The Great Holocaust (February 5, 1762)

The Sikhs gave a good thrashing to the returning armies of Ahmed Shah Abdali after the Battle of Panipat. Having been enraged by this, Abdali decided to teach Sikhs a lesson in his next invasion. Although the Sikhs had prepared for safety in anticipation of the attack, the suddenness with which it came, took them by surprise. Consequently thousands of Sikhs laid down their lives fighting in the plains of Kup. Under the command of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, various Sikh misls (confederacies) came together and fought unitedly to save the Panth (Sikh Nation). 

This massacre, known as Vada Ghallughara (Great Holocaust), claimed the lives of 50 thousand Sikhs. Nonetheless, the same year, Sikhs took over Sirhind and celebrated Baisakhi (the birth anniversary of the Khalsa) at Amritsar.