Anglo Sikh War Memorial, Ferozeshah

No nation can afford to forget the martyrs and freedom fighters who kissed the gallows for attainment of freedom for all of us. It is out bounden duty to hold them in high esteem and perpetuate their memories by raising befitting memorials so that these could serve as a source of inspiration and courage for our future generations. It was with this background that the Punjab Government constructed an Anglo Sikh War Memorial at Ferozeshah to perpetuate the memory of the brave Punjabis who laid down their lives fighting heroically against the British troops at Mudki Ferozeshah Sabhraon and Chellianwala. It was in 1845 that the first encounter between the Sikhs and the British troops took place at Mudki on December,18,1845 The gallantry the discipline of the Sikhs in the fight evoked admiration even of the enemies. The second encounter took place at Ferozeshah on December, 21,22,1845 The British troops fighting under the command of their commander-in-chief Sir Charles Gaugh sustained such heavy losses that it created a furore in England. They had 748 killed out of which 54 were officers and 1625 wounded at Ferozeshah. Lord Hardings. Governor General supervised the battle of Ferozeshah. The third encounter took place at Sabhraon on February 10,1846 and the last battle was fought at Chellianwala on January 13,1849. The ultimate victory of the British was not due to their superiority over the Sikh troops but it was due to the faint heartedness of S Tej Singh and incompetence of Lal Singh the Sikh Generals. The British Commanders in chief lord Gaugh who personally supervised all these battles had recorded in his diary. The Policy prevented me from recording my personal sentiments of the splendid gallantry of the fallen foe and I declare were if not from a conviction that my country’s good required the sacrifice. I could have wept to have witnessed the fearful slaughters of so devoted a body. The three storied imposing building raised over a platform near the banks of the Rajasthan Canal and Sirhind Feeder on the GT Road has been designed by Mr H S Chopra Senior Architect Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana, under the guidance of DR MS Randhawa, the then Vice Chancellor who was also the Chairman f the Ferozeshah Memorial Committee set up by the Punjab Government. In the hall on the ground floor weapons relating to the period of the Anglo Sikh War are displayed. Quotes from WARS of Shah Mohammad and Cunningham’s History of the Sikhs are inscribed in Bronze. The Weapons have been donated by the Punjab Government from the Museum at Patiala. The hall has four paintings depicting the four battles of Mudki, Ferozeshah Sabhraon and Chellianwala. Mr Kirpal Singh a renowned artist prepared these paintings.

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