Vadda Ghallughara

Vadda Ghalughara (Punjabi: ਵੱਡਾ ਘੱਲੂਘਾਰਾ Punjabi pronunciation: [ʋəɖɖäː kəl˨luːkäː˨ɾäː]; alternatively spelt as Wadda Ghalughara) was a massacre of Sikhs by the Afghan forces of the Durrani Empire during the years of Afghan influence in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent owing to the repeated incursions of Ahmad Shah Durrani in February 1762. It is distinguished from the Chhota Ghalughara (the Smaller Massacre). Mostly non-combatants were killed in the event, and an estimated that 5,000 to 50,000 Sikhs were killed on 5–6 February 1762. The massacre occurred in what is present-day Ludhiana district. The killings began in Kup-Rohira and ended at Gehal, as the invader's forces passed through village Kutba. Much of the killings occurred in a dense-jungle environment.

The Vadda Ghalūghārā was a dramatic and bloody massacre during the campaign of Afghanistan's (Durrani Empire) provincial government based at Lahore to wipe out the Sikhs, an offensive that had begun with the Mughals and lasted several decades. The Sikhs extracting tribute from the Sirhind region due to the ineffectiveness of Zain Khan Sirhindi, attacking the diwan Lakshami Narain and stealing the funds from the revenue-collection, and the killing of Khwaja Obed at Lahore were all immediate contributing factors that motivated Ahmad Shah Abdali to embark on a punitive expedition against the Sikhs.