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Revision as of 15:54, 29 October 2002 by 203.199.39.7 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)14th January 1761 at Panipat (meaning waterloo) was scene of bloodiest battle ever recorded in history of mankind. It is estimated over 1,00,000 people were killed, maximum of then in a span of 12 hours.
The no study of battles & warfare would be incomplete without studying and analysing events that took place in this battle of Panipat situated about 80 miles north of Delhi, Haryana State, India.
Prelude to Panipat -
about 1756, Raghoba dada, Minister & general of Maratha confederacy, persues Najib Ud Doulah & Ahmedshah Abdali till Attock (Pakhtoonistan), foothills of afganistan.
Mistake No.1 : Najib(Indian Rohilla muslim) was arrested and released subsequently. Najib invites Abdali back in 1961. Promising him Indian empire.
Abdali gives call of Jihad to fellow tribes of Afganistan & invades India.
Mistake 2 : This time, Sadashivrao Bhau, the younger brother of Nanasaheb Peshwe, takes up the challenge & due to internal politics Raghoba dada (experienced & seasoned general) do not join him.
Wives of both Nanasaheb & Raghoba plays their part in inflating egos of their generals in this politics resulting in ommission of Raghoba dada. (Gopikabai & Anandibai)
Sadashivrao Bhau (younger brother of priminister gets the army of about 70-90,000 however he did not get what he wants.
Mistake 3 :He wanted sizable & more seasoned cavalry which is on 12 months payroll. He did not get infantry regiment of masketeers. He was made to carry passengers & tourist civilians men, women & children numbering 30,000 on war. (Perhaps to ensure his failure) This limits in speed, mobility & manouverability considerable.
However he gets 150 fine pieces of french rifled long range artillery. Larger battle hardened infantry with famed pikemen.
As abdali comes in India, muslims, mostly rohillas, Navab of Ayodhya (Shuja ud dowlah) joins him thus making him more powerful.
Mistake 4 :Where as north indian hindu kingdoms either refuses to join war on terror of ditches him (Sadashivrao bhau) on the way, notable among them was Jat king Surajmal when he was not permitted to loot Delhi.
In october 1761 armies of maratha confederacy and afgans with his indian muslims comes to face to face.
Marathas dugs in trenches around panipat town block Abdalis way to Afganistan & Abdali theirs.
However it was 2 months seige for marathas where as abdali manages to get his logistic supplies on time from indian muslims. Whereas Maraths get dwindling supplies like germans in harsh winter in stalingrad.
On 14th January 1761 Sadashiv bhau decides to break the seige by attacking the first.
He comes out of trench warfare, manages to push 150 fine artillery pieces beyond trenches arranges across 12 kms frontline and opens fire early in the morning before dawn.
As per plan they were to adopt european strategy of softenning the target with cannonade & bombarsment.
Artillery was to be defended by infantry, pikemen, musketeers & bowmen. The cavalry waits behind artillery for better control of battlefield. Behing this defensive circular mass is another ring of 30,000 young maratha soldiers who were not battle tested. And inside were about 30,000/- maratha civilians, many middle class men women & children on their piligrimage to north indian hindu holy places & shrines (for them it was once in a lifetime opportunity to see 'Aryavarta (Aryan Land, India). Behind encircled civilians, another protective infantry line of young soldiers.
Abdali arranges 60 smoothbore shortrange connons & tries responds. However they cant reach maratha lines.
Abdali launches cavalry attack. The first salvo of marathas goes over heads of afgans & inflicts very little damage.
Afgan attack is broken down by maratha pikemen & bowmen along with some masketeers.
Second & subsequent salvo from maratha artillery is fired at point blank range & resulting carnage sends back afgans back to their original lines.
The european plan works as envisaged.
Marathas also tries to gain mileage by pushing ahead artillery pieces in between.
Afgans responds by repeated cavalry attacks & fails. About 17,000 afgan cavalry & infantry men looses their lives in a process. Gaping holes are openned in afgan ranks at some places afgans & indian muslims starts running away.
Some of the Maratha colonels & leutanants decides to exploit these gaps in enemy lines and they jump the cavalry line over the maratha artillery lines and charge towards afgans to halve off their disarrayed army in to two. Many of the maratha horses were too weak to charge 2 kms towards afgans & collapses.
The suffocating odour & dead men & animals in prevoius months due to wind & sunlight in face posses difficulty & falters their charge.
At these very moment afgan army offices prevent their infantry & cavalry from running away by hitting them & shooting them.
Afgan army has no choice but to attack again. Abdali calls reserves & cavalry of musketeers who now opens with salvo on marathas whose charging cavalry can not withstand this rifled musket attack.
And maratha artillery can not respond as their own men are in their firing line.
about 7000 maratha cavalry & infantry perishes in this process before hand to hand battle begins at around 2.00 p.m.
However by 4.00 marathas tired infantry & cavalry ranks starts succumbing to fresh afgan reserves onslaughts with their protective leather armoured jackets.
Again the muslim logistics infantry (Rohillas) within maratha army revolts are starts looting & pillaging maratha civilians within encirclement.
29 year old Sadashivrao bhau seeing his forwards thinning & civilians behind with no other possible choice in his mind comes down from elephant & rides horse to the front. Some maratha armymen seeing disappeared general panicks & starts running away.
Vishwasrao, son of priminister Nanasaheb earlier falls down to afgan sniper fire, bullet in his head.
Sadashivrao Bhau fights to the end with his three horses dead with his loyal maratha body guards.
Afgans then pursues running marathas & their civilians. Some Maratha artillery points fights till sun down. Some Maratha units who do not had any engagement with enemy do not tries to launch night attack & thus escapes.
Many running Maratha women jumps in to well in panipat town rather than risk rape & dishonour. Many women hides in streets of panipat where north indian hindus do not give them any refuge.
Afgans cavalry pikemen go on masscre spree of maratha soldiers hiding in panipat who tries to offer some resistance.
About 6000 women & children seek shelter with Shuja (allies of Abdali) whose hindu officers convinces him to protect the.
Abdali's souldiers arrests about 10,000 women & another 10,000 young children & men & brings them to their camps.
Womens are raped in afgan rape camp. Many of them committs suicide because of constant rape perpetrated on the.
All of them are exchanged or sold are sex slaves to afganistan & north india on carts, camels & elephants in bamboo cages.
Afgan officers who have lost their kins in battle are permitted to carry out masscres next day also in panipat and around. who do their sacred duty by saying alound their duty as refered in Koran & other islamic scriptures.
The very Delhi mughals to whom marathas just gave their 50,000 lives welcomes afgans. In this battle abdalis army looses about 30,000 men. Thus biggest & bloodiest battle on terror was lost to Islamic zealots in 1761. However news come to him that Marathas in south have organised another 1,00,000 men to avenge & recues prisoners. He leave Delhi in 2 months time for afganistan with his loot of 500 elephants, 1500 camels, 50,000 horses & about 22,000 slaved maratha women & children.
Two armies do not meet again atleast for two years when marathas partially avenge their defeat by routing afgans & rohillas near Farukkabad.
I have relied on some persian, sikh & maratha records available for above article. In case of clarification please contact.
I would be interested in knowing about prisoners of war, slaves as what happen to them after the battle. rajeshvbagwe@hotmail.com