Battle of Panipat ( 1761 ) The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 , at Panipat , about 60 miles ( 95 . 5 km ) north of Delhi between a northern expeditionary force of the Maratha Empire and a coalition of the King of Afghanistan , Ahmad Shah Abdali with two Indian Muslim allies — the Rohilla Afghans of the Doab , and Shuja - ud - Daula , the Nawab of Awadh . Militarily , the battle pitted the French - supplied artillery and cavalry of the Marathas against the heavy cavalry and mounted artillery ( zamburak and jizail ) of the Afghans and Rohillas led by Ahmad Shah Durrani and Najib - ud - Daulah , both ethnic Pashtuns ( the former is also known as Ahmad Shah Abdali ) . The battle is considered one of the largest fought in the 18th century , and has perhaps the largest number of fatalities in a single day reported in a classic formation battle between two armies . The decline of the Mughal Empire following the 27 - year Mughal - Maratha war ( 1680 – 1707 ) had led to rapid territorial gains for the Maratha Empire . Under Peshwa Baji Rao , Gujarat and Malwa came under Maratha control . Finally , in 1737 , Baji Rao defeated the Mughals on the outskirts of Delhi , and brought much of the former Mughal territories south of Delhi under Maratha control . Baji Rao ' s son , Balaji Baji Rao ( popularly known as Nana Saheb ) , further increased the territory under Maratha control by invading Punjab in 1758 . This brought the Marathas into direct confrontation with the Durrani empire of Ahmad Shah Abdali . In 1759 he raised an army from the Pashtun tribes and made several gains against the smaller Maratha garrisons in Punjab . He then joined with his Indian allies — the Rohilla Afghans of the Gangetic Doab — forming a broad coalition against the Marathas . The Marathas , under the command of Sadashivrao Bhau , responded by gathering an army of between 45 , 000 – 60 , 000 , which was accompanied by roughly 200 , 000 non - combatants , a number of whom were pilgrims desirous of making pilgrimages to Hindu holy sites in northern India . The Marathas started their northward journey from Patdur on the 14 March 1760 . Both sides tried to get the Nawad of Awadh , Shuja - ud - Daulah , into their camp . By late July , Shuja - ud - Daulah made the decision to join the Afghan - Rohilla coalition , preferring to join what was perceived as the ' army of Islam ' . This was strategically a major loss for the Marathas , since Shuja provided much needed finances for the long Afghan stay in North India . It is doubtful whether the Afghan - Rohilla coalition would have the means to continue their conflict with the Marathas without Shuja ' s support . The slow - moving Maratha camp finally reached Delhi on 1 August 1760 , and took the city the next day . There followed a series of skirmishes along the banks of the river Yamuna , and a battle at Kunjpura , which the Marathas won against an Afghan garrison of about 15 , 000 ( at this time , Abdali and the other Afghan forces were on the eastern side of the Yamuna river ) . However , Abdali daringly crossed the river Yamuna on the 25 October at Baghpat , cutting off the Maratha camp from their base in Delhi . This eventually turned into a two - month - long siege led by Abdali against the Marathas in the town of Panipat . During the siege both sides tried to cut off the other ' s supplies . At this the Afghans were considerably more effective , so that by the end of November 1760 they had cut off almost all food supplies into the besieged Maratha camp ( which had about 250 , 000 to 300 , 000 , most of whom were non - combatants ) . According to all the chronicles of the time , food in the Maratha camp ran out by late December or early January and cattle died by the thousands . Reports of soldiers dying of starvation began to be heard in early January . On 13 January the Maratha chiefs begged their commander , Sadashiv Rao Bhau , to be allowed to die in battle than perish by starvation . The next day the Marathas left their camp before dawn and marched south towards the Afghan camp in a desperate attempt to break the siege . The two armies came face - to - face around 8 : 00 a . m . , and the battle raged until evening . The specific site of the battle itself is disputed by historians , but most consider it to have occurred somewhere near modern - day Kaalaa Aamb and Sanauli Road . The battle lasted for several days and involved over 125 , 000 troops . Protracted skirmishes occurred , with losses and gains on both sides . The forces led by Ahmad Shah Durrani came out victorious after destroying several Maratha flanks . The extent of the losses on both sides is heavily disputed by historians , but it is believed that between 60 , 000 – 70 , 000 were killed in fighting , while the numbers of injured and prisoners taken vary considerably . According to the single best eye - witness chronicle - the bakhar by Shuja - ud - Daulah ' s Diwan Kashi Raj , about 40 , 000 Maratha prisoners were slaughtered in cold blood the day after the battle . Grant Duff includes an interview of a survivor of these massacres in his " History of the