In 1699, the Pahari Rajas of the Shiwalik Hills, frustrated with increasing Sikh ascendancy in the region, requested aid from Aurangzeb; their combined forces took on the Khalsa, led by Guru Gobind Singh, at Anandapur but were defeated.

[3] In 1704, the Rajahs mounted a renewed offensive against Guru Gobind Singh in Anandapur, but facing imminent defeat, requested aid from Aurangzeb.

[3] The Sikhs eventually left Anandapur in the night and took refuge in Chamkaur, only for its Hindu Zamindar to inform the Rajahs and Mughal authority.

[4] Other accounts note that they along with their grandmother had been separated from the Sikh retinue while migrating away from Anandapur; subsequently, they were betrayed by local officials and handed over to the Mughals.

[4] Sikh accounts accuse Sucha Nand, the Hindu Diwan, to have been the most vocal advocate for executing the children; Sher Muhammad Khan, the Nawab of Meherkotla, despite being an ally of the Mughals and losing relatives in the faceoff, was the sole dissenter.