Around 20 years after the war, the British erected monuments at four of the sites. Budhowal, one of the smaller encounters which ended in a Sikh victory was not commemorated. Similar in style to each other although having their own character, each monument is comprised of a column encircled by a small square garden with a small square flat-roofed caretaker’s hut in one corner. There is little else to remind one of the fierce encounters that took place there. However the scene which met the two armies 150 years ago may not be much different from now. The villages near where the encounters took place remain small as in 1846, the land is flat and the battlefields are prime farming land with corn fields stretching to the horizon. However any entrenchments or fortifications that would have been built long been lost to the farmers plough. British maps interestingly show nullahs (water channels) and some of these still exist today along with new ones leaving natural trenches that would no doubt have been used.
Any traveller to these battlefield sites will have no problem finding the monuments when they reach these villages as the locals are well aware of where the monuments lie. The sheer size and well built nature of the monuments means they are still intact after 150 years despite little interest by the Indian Government although all now require some care and attention at various points.
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Mudki Pictured Left : The Mudki monument just north of the village |
| Ferozeshah The monument at Ferozshah stands in the southwest of the village of Ferozeshah which is itself a little bit off the GT road. The memorial here has a slightly different style, the column and base being triangular in shape but of the same order of length as at Mudki. A space at the base must have held a plaque however it has been replaced with a poor clayd one with "Ferozeshah" written in large letters. The remains of the original plaque is nowhere to be seen. The base of the monument seems to be in slightly better shape with none of the missing bricks and cracks apparent in the mudki one. At Ferozeshah, a Gurdwara now stands proudly next to the monument.The monument actually stands in the southwest corner of the village where the fighting was the fiercest. Locals mention of British visitors coming to visit this monument but they are few and far between.There are said to British graves in Misreewala, a village close to Ferozeshah where some of British forces retired after their failure to break through Sikh lines during the first day of the battle. |
Above : The Ferozeshah monument stands just a few metres away from the local gurdwara |
Budhowal The major encounter at Ferozeshah was followed by a smaller encounter near the town of Budhowal with the Sikh General Ranjodh Singh Majithia gaining a triumph of the British army. A large part of the British baggage train was captured and prisoners were taken. No memorial has been setup at this place by the British. However the sarpanch (headman of the village), whose ancestor fought in the battle has set up a monument, albeit much smaller than the ones at Ferozeshah and Mudki. Next to the monument, a museum which will hold paintings of the battles is being built. Visitors to Budhowal in a year’s time may see the project completed. Although the encounter has taken the name of Budhowal, the memorial and the battle itself took place at Pamal Village, a short distance from budhowal. Budhowal is a short way from Ludhiana from where the visitor can also travel to see the Aliwal battlefield. Pictured left : The local sarpanch (headman) has taken the initiative in setting up a monument at Budhowal.
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Aliwal Pictured Right : The Aliwal monument with the caretakers hut in the background |
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Sabraon The monument, also in the more squat style of the Aliwal structure but made as a column here is reasonable shape however the plaques commemorating the battle at the bottom are again missing. Brickwork at the top of the column is now missing and the plasterwork from the top of the column has come off. However the column is in good shape. Again some of the brickwork at the base is missing. Pictured left : Sabraon monument can be found close to the Harike wetlands bird park.
The final battle of the campaign took place at Sabraon, again adjacent to the Sutlej and a short drive form the Harike Wetlands Park at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas rivers. Erected in 1868, the monument is placed around the area the British lines would have been drawn just prior to the battle, south of the village of Rhodewalla.
Summary
Travelers winding their way through the battle field sites will find it a rewarding experience. Locals are curious about the few outsiders who come to see the monuments and will approach the visitor themselves and volunteer information. It’s well worth engaging in conversation with the elders at the Gurdwaras especially at Mudkee and Sabraon and an interesting hour or two can be spent exchanging views on these historic altercations, the treachery and betrayal shown by the Sikh Generals and the numerous ‘what if’ questions that come to mind. They are well versed in the accounts of the battles and the betrayals that took place on the eve of the end of the Sikh Empire and are proud of the historic location of their villages. This more than makes up for the lack of attention that the Government is paying to these important locations. Rather than adding to the importance of these battlefields in some fashion, what little there is in terms of these monuments is being currently ignored.
All words and pictures by Amarpal Sidhu. Copyright of the author.
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