The Afghans defeat the Marathas in India

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz

The Afghans defeated the Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat
On January 9, 1760 AD, the Afghans defeated the Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat, in one of a series of victories to gain control of the decaying Mughal Empire, which gave the crafty British colonialists time to consolidate their power in Bengal, after they had contrived with traitors to defeat Nawab Siraj od-Dowlah (of Iranian ancestry) in 1757.
At Barari Ghat on the banks of River Jamna, 16 km north of Delhi, the Maratha chief Dattaji Sindhia, retreating from the Punjab before the army of Ahmad Shah Durrani, was surprised by Afghan troops who, concealed by high reeds, crossed the river. Dattaji was killed and his army scattered. His defeat opened the way to the Afghan occupation of Delhi. The next year, Ahmad Shah – a veteran general of Nader Shah Afshar of Iran who had taken part in the invasion of India in 1739 – completely broke the power of the Marathas by a resounding victory in the 3rd Battle of Panipat.

The Third Battle of Panipat
On January 14, 1761 AD, the Afghans led by Ahmad Shah Abdali inflicted a crushing defeat to the Marathas at the 3rd Battle of Panipat, fought about 95 km from Delhi that changed the course of Indian history. The Marathas' French supplied artillery was no match for the "Zamburak" mounted artillery of Ahmad Shah – a veteran general of Nader Shah Afshar of Iran who had participated in the latter's capture of Delhi in 1739.
The Marathas of western India, emboldened by the breakaway of the two important provinces of Bengal and Haiderabad-Deccan from the Mughal Empire, had quickly expanded their influence in the north as far as Punjab and the borders of Kashmir, bringing them into direct confrontation with the Afghans.
Ahmad Shah Durrani, with his two Indian allies – Najeeb od-Dowla Rohilla of the Doaab, and Shuja od-Dowla, the Nawab of Awadh –decided to crush the Maratha marauders, whose pillaging and looting of lands had alienated from them the Sikhs, the Jats, and even fellow Hindu Rajputs. The battle is considered one of the largest fought in the 18th century.
The 250,000 strong Maratha army was annihilated and large numbers fled the battlefield towards the southwest. The earlier two decisive Battles of Panipat that also changed the course of Indian history were fought in 1526 and 1556. The first saw the defeat of the Afghan king, Ibrahim Lodhi of Hindustan (North India) and establishment of the Mughal Empire by the Timurid ruler of Kabul, Zaheer od-Din Babar Shah – a protأ©gأ© of Shah Ismail I of Iran. The second saw the victory of Bayram Khan Turkman, the guardian and general of Jalal od-Din Akbar Shah over Hemu, the Hindu general of the Afghan rulers of Delhi and led to the restoration of Mughal rule, after Humayun Shad had died shortly after return from Iran and recapturing of Hindustan with aid provided by Shah Tahmasp Safavi.