Afghan–Maratha War

Afghan–Maratha War
Part of the Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani
Third Battle of Panipat, 14 January 1761
Date 28 April 1751–10 September 1790 Location Punjab and region around Delhi Result Maratha victory: Marathas successfully capture northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent, including Punjab and the city of Peshawar, Multan and Attock from the Afghans Afghan Empire retains control over much of contended territories including Peshawar and the Punjab until the Sutlej Mughal emperor exiled and Delhi occupied by Afghan vassal Rohilkhand Maratha Empire loses influence over the imperial government at Delhi Maratha Resurrection and attempts of invasion by Taimur Shah Durrani hatled by Marathas and Sikhs
Belligerents
Afghan Empire Rohilkhand Jaipur Jodhpur Pathan Rebels Amb State Khanate of Kalat Oudh State Mughal Empire	Maratha Empire Sikh Confederacy
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad Shah Durrani Timur Shah Durrani Najib-ud-Daula Zabita Khan Ghulam Qadir † Muhammad Bangash Madho Singh I Pratap Singh Vijay Singh Shuja-ud-Daula	Sadashivrao Bhau † Vishwasrao † Ibrahim Khan Gardi † Tukoji Rao Scindia † Shamsher Bahadur † Raghunath Rao Sakharam Bapu Bokil Mahadji Scindia Malhar Rao Holkar Dattaji Scindia † Tukoji Rao Holkar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Charat Singh Ala Singh Adina Beg

The Afghan–Maratha War was fought between the Afghan Empire under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Maratha Confederacy and the Sikh Confederacy between 1758 and 1761. It took place in north-west India, primarily the region around Delhi and Punjab.. The war was continued by the Rohilla Afghans and Taimur Shah Durrani till 1790.

Background

Pathan War and Marathas

In April 1751, a Bangash incursion into northern India was repelled at Qadirganj. When the Rohilla Pathans advanced to support their Sunni allies, they encountered strong resistance near Farrukhabad from Maratha forces led by Gangadhar Jaswant and Jawahir Singh Jat. The engagement resulted in a decisive defeat for the Rohillas: their commander, Sadulla Khan, retreated from the battlefield, while Bahadur Khan was killed. Reports suggest that around 10,000 Rohilla fighters perished in the battle, forcing the invaders to withdraw across the Ganges on 28 April.

Ahmad Shah Durrani

In 1757, the Afghans invaded Hindustan and captured the Mughal capital of Delhi, forcing the Mughal emperor to cede territories up till the Sutlej to the Afghan Empire. Delhi was placed under the occupation of an Afghan vassal, the Kingdom of Rohilkhand. The Afghan emperor, Ahmad Shah Durrani installed his son Timur Shah Durrani in Multan and returned to Afghanistan.

Battle of Delhi (1757)

Main article: Battle of Delhi (1757)

The Mughal emperor and the imperial grand vizier alarmed by this foreign occupation, secretly sent for his vassal, the Peshwa. The Maratha Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao sent his brother Raghunath Rao along with Shamsher Bahadur, Ramsingha, Gangadhar Tatya, Sakharam Bapu Bokil, Naroshankar Rajebahadur, Sidhojiraje Gharge-Desai-Deshmukh, Mankojiraje Gharge-Desai-Deshmukh, Maujiram Bania and a large army towards Delhi. They were accompanied by Malhar Rao Holkar of Malwa who had much experience in North India and with its rulers. The Marathas captured Delhi in August 1757. They decisively defeated the Rohillas near Delhi in 1758.

