Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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who won for the Punjab the envied title of "the land of soldiers"; who
alone can boast of having erected a "bulwark of defence against foreign
aggression", the tide of which had run its prosperous course for the
preceding eight hundred years; and to whom all other people of
Northern India in general, and of the Panjab in particular, owe a deep
debt of gratitude."35*
Gupta's conclusion is supported by indirect evidence. The Sikh
tradition claims to have defeated Abdali in a pitched battle at
Amritsar,35a but it has not been verified. However, more to the point
is the comment of the British governor in India at that time. "If they
(Sikhs) continue to cut off his (Abdali's) supplies and plunder his
baggage he will be ruined without fighting; and then he will either
return to his country or meet with shame and disgrace. As long as he
does not defeat the Sikhs or comes to terms with them, he cannot
penetrate into India."30b This is what exactly happened. Abdali himself
appears to have not been unaware of this predicament; because he
offered through intermediaries not to disturb the Sikhs in their
possessions provided they did not harass him in his further advance
into Hindustan.35c In this way the Sikhs closed the door through which
the flood of aggression from the North had been pouring into the
country for centuries.
3. Plebian
Mission Irvine, who bases his account on that of contemporary
Mohammadan historians, writes: 'In all the parganas occupied by the
Sikhs, the reversal of previous customs was striking and complete. A
low scavenger or leather dresser, the lowest of low in Indian estimation,
had only to leave home and join the Guru (Banda), when in a short
space of time he would return to his birth-place as its ruler, with his
order of 'appointment in his hand. As soon as he set foot within the
boundaries, the well-born and wealthy went out to greet him and escort
*Lest the reader gets the impression that Hari Ram Gupta is swayed by his enthusiasm,
we quote from Jadunath Sarkar's foreword to his book:- 'One period of Panjab
history-and that of the Delhi Empire, too - has thus been set up on a granite
foundation. It ought to serve as a model to other workers on Indian history".
Moreover, Hari Ram Gupta is not a Singh.