Sarsawan
Sarsawan () is village in Nakur tahsil of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.
Variants
Location
Sarsawa village is located north of Nakur in Saharanpur District on the Yamunanagar-Saharanpur road.
Jat Gotras
History
Buddha Prakash[1] mentions ....About 1112 Anandapala died leaving the throne to his son Trilochanapala.
Soon afterwards Mahmud prepared to attack the Shahi kingdom and launched a sudden onslaught on the fort of Nandana. Taken aback, Trilocanapala entrusted the command of his army to his son Bhimapala and himself went about mobilising other forces. Bhima posted himself at the head of a narrow mountain pass barring it with his elephants. Mahmud tried his best to break through it. The battle raged for several days. In that critical situation Trilocanapala appealed for help to the Kashmiri King Sangramaraja (1003-1028 A.D.). On this appeal the king sent his Prime Minister Tunga, who had already married a Shahi princess Bimba to his son, with a large army to the help of the Shahi monarch. Tunga was bubbling with enthusiastic eagerness to pounce on the Turks and ‘‘gave no thought to night watches, the posting of scouts, the military exercises and other preparations proper for attack”. Trilocanapala, who was acquainted with the strategy of warfare with the Turks, counselled him restraint and advised him to keep posted on the scarf of a hill at the entrance of of the Tosmaidan Pass. But he paid scant heed to it and “crossed with rather a small force to the other bank of the Tausi (modern Tohi of Prunts) and defeated a corps which Hammira (the Turkish Sultan) had sent on reconnaissance”. This inflated his pride on account of which he spurned the repeated advice of the Shahi ruler. Next morning Mahmud unexpectedly led his full army catching Tunga unawares. His army dispersed in disorder. But Trilocanapala rallied whatever force he could and gave battle. The Damara chiefs,
[p.146]: Shrivardhana, Vibhramarka and Jayasimha, showed prodigies of valour. “These three men, fighting on the terrible field of battle, which resounded with the tramps of horses, preserved the honour of their country from being lost”. The performance of Trilocanapala was wonderful. “Causing floods of blood to pour forth in battle, he resembled Shiva (Trilochana) when sending forth the fire which burns the world at the end of the Kalpa”. His singlehanded fighting led the historian Kalhana to exclaim, “who would describe the greatness of Trilocanapala whom numberless enemies even could not defeat in battle” (A. Stein, Rajatarangini, Vol. 1, p. 272-73).
After this victory Mahmud invaded Kashmira through the Tosmaidan Pass and “carried away much booty in the shape of prisoners of war and gold and, after converting many infidels to Islam and laying the foundations of Islam, went back to Ghazni”.(Tabqat-i-Akbari, p. 8). But Trilocanapala even then did not lose heart and cease to make heroic effoirs to retrieve his defeat. Kalhana says that “the Hammira (Mahmud) did not breathe freely thinking of the superhuman powers of the illustrious Trilocanapala” (Rajatarangini, VII, p. 64-5). He continued to struggle with the Turks and, with grim resolution, organized an army in his retreat at Sirhind, but the ruler of Sarsava on the Yamuna, Chand Rai, engaged him in wanton warfare. He tried to end this fruitless conflict by contracting the marriage of his son with the daughter of Chand Rai, but the latter treacherously imprisoned the bridegroom. In this state of tension and turmoil no organized resistance was possible. On the other hand Mahmud also prepared for a major offensive in the quiet of some years and then in 1018 attacked East Panjab. Sand-witched between two forces of Mahmud and Chand Rai, Trilocanapala realised the futility of defence at Sirhind and repaired to the Court of the Paramara King Bhoja of Malwa, who was among the leading powers of that time, obviously to seek his help. But Bhoja was more a men of culture and literature than war and aggression. Hence from there he went over to the Candellas, when their king, Vidyadhara, overthrew Mahmud’s ally Rajyapala of Kannauj.
Population
As per census 2011, population of village Sarsawan is 3686, with 678 houses.
Notable persons
- Subhash Singh
External links
References
Back to Jat Villages