# Battle of Achal

The Battle of Achal was fought in Achal, near Batala, in 1785 between the Sukerchakia Misl, supported by the Ramgarhia Misl and Sansar Chand, and the Kanhaiya Misl.

## Background

In 1778, a quarrel arose between Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, Jai Singh Kanhaiya and Haqiqat Singh Kanhaiya. Supported by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Afghans attacked Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and exiled him to the desert of Hansi and Hisar. He set up his headquarters at Tosham.
In January 1784 Haqiqat Singh Kanhaiya and Mahan Singh made a pact to attack and share the wealth, but Maha Singh did it alone. He plundered Jammu for three days and nights, killing thousands of men. The booty was worth than more than one crore. Haqiqat Singh was deeply shocked at this treachery and died soon afterwards. The death of Haqiqat Singh was great loss to Jai Singh. He demanded half of the booty from Maha Singh for Haqiqat Singh's son, Jaimal Singh, which Maha Singh refused. On Diwali in 1784, the Sikh chiefs gathered at Amritsar. Jai Singh Kanhaiya behaved coldly with Maha Singh and refused his attempts to reconcile and called him "dancing boy." Maha Singh took this insult to heart and attacked Kanhaiya's camp outside Amritsar. Jai Singh pursued him. A further engagement took place near Majitha. Jai Singh was forced to seek shelter inside the besieged town. He escaped into Jalandhar and prepared his army for battle against Maha Singh.

## Battle

Maha Singh knew he could not defeat Jai Singh alone, so he invited Raja Sansar Chand Katoch and Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, both enemies of Jai Singh, to join him. Jassa Singh hurried from Tosham at the head of his force, and stopped at Jagraon, where Maha Singh's agents met him to form the plan of action, A Kanhaiya force tried to check Ramgarhias but failed. A battle was fought near Achal, about 4 km from Batala. Jai Singh's heir apparent, Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya, was killed in the engagement. Gurbakhsh Singh's death broke the spirit of his father, who made no further resistance, He burst into tears, emptied his quiver of its arrows and dismounting from his horse exposed himself to enemy fire. Tara Singh and Jaimal Singh took him from the battlefield to a place of safety. Sada Kaur, who was also present, escaped to her fort, Sohian. Jassa Singh Ramgarhia recovered his lost territories and established his headquarters at Batala.

## Aftermath

After the Battle of Achal, Jai Singh Kanhaiya retired to Naushera where he reorganized his force for a fresh struggle. Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and Sansar Chand Katoch occupied their former possessions. Maha Singh remained in the field. Another battle was fought between Maha Singh and Jai Singh Kanhaiya at Naushera. Both sides sustained heavy losses, but Jai Singh Kanhaiya suffered a defeat. He escaped to his fort of Nurpur Maha. Singh pursued him and laid siege to the fort. Maha Singh did not like to stay at a distant place, so he raised the siege and turned homeward. Maha Singh seized Kanhaiya territories worth three lakhs a year.
Sada Kaur, the widow of Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya, found it in the interest of the Kanhaiya Misl to bring about reconciliation with the Sukerchakia Misl. She made up her mind to get her only child, Mehtab Kaur, brothered to Maha Singh's only son, Ranjit Singh. She prevailed upon Jai Singh to approve of her proposal. Then she deputed Amar Singh Kingra to Maha Singh to consider the overture. She learned that Maha Singh's wife Raj Kaur had gone to Jawalamukhi on a pilgrimage to pray for the recovery of Ranjit Singh from smallpox. She immediately went there and persuaded the lady to accept her proposal, In 1786 Mehtab Kaur was married to Ranjit Singh who was only six years old, when the Sukerchakia and Kanhaiya Misls were allied through that matrimony.