Initial campaign & success

Main article: Maratha conquest of North-west India

In the Punjab, Adina Beg Khan, along with the Sikhs revolted against the oppressive Afghans. He decided to request the Maratha support as a large Afghan army was expected to reinforce and Adina needed more alliance to battle the invaders. On 7 March, Raghunathrao had encamped at Rajpura where he received Adina Beg Khan's envoys, and was informed that the latter, accompanied by 15,000 Sikh fighters, belonging to the bands (the jathas) of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Baba Ala Singh of Patiala had closed upon Sirhind from the other side of the Satluj. A concerted attack on the fort of Sirhind was made by the Marathas and the Sikhs on 8 March 1758. Ahmad Samad Khan, with his 15,000 Afghan troops, held out for about two weeks before his capitulation on 21 March. After the victory, the town was thoroughly sacked by the victors. Therefore, the victorious allies marched up to Lahore and the city fell after some initial fighting. Then, the allies forced the Afghans into the Khyber Pass. The captured Uzbek, Pashtun and Khorasani soldiers were brutally tortured and forced to clean up the holy temples desecrated by them.

The Maratha and Sikh forces gave chase to the Pathans on horseback and were in quick pursuit of them in which they went on to capture Attock and then Peshawar from the Afghans.

Maratha general Bapuji Trimbak was given the charge of guarding Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan from the Afghans.

Adina Beg's sudden death threw Punjab into turmoil. Many of his soldiers, particularly Afghan mercenaries deserted his army camp and added to the number of freebooters, thus creating chaos and anarchy everywhere. Sikhs started again to revolt against Muslim ruling elite, which had caused Punjab to go into political and economic turmoil. Khawaja Mirza who was now the Maratha governor of Haryana-Delhi could not cope with the situation. He sent an express appeal to the Peshwa for reinforcements, alerted all the junior Maratha officers to help him restore law and order in the state and he also recalled Maratha detachments from Peshawar and Attock to safeguard his position in Karnal. Tukojirao Holkar and Narsoji Pandit, the Maratha commanders of Peshawar and Attock had to withdraw their troops from the frontier posts. Sabaji Scindia was now given the charge of Peshawar.

A massive army of Marathas under their new commanders, the Scindias, reached Machhiwara in March 1759. Like Raghunathrao, Dattaji also didn't want to stay in Punjab for long. As there was no news of Abdali's invasion, Dattaji deferred the appointment of any permanent governor in Punjab. After deliberations with his advisors, Dattaji deputed Sabaji to take care of Lahore, Peshawar and Attock along with the assistance of Tukojirao, who was deputed by Malharrao. Other officers and Dattaji himself for now left Punjab for the suppression of Najib-ud-Daula in the Ganges valley. Bapurao Trymbak took the charge of Rohtas Fort, while other officers were appointed on the frontier posts.

Taking advantage of Sabaji's absence from Peshawar post, the Afghans marched to Peshawar. The Peshawar fort was taken by Afghans with heavy losses to the besieged Maratha garrison. Thereafter the Afghan invaders, under Jahan Khan overran Attock and threatened Rohtas Fort. By this time, Sabaji Scindia had reached Lahore, with fresh troops and a large number of Sikh fighters, who had once again allied with the Marathas. The combined forces of the Marathas and Sikhs massacred the Afghan garrison in which Jahan Khan lost his son and was himself wounded. The Afghans quickly vacated the forts of Peshawar and Attock and retreated west to Afghanistan. Hence, Peshawar once again fell to the Marathas.

Defeat of the Marathas

Main article: Third Battle of Panipat

It was unbearable for Abdali to overlook this defeat. Najib-ud-Daulah invited Abdali to avenge his defeat. He, along with his commander Jahan Khan invaded Punjab for the fifth time with a gigantic army of 60,000 men accompanied by heavy field-guns and Zamburaks. Trimbakrao, the Maratha governor of Multan, at the head of 5,000 troops, made a tactical decision of retreating towards Lahore; Sabaji Shinde also vacated Peshawar and was joined by Tukoji Holkar at Attock, backing towards Lahore. The remaining Marathas, along with Sikhs and Jats offered staunch resistance to the invaders at Lahore, but they were ultimately defeated due to inferior numbers. On 24 December 1759, a ferocious battle was fought between Dattaji and Abdali in which Dattaji's general, Sardar Bhoite was defeated with a loss of 250 Maratha soldiers after the Mughal contingent fled from the Maratha side. As a consequence of his victory, Abdali managed to join forces with Najib-ud-Daula.

