English PSSSB Practice 5

Muktsar, literally, means the Pool of Liberation.Sri Muktsar Sahib has a proud heritage.It is known as the last battlefield of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, in 1705 A. D., which proved to be a most decisive conflict in the military history of the Sikhs. The forty Sikh warriors fought to death here against the Mughals under the leadership of tenth Guru. After the war, the city was renamed as Muktsar in their memory and recently the government has renamed it as Sri Muktsar Sahib due to its religious as well as historical importance. Earlier, in 1704, when the Guru Gobind Singh's Army in Anandpur Sahib had run out of provisions, 40 Sikhs from Majha deserted him, where they signed a declaration saying they were no longer the Sikhs of Guru Gobind Singh and he was no longer their guru. Now, those 40 deserters came back to join the Guru's forces, realizing their mistake of deserting him, under the motivation of a woman fighter, Mai Bhago. The Sikhs engaged the mughal forces at Khidrane Di Dhab. Guru Gobind Singh also sent reinforcements, heavily outnumbered they showered arrows from his strategic position on the mound, down upon the imperial army, killing a number of them. The resistance of the Sikhs became fierce. The enemy became restive for want of water. It was not possible for them to reach the lake of Khidrana. As it was semi-desert terrain and the summer heat was reaching its peak, Guru Gobind Singh knew of its importance and based his defences around the water reservoir. The only water they could get was fifteen miles behind them. The tough resistance offered by the Sikhs, and thirst, compelled the mughal army to retreat. Guru Gobind Singh won this last Khalsa battle, which had resulted in heavy casualties. At the end of the battle, when he was looking for survivors, Mai Bhago, who was lying wounded with 22 wounds on her body, told Guru Sahib how the forty deserters had laid down their lives fighting in the battlefield. Mai Bhago had fought by carrying a weapon weighing 11 kilograms. Mai Bhago recovered and remained in the Guru's presence after the Battle of Muktsar. When Guru Gobind Singh, along with his Sikhs, was collecting the dead bodies for cremation, he found one man, named Mahan Singh, still clinging to life. On seeing the Guru, he made an effort to rise; the Guru at once took him in his embrace, and sat down with him. Mahan Singh, tearful and exhausted, asked Guru Gobind Singh to destroy the document disclaiming his being a Sikh of the Guru. Before Mahan Singh died, Guru Gobind Singh took the document and tore it up. This gave "Mukti", meaning freedom, to those 40 Sikhs and hence, the city received its modern-day name Muktsar, where the word "sar" is derived from the word "sarovar", meaning reservoir, with reference to the Kidrana reservoir.