| Maratha raid on Delhi | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Later Maratha–Mughal Wars | |||||||
 Bajirao I riding his horse into a battle, 1720–1740 CE | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Maratha Empire |
 Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Baji Rao I Malhar Rao Holkar |
Hasan Khan Koka 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.
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
References
- ^ a b c Malik, Zahiruddin (1977). The Reign of Muhammad Shah, 1719-1748. Asia Publishing House. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-0-210-40598-7.
- ^ a b c d Sen, Sailendra Nath (2010). An Advanced History of Modern India. Macmillan India. ISBN 978-0-230-32885-3.
- ^ Tucker, Spencer C. (23 December 2009). A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East - 6 volumes: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East. ABC-CLIO. p. 732. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5.
- ^ Bowman, John (2000). Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture. Columbia University Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-231-11004-4.
- ^ a b c Mehta, Jaswant Lal (January 2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707–1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6.
- ^ Smith, R. V. (20 February 2017). "Talkatora's vicissitudes of fortune". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ Srinivasan, C. K. (1961). Baji Rao I, the Great Peshwa. Asia Publishing House. p. 104.
- ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. p. 335.
- ^ Jayapalan, N. (2001). History of India. Atlantic Publishers & Distri. ISBN 9788171569281.
- ^ Sen, S. N. (2006). History Modern India. New Age International. ISBN 978-81-224-1774-6.
- ^ Robinson, Howard; James Thomson Shotwell (1922). "Mogul Empire and the Marathas". The Development of the British Empire. Houghton Mifflin. p. 106–132.
This page was last edited on 2 January 2024, at 10:54