Punjab heritage trust, local school unite to preserve Hoshiarpur's war memorial

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Punjab Chapter and Guru Gobind Public School (GGPS), Nainowal Vaid, have announced plans to preserve the Dholbaha War Memorial in Hoshiarpur district. This initiative aims to highlight Punjab’s often overlooked military history and reconnect the youth with their cultural roots.

Maj Gen Balwinder Singh (Retd), INTACH Punjab State Convener, and Harjit Singh, Principal of GGPS Nainowal Vaid, recently visited Dholbaha, a village in the Shivalik hills known for its prehistoric sites. While Dholbaha is famous for ancient artefacts, its significant contribution to modern military history, especially in World War I, remains underappreciated.

During the visit, the team focused on the village’s cultural and military heritage, noting that Dholbaha sent an extraordinary 73 soldiers to fight in World War I. This is remarkable for such a small, remote village, especially compared to other Punjabi villages that contributed fewer soldiers. INTACH life member and military history enthusiast Harpreet Singh Bhatti highlighted that the village’s war memorial plaque still stands as a quiet testament to this contribution.

Maj Gen Singh expressed concern that much of Punjab’s military history remains under-explored and poorly documented, with successive governments failing to preserve these stories. This neglect often leaves Punjab’s youth feeling disconnected and searching for opportunities elsewhere.

Punjab was historically known as the “sword arm” of the British Empire in India. During World War I, over one million Indians served, with more than 300,000 from Punjab. Despite making up just eight percent of India’s population at the time, Punjab contributed roughly 40 percent of India’s total war effort. In this context, Dholbaha’s contribution of 73 soldiers from a small, agrarian village is especially noteworthy.

The region’s martial tradition dates back to ancient times, with service under empires like the Mauryans, Guptas, and later Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Sikh Empire. Military service was not only a matter of honour (izzat) but also a source of financial security, attracting young men from villages like Dholbaha, where agriculture offered limited economic opportunities.

Maj Gen Singh noted that while villages in Majha, with high Sikh populations, typically provided more soldiers, Dholbaha’s contribution matches or exceeds many better-connected villages in Doaba and Malwa. However, official records of Dholbaha’s soldiers remain incomplete.

According to recently digitised documents from the University of Greenwich and the UK Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA), which transcribed over 300,000 Indian soldiers’ World War I records, only two soldiers from Dholbaha appear in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) listings: Sepoy Jagat Ram of the 67th Punjabis and Sepoy Jaisi Ram (also called Jodhi Ram) of the 37th Dogras. Yet, the village war memorial lists eight soldiers killed in action, highlighting discrepancies in historical documentation and unequal recognition of Indian soldiers in British records.

The University of Greenwich is currently working on a CWGC-funded research project to address these gaps, expected to uncover many untold stories of Indian soldiers.

Maj Gen Singh has urged the government to establish a small museum at Dholbaha’s war memorial, displaying names, photographs, and personal stories of the 73 soldiers. This would preserve their memory and educate future generations about their martial heritage.

INTACH Punjab is also considering creating a dedicated military history wing within the state chapter to identify, preserve, and promote Punjab’s global military contributions. This wing would collaborate with the CWGC and UKPHA to ensure accurate documentation and rightful recognition.

“Through the preservation of the Dholbaha War Memorial, INTACH Punjab and GGPS Nainowal Vaid aim to honour the silent sacrifices of the village’s soldiers and inspire pride and belonging among Punjab’s youth,” Maj Gen Singh said.