The Saragarhi battle occupies a special status as it was a Saga of unparalleled bravery in which valiant soldiers of 36th Sikh Regiment faced the onslaught of 10,000 Afridi and Orakzai tribals on Sunday 12th September, 1897 at Saragarhi Post, it made history over a 124th years (as of 2021) ago in an area that has been strategically critical to the Indian Subcontinent for over a millennium and remains important today to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and others, including the Taliban, Al-Qaida, ISIS and United States. Saragarhi was a small village in the border district of Kohat, situated on the Samana Range, in present-day Pakistan.
On the 23rd of March, 1887, 36 Sikh soldiers were trained and raised under the leadership of Coronal Jim Cook and Captain Holmes, who were chosen from an army of 225 selected men from the British rank from the Bengal army and the Punjab frontier forces. On 8th of May 1887, a mass recruitment occurred in various places in Punjab such as all the way from Amritsar to Lahore. The recruits included farmers such as Jatt’s, Kamboj's, Rajput’s and a few Khatri. On January 1st, 1888. They had a total rank of 912 recruits from just the Indian rank. By 1896, the total rank was made up of 2,529 soldiers.
Saragarhi Memorial Gurudwara has been built in the memory of 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36 Sikh Regiment who fell in heroic defence of Fort Saragarhi in Wazirstan on September, 12 1897 while defending the fort against an attack of ten thousand Pathans. The 36 Sikh Regiment was raised at Ferozepur on April 1887 under the command of Colonel Cook in January 1897 the Regiment was sent to Fort Lock Hard of which Saragarhi and Gulistan were important posts. The gurudwara was declared open in 1904 by Sir Charles Pevz, the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab. Every year on September, 12 a religious congregation is held in the morning while reunion of Ex-servicemen in the evening.
Saragarhi annual exam project is a one of the unique project to create a connection between future generation and the history of 21 Sikhs who fought the epic battle of Saragarhi in 1857. This project will bring out the history of Saragarghi battle out of the books and deliver it to the mind of generation, so they can simply get an inspiration from that 21 brave Sikh soldiers of 36 Sikh regiment who not only done their job but also fighting against approx. 10000 afghani soldiers. We will provide you the e-books for preparing for this Saragarhi Annual Examination.
21 brave soldiers of 36th Sikhs (now the 4th battalion of the Sikh Regiment)