Qutub Shah, the ally of Najib Khan and the religious leader of the Rohillas, killed Dattaji and beheaded him at Burrari Ghat near Delhi in January 1760, in a treacherous ambush.

Maratha Resurrection

Main article: Maratha Resurrection

Capture of Delhi

Main article: Capture of Delhi (1771)

Maratha invasion of Rohilkhand

After taking control of Delhi, Marathas sent a large army in 1772 to "punish" Afghan Rohillas for Panipat. Maratha army devastated Rohilkhand by looting and plundering and also took the members of royal family as captives. Maratha general Mahadaji was “very much pleased with the revenge taken by his men” for Panipat. Najib Khan's son and Nawab of Rohilkhand Zabita Khan was defeated by the Marathas, led by Mahadji Sindhia (shinde) in 1772 and the fort of Pathargarh,(Najibabad) was completely looted by the Marathas in the form of horses, elephants, guns and other valuable things, to avenge the deaths of Maratha Warriors who fell in the battle of Delhi and Panipat, Marathas also destroyed grave of Najib, scattering his bones all around.

Battle of Delhi

In October, Mahadji, accompanied by Rane Khan Bhai and Jiwabadada Baxi, arrived in Delhi. On October 2nd, the combined forces of Rana Khan and Jiwabadada defeated Ghulam and Ismail Beg, leading to the capture of Delhi. They proceeded to lay siege to the Agra fort, which they also captured, and reinstated a blinded Shah Alam to his throne. While Ismail Beg surrendered, Ghulam Kadir fled the area. Rana Khan, Raji Patil, Devji Gawli, and Baghirathrao Shinde were then sent to persuade Ghulam Kadir, eventually capturing the Aligarh fort. Ghulam Kadir subsequently fled. After the Marathas had liberated Delhi, a hunt for Ghulam Kadir was mounted by the Marathas. Ghulam Kadir fled to Meerut, which in turn was encircled by the Marathas. After the conditions there had become intolerable, he managed to break the encirclement during the night with 500 horsemen and tried to escape to Ghausgarh. But during the engagement of his horsemen by a Maratha patrol, he lost sight of his entourage. Then his horse stumbled and broke its leg and he had to continue his escape alone and on foot. He reached Bamnauli (Uttar Pradesh), where he sought refuge in a house of a Brahmin and offered him a reward for a horse and a guide, who could lead him to Ghausgarh. But the Brahmin recognized him and alerted a party of Marathas, who captured him on 18 December or 19 December 1788.

Execution of Ghulam Kadir

Ghulam Kadir remained in Maratha custody for some time but was initially unharmed.On 28 February 1789, Shinde received a letter from Shah Alam II demanding the eyes of Ghulam Kadir as the Shah would otherwise retire to Mecca and live as a beggar. Mahadji then ordered the removal of his eyes, nose, tongue, lips, and upper limbs, which were sent to Shah Alam in a casket. After this was done, his hands, feet, and genitals were cut off, and on 3 March 1789, he was hanged from a tree and beheaded at Mathura.

Taimur Shah Durrani and India

Main article: Battle of Merta

Taimur Shah Durrani tried numerous times for and indian expedition but failed with an failure. In 1790 during the Battle of Merta, Vijay Singh of Marwar request Taimur Shah to help him against Mahadaji Shinde. The Afghan ruler sent a force of 45,000 soldiers to help the Rajputs. However it was defeated in the Battle of Merta, according to some other accounts due to the treaty of 1785 with the Sikhs, Ambaji Inagle and the Sikhs replused the army before it could reach Merta to help the Rajputs.

Sources

• Garg, Sanjay (1996). "A Seal of Ghulam Qadir Rohilla". Numismatic Studies. 4: 91–94.
• Malik, Zahiruddin (1982). "Persian Documents pertaining to the tragic End of Ghulam Qadir Rohilla, 1780–1789". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 43: 565–571. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44141288.
• Sarkar, Jadunath (1952). Fall of the Mughal Empire. Vol. III (2 ed.). Calcutta: M. C. Sarkar & Sons.