Battle of Meerut (1760)

Battle of Meerut
Part of Afghan-Maratha War
Date 17 December 1760 Location Meerut 28°59′N77°43′E / 28.98°N 77.71°E / 28.98; 77.71 Result Durrani Victory [1] [2]
Belligerents
Durrani Empire	Maratha Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad Shah Durrani Atai Khan	Govind Pant Bundele   †
Strength
14,000 Cavalry	12,000 Cavalry
Casualties and losses
Unknown	2000 Maratha Soldiers Killed 20000 Marathas were slain at the camp (Total 22,000)

The Battle of Meerut was a military Skirmish initiated by Emperor Ahmed Shah Durrani in an attempt to capture Govind Pant Bundele, who had taken refuge in Meerut. ^{[3] [4]} Emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali dispatched Atai Khan with a small army of Afghans to Meerut. Govind Pant Bundele was ready to face the Afghan forces with his light cavalry of ten thousand soldiers. A fierce battle ensued between the two adversaries in Meerut.

Background

Main article: Battle of Samalkha (1760)

On the afternoon of October 26th, a significant battle erupted in Samalkha ^[3] . The Afghan forces were under the direct command of the emperor, while the Marathas were led by Govind Pant Bundele. ^[5] The Afghans gained victory in the battle, prompting Govind Pant Bundele to be executed. ^[3] After the confrontation, Govind Pant Bundele sought refuge in Meerut. ^[3] Subsequently, the emperor deployed Atai Khan, along with the elite cavalry, to apprehend Govind Pant Bundele in Meerut. ^{[3] [6]}

The Battle

Najib ud-Daula was dispatched by Ahmad Shah to prevent Maratha supplies flowing in from Delhi, defeating the forces of Naro Shankar, the Maratha governor of Delhi. Sadashivrao in response sent Govind Pant Bundela to invade Rohilla territories and cut off Afghan supplies. Marching with 12,000 horsemen, the Maratha detachment advanced up to Meerut before being attacked by an Afghan contingent of 14,000 dispatched by Ahmad Shah on 17 December under Atai Khan. ^[7] Govind Pant was killed and the Maratha force was routed, with large amounts of supplies being seized by the Afghans. ^{[8] [9]} In later encounters, Govind Pant Bundele, together with 10,000 informally trained cavalry who were not officially enlisted as soldiers, was involved in a foraging mission with around 500 men. ^[5] They were ambushed by an Afghan force near Meerut, resulting in a clash in which Govind Pant Bundele was killed by Atai Khan. ^{[10] [11]} This was further aggravated by the loss of a detachment of 2,000 Maratha troops who had left Delhi on a mission to transport funds and provisions to Panipat. ^{[12] [13]}

Aftermath

The passing of Govind Pant Bundele greatly distressed Sadashiv Rao Bhau. ^[14] He mourned the loss of around 22,000 inhabitants within the Maratha empire. ^[3] Subsequently, the Maratha armies confronted Afghan forces at the battlefield of Panipat, resulting in a historical defeat. ^[15]

References

1. Kadam, Vasant S. (1993). Maratha confederacy. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 68. ISBN   9788121505703.
2. Joglekar, Jaywant (2006). Decisive Battles India Lost (326 B. C. to 1803 A. D.). Lulucom. pp. 90–91. ISBN   9781847283023.
3. Barua, Pradeep (2005-01-01). The State at War in South Asia. U of Nebraska Press. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-8032-1344-9.
4. Andhare, B. R. (1984). Bundelkhand Under the Marathas, 1720-1818 A.D.: A Study of Maratha-Bundela Relations. Vishwa Bharati Prakashan. p. 119.
5. Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1966). The Mughal Empire, 1526-1803 A.D. S. L. Agarwala. pp. 476–477.
6. Haryana State Gazetteer. Haryana Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department. 2001. p. 230.
7. Sarkar 1971, p. 312.
8. Gupta 1978, p. 183.
9. Singh 1959, p. 253.
10. The Cavalry Journal. 1932. p. 62.
11. Haryana State Gazetteer. Haryana Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department. 2001. pp. 229–230.
12. Barua, Pradeep (2005-01-01). The State at War in South Asia. U of Nebraska Press. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-8032-1344-9.
13. Sainik Samachar. Director of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence. 1965. p. 23.
14. Haryana State Gazetteer. Haryana Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department. 2001. pp. 229–231.
15. Mehta, Jaswant Lal (2005-01-01). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 282. ISBN   978-1-932705-54-6.

Bibliography

• Gupta, Hari Ram (1978). History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh Confederacies, 1708-1769. Munshiram Manoharlal.
• Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1971). 1754-1771 (Panipat) (3rd; 1966, 1971 printing ed.). Orient Longman.
• Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad Shah Durrani: Father of Modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House. ISBN   978-1-4021-7278-6 . Retrieved 25 August 2010.