Battle of Meerut (1760)

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
Battle of Meerut
Part of Afghan-Maratha War
Date17 December 1760
Location
Meerut, Maratha Empire
28°59′N 77°43′E / 28.98°N 77.71°E / 28.98; 77.71
Result Afghan victory[1][2]
Belligerents
Durrani Empire Maratha Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad Shah Durrani
Atai Khan		 Govind Pant Bundela †
Strength
14,000 cavalry 12,000 cavalry
Casualties and losses
Unknown 2,000 soldiers killed
20,000 slain at camp
(Total 22,000)
Map

The Battle of Meerut was a military skirmish initiated by Emperor Ahmed Shah Durrani in an attempt to capture Govind Pant Bundela, who had taken refuge in Meerut.[3][4] Emperor Ahmad Shah dispatched Atai Khan with a small army of Afghans to Meerut. Bundela was ready to face the Afghan forces with his light cavalry of ten thousand soldiers, and a fierce battle ensued between the two adversaries in Meerut.

Background

[edit]
Main article: Battle of Samalkha (1760)

On the afternoon of the 26th of October, a significant battle erupted in Samalkha.[3] The Afghan forces were under the direct command of the emperor, while the Marathas were led by Govind Pant Bundela.[5] The Afghans were victorious in the battle, prompting Bundela to be executed. After the confrontation, Bundela escaped and sought refuge in Meerut, saving his life.[3] Subsequently, the emperor deployed Atai Khan, along with the elite cavalry, to apprehend Bundela in Meerut.[3][6]

Battle

[edit]

Najib ad-Dawlah was dispatched by Ahmad Shah to prevent Maratha supplies flowing in from Delhi, defeating the forces of Naro Shankar, the Maratha governor of Delhi. Sadashivrao Bhau in response sent Govind Pant Bundela to invade Rohilla territories and cut off Afghan supplies. Marching with 12,000 horsemen, the Maratha detachment advanced up to Meerut before being attacked by an Afghan contingent of 14,000 dispatched by Ahmad Shah on 17 December under Atai Khan.[7] Govind Pant was killed and the Maratha force was routed, with large amounts of supplies being seized by the Afghans.[8][9] In later encounters, Bundela, together with 10,000 informally trained cavalry who were not officially enlisted as soldiers, was involved in a foraging mission with around 500 men.[5] They were ambushed by an Afghan force near Meerut, resulting in a clash in which Bundela was killed by Atai Khan.[10][11] This was further aggravated by the loss of a detachment of 2,000 Maratha troops who had left Delhi on a mission to transport funds and provisions to Panipat.[12][13]

Aftermath

[edit]

The passing of Govind Pant Bundela greatly distressed Sadashivrao Bhau.[14] He mourned the loss of around 22,000 inhabitants within the Maratha empire.[3] Subsequently, the Maratha armies confronted Afghan forces at the battlefield of Panipat, resulting in a historical defeat.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kadam, Vasant S. (1993). Maratha confederacy. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 68. ISBN 9788121505703.
  2. ^ Joglekar, Jaywant (2006). Decisive Battles India Lost (326 B. C. to 1803 A. D.). Lulucom. pp. 90–91. ISBN 9781847283023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Barua, Pradeep (2005-01-01). The State at War in South Asia. University of Nebraska Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8032-1344-9.
  4. ^ Andhare, B. R. (1984). Bundelkhand Under the Marathas, 1720-1818 A.D.: A Study of Maratha-Bundela Relations. Vishwa Bharati Prakashan. p. 119.
  5. ^ a b Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1966). The Mughal Empire, 1526-1803 A.D. S. L. Agarwala. pp. 476–477.
  6. ^ Haryana State Gazetteer. Haryana Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department. 2001. p. 230.
  7. ^ Sarkar 1971, p. 312.
  8. ^ Gupta 1978, p. 183.
  9. ^ Singh 1959, p. 253.
  10. ^ The Cavalry Journal. 1932. p. 62.
  11. ^ Haryana State Gazetteer. Haryana Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department. 2001. pp. 229–230.
  12. ^ Barua, Pradeep (2005-01-01). The State at War in South Asia. U of Nebraska Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8032-1344-9.
  13. ^ Sainik Samachar. Director of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence. 1965. p. 23.
  14. ^ Haryana State Gazetteer. Haryana Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department. 2001. pp. 229–231.
  15. ^ Mehta, Jaswant Lal (2005-01-01). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6.

Bibliography

[edit]