All about the Battle of Saragarhi.
                     ALL ABOUT THE 
BATTLE OF 
SARAGARHI
BATTLE OF SARAGARHI
The Battle of Saragarhi occurred on 12 September 
1897 during the Tirah Campaign and was fought 
between 10,000 Orakzai and Afghan tribesmen and 
just 21 soldiers of the 4th Battalion of the British 
India’s Sikh Regiment.
edtimes.com
TIRAH CAMPAIGN
After the fall of Saragarhi, forts Lockhart and Gulistan 
continued their defence until reinforcements could 
arrive from Hangu to clear the tribesmen. The Kohat 
Field Force of just over 34,000 men under General 
Yeatman-Biggs undertook the Tirah campaign, one of 
retribution, days later in response to the Pathan 
attacks.
todayifoundout.com
SARAGARHI
Saragarhi was a small village in the border district of 
Kohat, situated in present-day Pakistan. On 20 April 
1894, the 36th Sikhs of the British Indian Army was 
created, under the command of Colonel J. Cook. It was 
entirely composed of Jat Sikhs.
dailypioneer.com
WEAPONS USED
The weapons given and used by the Indian troops 
were of lower grade as compared to British and this 
was purposely done after the 1857 rebellion by 
Indians to be able to control any further uprising. 
Afghans used the original and copy of Martini-Henry 
rifles, which was copied on a large scale by their 
gunsmiths.
ststsworld.com
FOUGHT UNTIL THEIR LAST BREATH
The Sikh soldiers fought bravely and they fought until 
they lost their last breaths. Even after a hefty number 
of soldiers in the Pashtun army, after approximately 
9-12 hours, there were still 10 Sikh solders left, 
fighting bravely.
tabloidxo.com
IMPACT
The Battle of Saragarhi had an impact that Queen 
Victoria of the British Empire praised the brave Sikh 
soldiers for their valiancy and that ‘21 vs. 10,000’ is 
no exaggeration.
newsopedia.com
SARAGARHI DAY
Saragarhi Day, is a Sikh military commemoration day 
celebrated on 12 September every year to 
commemorate The Battle of Saragarhi. All units of the 
Sikh Regiment celebrate Saragarhi Day every year as 
the Regimental Battle Honors Day.
gov.uk
ORDER OF MERIT
The 21 Sikh non-commissioned offi cers and soldiers 
who died in the Battle of Saragarhi were posthumously 
awarded the Indian Order of Merit, at that time the 
highest gallantry award which an Indian soldier could 
receive. The award is equivalent to today's Param Vir 
Chakra awarded by the President of India.
LEGACY
The epic poem Khalsa Bahadur is in memory of the 
Sikhs who died at Saragarhi. The Indian military, in 
particular the Indian Army, has been pushing for the 
battle to be taught in India's schools. They want it 
taught due to the heroism shown by the Indian 
soldiers to act as inspiration for young children