1 Early Struggles of the Khdlsa. 55
2 chieftain, and a Muhammadan noble named Zin
3 Khan as the governors respectively of Lahore and
4 Sirhind.
5 The renewed activity of the Sikhs seriously
6 alarmed Khwaja Obaid, and with a strong force he
7 marched to attack Gujranwala, where the Sikhs had
8 taken up a strong position. A sharp encounter
9 resulted in the complete rout of the Muhammadan
10 troops, and the Durani chief was forced to barricade
11 himself in Lahore. The news of the disturbance
12 reached Kabul, and the Shah at once returned to
13 the Punjab. Uniting with Zin Khan, who was
14 already marching . to the assistance of Khwaja
15 Obaid, he set out in pursuit of the Sikhs, who,
16 following their usual tactics, withdrew in the
17 direction of the hills, to avoid, if possible, a pitched
18 battle. In this, however, they were unsuccessful.
19 Moving with great rapidity, the Afghans came up
20 with them near Batala, and forced them to give
21 battle. The Sikhs were completely taken by sur-
22 prise, and although they made a desperate fight,
23 were defeated with the loss of 20,000 men. Ala
24 Singh, a Patiala chieftain, and the foremost of the
25 Sikh leaders, was amongst the prisoners who fell into
26 the hands of Ahmad Shah, and a ransom of five
27 lakhs of rupees Was demanded for his release. With
28 great difficulty the money was raised, and the Shah,
29 in token of his admiration for Ala Singh's valour,
30 bestowed upon him a robe of honour and the title of
31 Raja. Before returning to Afghanistan, the Shah
32 again sacked Amritsar, and caused the Golden
33 Temple to be blown up with gunpowder.