Baba Banda Singh Bahadur: Battle Strategy against Mughal Forces

Military Strategy has been used since ancient times in large and small battles. Effective strategies are additional help in winning a battle. This subject is discussed in Mahabharata but it being a mixture of fables and facts does not remain authentic for such like studies. The central China, during 300 B.C. to 300 A.D., consisted of about 30 states perpetually at war with each other. A number of experts came up to guide rulers and their commanders in the art of battle strategies. Sun Tzu was one such expert who wrote a treatise on the art of war and battle strategies. In 1772, a French Jesuit P. Amiot came across the same and translated it in French, N. Conrad translated it in Russian, and Captain E.F. Calthrop translated it in English. The book became very popular with the generals of the western world and after some time with the management institutes the world over. It is a first attempt about the successful use of strategies by an Indian general only 300 years back. It is considered that the study thereof will be greatly useful with the defence organizations and the institutes of management as the detailed strategy along with the battle details are given for easy understanding.