Maratha raid on Delhi (1737)

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Maratha raid on Delhi
Part of Later Maratha–Mughal Wars
Baji Rao I.png
Bajirao I riding his horse into a battle, 1720–1740 CE
Date28 March 1737
Location
Result Mughal victory [1]
Belligerents
Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Maratha Empire Flag of the Mughal Empire (triangular).svg Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Baji Rao I
Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Malhar Rao Holkar
Flag of the Mughal Empire (triangular).svg Hasan Khan Koka
Flag of the Mughal Empire (triangular).svg Qamar-ud-Din Khan
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

The Maratha raid on Delhi was a raid which took place on 28 March 1737 by the Marathas against the Mughal Empire at Talkatora near Delhi. [2] [3] [4] Bajirao marched towards Delhi to avenge the defeat of Marathas at the Battle of Jalesar by Saadat Ali Khan. The Marathas under Bajirao raided Delhi after defeating the Mughal army under Hasan Khan Kota. Hearing the approach of the Vizier Qamar-ud-Din Khan, the Maratha forces retreated from Delhi but were defeated by the Vizier's forces near Badshahpur, 20 miles away from Delhi.

Contents

Background

On 12 November 1736, the Maratha general Bajirao advanced on Old Delhi to attack the Mughal capital. The Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah sent Saadat Ali Khan I with a 150,000-strong army to stop the Maratha advance on Delhi. [5] But Bajirao's subordinate chiefs Malhar Rao Holkar and Pilaji Jadhav crossed the river Yamuna and looted Ganga-Yamuna Doab. Saadat Khan defeated the Maratha forces under Malhar Rao in the Battle of Jalesar and retired to Mathura. [5] Bajirao's army advanced to Delhi through the lands of Jats and the Mewatis and encamped near Talkatora. [6] [1]

The raid

While passing the city, the emperor sent Mir Hasan Khoka Daroga, the elite guard, Nawab Amir Khan, Khoje Rojafjukhan, Raja Shivsingh the jematdar of the Risala-e-amir, and Muzzaffarkhan the Naib-Bakshi Ahadi, along with Khan Dowran's brother with a force of 7,000 to 8,000 elite cavalry near Rakabganj.[ citation needed ]

Rajashri Satvoji Jadhav was marching ahead of the column. He skirmished with them and retired to inform the Marathas by sending a messenger. Rajashri Malharji Holkar, Ranoji Shinde, Rajashri Tukoji Pawar, Jivji Pawar, Yashwantrao Pawar, Manaji Paygude, and Govind Hari were dispatched in response. The Mughal Army formed up close to the city, within covering fire. As they got close, to within a kos, the Marathas withdrew slowly, drawing them away from the city. Once they were away, they were charged and dispersed. Twelve of their important sardars were slain. Nawab Mir Hasan Khan was taken away by them injured. At one outpost, the Mughals lost 10,000 men dead and many more injured. The rest fled to the city. Marathas captured about 2,000 horses from them. [5] [ need quotation to verify ]

Aftermath

The Vizier Qamar-ud-Din Khan advanced from Agra towards Delhi to save the Mughal capital from the Marathas. Upon learning of the Vizier's approach, Bajirao decided to withdraw from Delhi. However, the Mughal forces, led by Zahir-ud-Daulah and Ghiyas-uddin Khan, encountered the Maratha army near Badshahpur, located 20 miles from Delhi, and achieved victory over the Marathas. Bajirao, recognizing the potential danger that the Saadat Ali Khan will join the Vizier, retreated with his wife Mastani, from the field. [1] [7] [8]

Later conflicts

The raid signified the further expansion of the Maratha Empire towards the north. Muhammad Shah called upon the Nizam's and Nawab's armies to destroy the Maratha Army. [9] [2] The Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Bhopal left Hyderabad were defeated decisively in the Battle of Bhopal (24 December 1737). [10] [2] The Marathas extracted large tributaries from the Mughals, and signed a treaty which ceded Malwa to the Marathas. [2]

The Maratha plunder weakened the Mughal Empire, which was further weakened after successive invasions of Nadir Shah in 1739 and Ahmad Shah Abdali in the 1750s.[ citation needed ] The continuous attacks led the Marathas to wage another Battle of Delhi in 1757 against the Rohillas who were pushed out, which largely effaced the remaining central authority of the Mughal Empire. [11] [ need quotation to verify ]

See also

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