Chhota Ghallughara
| Chhota Ghalughara | |
|---|---|
| Part of Mughal–Sikh wars and Hill States–Sikh wars | |
| Native name | ਛੋਟਾ ਘੱਲੂਘਾਰਾ ("Lesser Massacre") |
| Location | Across the Punjab (concentrated killings at Lahore, Amritsar, Kahnuwan, Parol, Kathua, Mandi, Kullu) |
| Date | March – May 1746 |
| Deaths | 10,000 Sikh men, women, and children |
| Victims | Sikhs |
| Perpetrators | Mughal Empire and Hill States |
| Assailants | Yahya Khan, Lakhpat Rai, Hill Rajas of the Shivalik Range |
Chhota Ghallughara (Punjabi: ਛੋਟਾ ਘੱਲੂਘਾਰਾ [tʃʰoːʈäː kəl˨luːkäː˨ɾäː], "Smaller Massacre") was a significant massacre of the Sikh population by the Mughal Empire in 1746 (1803 Sammat). The Mughal Army, headed by Yahya Khan, the Subahdar of Lahore, and Diwan Lakhpat Rai, killed an estimated 7,000 Sikhs in the mass killings while an additional 3,000 Sikhs were taken captive and later executed.
Chhōtā Ghallūghārā is distinguished from the Vaddā Ghallūghārā, the greater massacre of 1762. The Chhōṭā Ghallūghārā took place in 1746, much of the killings occurred in the Kahnuwan Chhamb (marshlands) near the Beas River in present-day Gurdaspur district. The killings lasted from March to May 1746. The killings first began in Lahore, with then focus being placed on the Sikhs in Amritsar, which led Sikh leaders to encamp in the Kahnuwan jungle for their followers' safety.
The immediate reason for the genocide was Lakhpat Rai, a revenue minister of the local Mughal administration, wanting revenge against the Sikhs in the aftermath of the death of his brother, Jaspat Rai, at Sikh hands. Lakhpat Rai had permission from the Mughal governor of Lahore province, Yahya Khan, to conduct the massacres.