Third Battle of Panipat (1761) / Battle of Panipat

Third Battle of Panipat (1761)

Third Battle of Panipat

The conquest and occupation of the Punjab by the Marathas brought them into conflict with Ahmed Shah Abdali who started from Afghanistan to recover the same from the Marathas. The Marathas were also ready to meet him, and thus the famous Battle of Panipat was fought in January 1761. Ahmed Shah Abdali had under his command about 40,000 cavalry and 35,000 infantry. Sadasive Bhao had under his command 55,000 cavalry, 15,000 infantry and 15,000 Pandaris. Both sides had artillery and other auxiliaries. Sadasive Bhao was proud of his artillery strength and against the advice of his generals, decided to fight a pitched battle. Abdali was able to cut off the lines of communication of the Marathas. To begin with, the Marathas had the upper hand, but later on the Afghans carried the day. Sadasive Bhao was killed. Visvas Rao, the son of the Peshwa, was also killed. Malhar Rao Holdar saved his life by running away from the battle-field. Mahadji Scindhia was able to save his life but he became lame. There was a terrible loss of life among the Marathas. The losses of the Marathas army were reported to the Peshwa in these words: “Two pearls have been dissolved, twenty-seven gold mohars have been lost, and of the silver and copper the total cannot be reckoned.” The news was received by Balaji Baji Rao when he was coming to Panipat with reinforcements. However, he was too late. He retired broken-hearted to Poona and died in 1761, a few days later.

There is no unanimity of opinion among the historians with regards to the effects of the Battle of Panipat in 1761. According to Sardesai, “Notwithstanding the terrible losses in manpower suffered on that field by Marathas, the disaster decided nothing. In fact, it pushed forward in the distant sequal two prominent members of the dominant race. Nana Phadnavis and Mahadji Scindhia, both miraculously escaping death on fatal day, who resuscitated that power to its former glory………. The disaster of Panipat was indeed like a natural visitation destroying life, but leading to no decisive political consequences. To maintain that the disaster of Panipat put an end to the dreams of supremacy cherished by the Marathas, is to misunderstand the situation as recorded in contemporary documents.”

However, this view is not accepted by other historians. According to Sir Jadunath Sarkar, “A dispassionate survey of Indian history will show how unfounded this (Maratha) chauvinistic claim is. A Maratha army did, no doubt, restore the exiled Mughal emperor to the capital of his father’s in 1772, but they came then not as king-makers, but as the dominators of the Mughal Empire and the real masters of his nominal ministers and generals. The proud position was secured by Mahadji Scindhia only in 1789 and by the British in 1803.” There is a lot to be said for this view. The battle of Panipat was a decisive battle. The flower of the Maratha army was cut off. After this battle, the Maratha dream of establishing the empire over the whole of India vanished. The Maratha defeat had a great demoralizing effect. The Indians after 1761 felt that they could not depend upon the protection and friendship of the Marathas.

The third Battle of Panipat “decided the fate of India.” “The Marathas and the Mohammedans weakened each other in that deadly conflict, facilitating the aims of the British for Indian supremacy.” Again, ‘if Palassey had sown the seeds of British supremacy in India, Panipat afforded time for the maturing and striking roots,”

According to Sir J.N. Sarkar “it was, in short, a nation-wide disaster like Flodden Field, there was not a home in Maharashtra that had not to mourn the loss of a member and several houses their very heads. An entire generation of leaders was cut off at one stroke.”

Milan Tomic

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