Himalaya’s Alexander General Zorawar Singh: This was the period of the 1930s, where on one hand the British government was rapidly expanding its empire, while on the other hand the flag of Sikh kings was fluttering everywhere in North India. During this period, Maharaj Gulab Singh got such a commander who, with his bravery and war skills, showed the Dogra Empire its golden period. Yes, here we are talking about General Zorawar Singh Kahluria. Born in 1786 in a Rajput family of Bilaspur (now Himachal Pradesh), this Zorawar Singh Kahluria was later named by the world as ‘Napoleon of India’.
Before joining Jammu Darbar, Zorawar Singh was in the army of Punalat dynasty. His leadership abilities and bold thinking soon caught the attention of Maharaja Gulab Singh. Gulab Singh included him in his army and soon handed over the responsibility of difficult areas like Ladakh and Tibet. After this, in 1834, Zorawar Singh wrote that chapter of history, which wrote the new future of the Dogra state. In fact, Jarawar Singh, who came out with his small army, controlled the area of Zanskar and Ladakh, where no Indian dynasty had ever had permanent power.
At that time Ladakh was ruled by King Tsepal Namgyal. The extremely difficult mountainous terrain and blood-curdling cold acted as a protective shield for this area. Neither the high inaccessible roads of the area nor the snowy terrain could stop the steps of Zorawar Singh, who set out to hoist his flag in Ladakh along with Jammu’s Dogra soldiers, Pahari Rajputs and Balti soldiers. His strategy and fighting skills forced Tsepal Namgyal to surrender. As soon as Raja Namgyal surrendered, Ladakh merged into the Dogra Empire. This was a big political change in the history of Jammu, now the Dogra borders had reached the lap of the Himalayas.
After Ladakh, flag of Dogra rule hoisted in Baltistan
After Ladakh, Zorawar Singh turned his attention towards Baltistan. In 1840 he launched a campaign against Ahmed Shah, the Czar of Gilgit and Baltistan. In this campaign, he conquered many small valleys and took control of strategic passes. This conquest of Baltistan was important not only from military point of view but also commercially. This victory ensured Dogra dominance over the Silk Route and the influence of the Jammu court spread throughout the Himalayan north-west. With time, Zorawar Singh built forts and roads in this area, which were later taken advantage of by the British rulers. The way logistics arrangements were made by building forts in the area under the supervision of Zorawar Singh was an inspiration for any modern military commander of that era.
Before Zorawar, no one had the courage to attack Tibet.
After capturing Ladakh, in 1841 Zorawar Singh moved towards Tibet. This step was probably the boldest step of his life. Till that time no Indian army could even imagine waging a war at such a height. They crossed Mansarovar Lake from Ladakh and entered Tibet via Guge and Rupshu. His army covered a journey of hundreds of miles. Despite the temperature being several degrees below zero, Zorawar Singh’s courage did not break. Initially the Tibetan soldiers could not stand before their power. But later Tibetan and Ching (Chinese) soldiers joined together and counterattacked. Zorawar Singh breathed his last in the battle fought at a place called Toyu Antargur on 12 November 1841. He was surrounded by enemies and kept fighting till his last breath.
Zorawar was called immortal commander and India got a new identity.
After the death of Zorawar Singh, the Tibetan and Dogra armies signed the Ladakh-Tibet Treaty of 1842, which fixed the boundaries between the two. This is the same border line which is still mentioned in historical contexts as the Ladakh border of modern India. Gulab Singh called him the ‘Immortal Commander of the State’ and got memorials established at many places in Ladakh in memory of his bravery. Dogra soldiers brought his body back from Tibet and performed the last rites in Ladakh.
