockade that not even a single blade of grass or kernel of corn could enter. At intervals,
Abd-us-Samad Khan and his son
Zakariya Khan, leading several thousand soldiers along with allied forces, tried to breach the Sikh defenses. However, these assaults were repelled by just a small number of Sikhs, whose vigorous defense left the attackers frustrated. Mohammad Qasim, writing in the service of Arif Beg Khan, described how, two or three times a day, groups of around forty or fifty Sikhs would leave the safety of their enclosure to collect grass for their cattle. When the enemy forces moved to intercept them, the Sikhs would launch a swift counterattack using arrows, muskets, and small swords before disappearing back into their shelter. The attackers were so intimidated by the Sikhs and the reputed sorcery of their chief that they even prayed for
Banda Singh to flee. These daring sorties and the progress of the siege were reported to the Emperor in a letter received in
Delhi on 30 April 1715. Realizing that no fewer than thirty thousand men were needed to stop the Sikhs from breaking out,
Abd-us-Samad Khan welcomed the reinforcements sent by Qamr-ud-Din. When the siege line was pushed close enough for cannon fire to reach the fortress, the task of completely encircling it was divided among the commanders:
Abd-us-Samad Khan took one side,
Qamr-ud-Din Khan and
Zakariya Khan covered two sides, while Faujdars and
Zamindars secured the fourth side. To ensure a coordinated effort, their tents were pitched close together and connected by ropes, forming a continuous barrier around the fort. ==Siege==