Third Battle of Panipat
In 1758, the Maratha Empire captured Lahore and drove Timur Shah Durrani from Punjab. This marked the high-water mark of their expansion, stretching boundaries north to the Sindhu river and south to northern Kerala. The Peshwa, Balaji Baji Rao, spoke of placing his son Vishwasrao on the Mughal throne in Delhi. However, key Muslim intellectuals like Shah Waliullah feared these developments and appealed to Ahmad Shah Abdali for help. Adina Beg Khan, governor of Jalandhar Doab, had earlier allied with the Sikhs to defeat Afghans at Mahilpur in 1757. By March 1758, he sought Maratha assistance against growing Sikh influence. He offered a large daily payment to capture Lahore and persuaded Raghunathrao to join forces. The combined Maratha and Sikh armies pursued retreating Afghans, eventually capturing Attock. Adina was appointed subahdar of Punjab in return for an annual tribute of seventy-five lakh rupees.
Ahmad Shah Durrani formed a broad coalition including Rohillas, Northern Indian Muslims, and Shuja-ud-Daula of Oudh. By late July 1760, Shuja-ud-Daula decided to join the Afghan-Rohilla alliance, preferring what he called the army of Islam. Najib-ud-Daula persuaded Rohilla chiefs to support the cause. Several high-ranking Mughal nobles convinced Maharaja Deep Chand of Kumaon to back the Afghan side. Suraj Mal, Jat ruler of Bharatpur, initially joined Sadashivrao Bhau but later withdrew his support. This withdrawal would prove crucial to the battle's outcome. Ahmad Shah Abdali reached Lahore by end of 1759 with Qizilbash and Afghan tribes. He defeated smaller Maratha garrisons and joined his Indian allies at Anupshahr on the frontier of Rohilla country. The Nawab of Awadh had previously helped Safdarjung defeat Rohillas in Farrukhabad, creating complex political tensions.
The Maratha army marched north from Patdur on the 14th of March 1760 with between 45,000 and 60,000 troops. They were accompanied by roughly 200,000 non-combatants including pilgrims seeking Hindu holy sites. By December 1759, they captured Delhi from an Afghan garrison after sacking the already depopulated city. Supplies dwindled rapidly as both sides tried to control the Nawab of Awadh. On the 13th of January 1761, the Marathas left their camp before dawn to break the siege. Ahmad Shah Durrani crossed the Yamuna River between 23 and the 25th of October 1760 at Baghpat unopposed. Atai Khan Baluch arrived with 10,000 cavalry to cut off supplies to Panipat. The Marathas found themselves surrounded: Abdali's forces blocked them south while Pashtun tribes and Shuja-ud-Daula blocked other directions. Sadashivrao Bhau decided to break the siege despite having no reserves or reinforcements from Pune.
On the 14th of January 1761, Maratha artillery opened fire from positions some 2 km from Afghan lines. Ibrahim Khan led the left flank attack against Rohillas and Shah Pasand Khan. Eight thousand Gardi musketeers killed about 12,000 Rohillas in three hours. Ahmad Shah deployed 60 smooth-bore cannons and later used shutarnaals, cannons mounted on camels, that could fire over infantry heads. These camel-mounted swivel cannons proved devastating against fast-moving Maratha cavalry. By 14:00 hrs hand-to-hand fighting began after 7,000 Maratha cavalry and infantry were killed. Vishwasrao died from a shot to the head while Sadashivrao Bhau had three horses shot out from under him. Some 15,000 soldiers escaped to Gwalior that night. The Holkar and Scindia contingents merged their forces with one breaking through Durrani lines southwards as Jankoji Rao Scindia reinforced thinning lines.
About 40,000 Maratha prisoners were slaughtered in cold blood the day after the battle according to Kashi Raja's bakhar chronicle. Afghan officers who lost kin were permitted to carry out massacres throughout Panipat and surrounding areas. They arranged victory mounds of severed heads outside their camps. Qutb Shah's son executed 4,000 fugitives near Sonepat while Abdus Samad Khan's son killed 5,000 near Bahadurgad. Twenty-two thousand women and children were driven off as slaves. All prisoners were transported on bullock carts, camels, and elephants in bamboo cages. Only 2,000 were saved by Sikhs led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, earning him the title Bandi chhor or Liberator of captives. Hamilton reported about half a million people present in Panipat town when he gave his figure of 40,000 executed prisoners.
Mahadji Shinde restored Maratha domination over northern India within ten years after the war. In 1771, he led a large counter-offensive that re-established fallen supremacy and punished powers like the Rohillas. The period marked rule of Peshwa Madhavrao credited with revival following defeat at Panipat. However, Madhavrao died untimely at age 28 causing infighting among chiefs. The empire officially ended in 1857 when last emperor Bahadur Shah II was exiled after rebellion. Ahmad Shah left for Afghanistan in March 1761 after appointing Najib-ud-Daula as regent to Mughal Emperor. An annual tribute of four million rupees was agreed upon but never paid. The Durrani victory halted further Maratha advances north while destabilizing their territories for roughly ten years. British East India Company ultimately defeated and annexed them in 1819 after decades of internal conflict.
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Common questions
Who won the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761?
Ahmad Shah Durrani and his coalition forces defeated the Maratha Empire. The battle concluded with a decisive victory for the Durrani Empire that halted further Maratha advances north.
When did the Third Battle of Panipat take place?
The main engagement occurred on the 14th of January 1761 when Maratha artillery opened fire from positions some 2 km from Afghan lines. Ahmad Shah Abdali reached Lahore by end of 1759 to prepare for this confrontation.
Where was the Third Battle of Panipat fought?
The conflict took place near Panipat where the Marathas found themselves surrounded by enemy forces. Ahmad Shah Durrani crossed the Yamuna River between 23 and the 25th of October 1760 at Baghpat unopposed before the final battle.
Why did the Third Battle of Panipat happen?
Muslim intellectuals like Shah Waliullah feared Maratha expansion and appealed to Ahmad Shah Abdali for help. Key Muslim nobles formed a broad coalition including Rohillas and Shuja-ud-Daula of Oudh to counter the Maratha advance.
How many people died during the Third Battle of Panipat?
About 40,000 Maratha prisoners were slaughtered in cold blood the day after the battle according to Kashi Raja's bakhar chronicle. Hamilton reported about half a million people present in Panipat town when he gave his figure of 40,000 executed prisoners.