| Battle of Taraori (1759) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Afghan–Maratha conflicts | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Durrani Empire |  Maratha Confederacy  Mughal Empire (deserted) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ahmed Shah Jahan Khan Shah Pasand Khan | Dattaji Rao Scindia Imad-ul-Mulk | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| >5000 men | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 400 killed | ||||||
The Battle of Taraori in 1759 was a military engagement between the Durrani Afghans and the Marathas in the fields of Taraori, in which the Afghans were victorious.
After losing territories in northwest India, Ahmed Shah Durrani sought to avenge that defeat, reclaim his lost land, and punish the Marathas. In October, he invaded India [2] at the invitation of figures from the Mughal Empire, including Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, Madho Singh I and Vijay Singh of Marwar. Durrani, alongside his commander Jahan Khan, left Kandahar with a combined force of 60,000 troops. [3] On October 25th, the Afghans crossed the Indus River. Their arrival panicked the Marathas, who swiftly evacuated Multan, allowing it to fall without resistance. Peshawar was also abandoned. Jahan Khan defeated the Marathas near Rohtas Fort. [4] Another Maratha detachment near Lahore met a similar fate, forcing them to retreat to Batala. [5] The Sikhs in Lahore fiercely resisted the Afghan advance but were ultimately defeated, leading to the capture of the city. Sirhind, too, was deserted and captured by the Afghans on November 27th. [6]
Abdali had reached Ambala and was kept informed of Maratha movements. The Maratha commander Dattaji Rao Scindia crossed the Yamuna river in order to block the passage to Delhi. Abdali, therefore, marched to battle the Marathas and oust them from Delhi, meanwhile, the Mughal vizier, Imad-ul-Mulk had also moved from Delhi with his troops and joined the Marathas at Karnal; the two armies collided in Taraori on 24 December, [7] and the combined Mughal-Marathas initially gained the upper hand as they routed the Afghans and chased them, Abdali, who was in close contact with his advanced guard, sent his general Shah Pasand Khan with a reinforcement of 5000 suddenly intercepted the pursuers, at this moment, the Mughal soldiers disengaged and deserted the battlefield, the Afghans launched their counterattack and poured the Marathas with Musket fire, [8] two additional detachments to cover their flanks, the marathas fought despretaley, after having broke their formations and surrounded from three sides, the front and the flanks and overwhelmed by superior numbers, the marathas guards were annihilated, [9] leaving 400 killed on the battlefield. [10]
Although Abdali was victorious, he withdrew under the cover of night to avoid taking another unnecessary action, he crossed the Yamuna River and continued his march to Delhi, however, he would encounter another Maratha army and engage with them in the Battle of Barari Ghat. [11]
The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Confederacy and the invading army of the Durrani Empire. The battle took place in and around the city of Panipat, approximately 97 kilometres (60 mi) north of Delhi. The Afghans were supported by three key allies in India: Najib ad-Dawlah who persuaded the support of the Rohilla chiefs, elements of the declining Mughal Empire, and most prized the Oudh State under Shuja-ud-Daula. The Maratha army was led by Sadashivrao Bhau, who was third-highest authority of the Maratha Confederacy after the Chhatrapati and the Peshwa. The bulk of the Maratha army was stationed in the Deccan Plateau with the Peshwa.
Mirza Aziz-ud-Din Muhammad, better known by his regnal name Alamgir II, was the fifteenth Mughal emperor from 1754 to 1759. He was the son of Jahandar Shah.
Raghunathrao Bhat, also known as Ragho Ballal or Raghoba Dada, was the younger son of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy for a brief period from 1773 to 1774.
Malhar Rao Holkar was a noble subedar of the Maratha Empire, in present-day India. He was one of the early officers along with Ranoji Scindia to help spread the Maratha rule to northern states and was given the estate of Indore to rule by the Peshwas, during the reign of the Maratha emperor Shahu I. He was founder of the Holkar dynasty that ruled Malwa.
The Durrani dynasty was founded in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani at Kandahar, Afghanistan. He united the different Pashtun tribes and created the Durrani Empire. which at its peak included the modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, as well as some parts of northeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India including the Kashmir Valley.
Najib ad-Dawlah, also known as Najib Khan Yousafzai, was a Rohilla Yousafzai Afghan who earlier served as a Mughal serviceman but later deserted the cause of the Mughals and joined Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1757 in his attack on Delhi. He was also a House Chief of Rohilkhand, and in the 1740s founded the city of Najibabad in Bijnor, India. He was instrumental in winning the Third Battle of Panipat.
Sadashivrao Bhau Bhatt was son of Chimaji Appa and Rakhmabai and the nephew of Baji Rao I. He was a finance minister during the reign of Maratha emperor Rajaram II. He led the Maratha army at the Third Battle of Panipat.
Feroze Jung III or Nizam Shahabuddin Muhammad Feroz Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi also known by his sobriquet Imad-ul-Mulk, was the grand vizier of the Mughal Empire when it was under Maratha suzerainty, making them the de facto rulers.
Adina Beg Khan was a Punjabi Muslim general and administrator who served as the last governor of the Punjab region of the Mughal Empire, including the provinces of Lahore and of Multan. He defeated Afghans after rising to power and was recognised as the Nawab of Punjab by Mughal emperor Alamgir II, who also gave him title of Jang Bahadur.
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.
Dattaji Rao Shinde, also known as Dattaji Rao Scindia, was the second son of Ranoji Rao Shinde and Maina Bai, alias Nimba Bai. His elder brother was Jayappaji Rao Shinde and his younger brother was Jyotiba.
The Battle of Narela took place on 16 January 1757, at Narela, on the outskirts of Delhi, between the Maratha Army led by Antaji Mankeshwar and an army of Ahmad Shah Abdali.
The Battle of Delhi in 1757 also referred to as the Second Battle of Delhi, was fought on 11 August 1757 between the Maratha Confederacy under the command of Raghunath Rao and the Rohillas under the command of Najib-ud-Daula, who was under the Afghan suzerainty and simultaneously the "Pay Master" of what remained of the Mughal Army. By 1757, Delhi was ruled indirectly by the Marathas. The battle was waged by the Marathas for the control of Delhi, the Mughal capital which was invaded by Rohilla chief Najib-ud-Daula, as a consequence of the fourth invasion of India by Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the Durrani Empire, invaded Indian subcontinent for eight times between 1748 and 1767, following the collapse of Mughal Empire in the mid-18th century. His objectives were met through the raids and deepened the political crisis in India.
The Battle of Lahore was battle which took place between the invading Ahmed Shah Abdali and Mir Mannu, the Mughal governor of Punjab in 1752. It took place at Lahore in current day Punjab province of Pakistan. After the Mughals were defeated, Abdali decided to retain Mannu as the city's governor on his own behalf.
Mian-Moin-ul-Mulk, also known by his title Mir Mannu, was the Mughal and later Durrani governor of the Punjab between 1748 and 1753.
The Battle of Barari Ghat was a military engagement between the Durrani-Rohilla Afghans and the Marathas army in which the Maratha army was defeated and its leader killed in battle.
The Battle of Sikandrabad was a military engagement between the Afghan Durranis and the Marathas near the city of Sikandrabad.
The Second Battle of Lahore was fought in November 1759 by the Sikh forces led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and the Afghan forces led by Jahan Khan.
The Sack of Delhi occurred from 17 January – 22 February 1757, carried out by the Durrani Empire under the Afghan King Ahmad Shah Durrani. Delhi, the capital of the Mughal Empire, experienced multiple invasions by the Afghans during the 18th century.
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