14 March 1823[EoS][Gupta][Web]
Battle of Naushehra and the martyrdom of Akali Phula Singh
Sikh forces defeated Afghan and tribal armies at Naushehra, also called Tihri, between Attock and Peshawar. Akali Phula Singh, leader of the Akali troops, attained martyrdom in the charge.
Muhammad Azim Khan marched from Kabul in January 1823 to take Peshawar, and tribal fighters were called out in a holy war against the Sikhs. Hari Ram Gupta says the Maharaja crossed the Indus on 13 March and split his army. One half held Azim Khan on the far bank of the Kabul river, while the other faced the tribesmen at Tihri. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism's entry on Akali Phula Singh instead names Prince Kharak Singh as leading the Sikh army.
After guns drove the tribesmen from their mound, Akali Phula Singh charged with his 1,500 Akalis. His horse was shot and he was hurt, so he moved to an elephant and pressed on until a volley of bullets brought him down. The Encyclopaedia says most of his men fell with him.
Gupta counts about 3,000 tribal dead and wounded, and about 2,000 Sikhs lost, including General Balbhadra Singh Gorkha. Azim Khan withdrew. Akali Phula Singh was cremated at Pir Sabaq, 6 km east of Naushehra, where the Maharaja endowed a samadh. Another memorial stands at Amritsar as Burj Baba Phula Singh.[EoS][Gupta][Web]