Marathas " and generally corroborates this number . Shejwalkar , whose monograph " Panipat 1761 " is often regarded as the single best secondary source on the battle , says that " not less than 100 , 000 Marathas ( soldiers and non - combatants ) perished during and after the battle . " The result of the battle was the halting of further Maratha advances in the north , and a destabilization of their territories , for roughly 10 years . This period of 10 years is marked by the rule of Peshwa Madhavrao , who is credited with the revival of Maratha domination following the defeat at Panipat . In 1771 , 10 years after Panipat , he sent a large Maratha army into North India in an expedition that was meant to re - establish Maratha domination in North India and punish refractory powers that had either sided with the Afghans , such as the Rohillas , or had shaken off Maratha domination after Panipat . The success of this campaign can be seen as the last saga of the long story of Panipat . Background . Decline of Mughal Empire . The Mughal Empire had been in decline since the death of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 due to rise of Marathas . The decline was accelerated by the invasion of India by Nadir Shah in 1739 . Continued rebellions by the Marathas in the south , and the de facto separation of a number of states ( including Hyderabad and Bengal ) , weakened the state further . Within a few years of Aurangzeb ' s death , the Marathas had reversed all his territorial gains in the Deccan and had conquered almost all Mughal territory in central and northern India . Mughals had thus become just the titular heads of Delhi . At the same time Punjab saw frequent invasions by Ahmad Shah Abdali , the great Punjabi poet Baba Waris Shah said of the situation , " " khada peeta wahy da , baqi Ahmad Shahy da " " - - " we have nothing with us except what we eat and wear , all other things are for Ahmad Shah " . Abdali appointed his son , Timur Shah Durrani , as his governor in Punjab and Kashmir . In 1758 the Maratha Empire ' s Gen . Raghunathrao marched onwards , attacked and conquered Lahore and Peshawar and drove out Timur Shah Durrani . Lahore , Multan , Kashmir and other subahs on the south and eastern side of Peshawar were under the Maratha rule for the most part . In Punjab and Kashmir the Marathas were now major players . Rise of the Marathas . The Marathas had gained control of a considerable part of India in the intervening period ( 1707 – 1757 ) . In 1758 they occupied Delhi , captured Lahore and drove out Timur Shah Durrani , the son and viceroy of the Afghan ruler , Ahmad Shah Abdali . This was the high - water mark of the Maratha expansion , where the boundaries of their empire extended in the north to the Indus and the Himalayas , and in the south nearly to the extremity of the peninsula . This territory was ruled through the Peshwa , who talked of placing his son Vishwasrao on the Mughal throne . However , Delhi still remained under the nominal control of Mughals , key Muslim intellectuals including Shah Waliullah and other Muslim clergy in India who were alarmed at these developments . In desperation they appealed to Ahmad Shah Abdali , the ruler of Afghanistan , to halt the threat . Prelude . Ahmad Shah Durrani ( " Ahmad Shah Abdali " ) , angered by the news from his son and his allies , was unwilling to allow the Marathas ' spread go unchecked . By the end of 1759 Abdali with his Afghan tribes and his Rohilla ally Najib Khan had reached Lahore as well as Delhi and defeated the smaller enemy garrisons . Ahmed Shah , at this point , withdrew his army to Anupshahr , on the frontier of the Rohilla country , where he successfully convinced the Nawab of Oudh Shuja - ud - Daula to join his alliance against the Marathas — in spite of the Marathas time and again helping and showing sympathy towards Shuja - ud - daula . The Nawab ’ s mother was of the opinion that he should join the Marathas . The Marathas had helped Safdarjung ( father of Shuja ) in defeating Rohillas in Farrukhabad . However , Shuja was very much ill - treated in the Abdali camp . Abdali was an Afghan Sunni Muslim and Shuja was a Persian Shia Muslim . The Marathas under Sadashivrao Bhau ( referred to as the Bhau or Bhao in sources ) responded to the news of the Afghans ' return to North India by raising a big army , and they marched North . Bhau ' s force was bolstered by some Maratha forces under Holkar , Scindia , Gaikwad and Govind Pant Bundele . Suraj Mal , the Jat ruler of Bharatpur , also had joined Bhausaheb but left midway . This combined army of over 100 , 000 regular troops captured the Mughal capital , Delhi , from an Afghan garrison in December 1759 . Delhi had been reduced to ashes many times due to previous invasions , and in addition there being acute shortage of supplies in the Maratha camp . Bhau ordered the sacking of the already depopulated city . He is said to have planned to place his nephew and the Peshwa ' s son , Vishwasrao , on the Mughal throne . The Jats did not support the Marathas . Their withdrawal from the ensuing battle was to play a crucial role in its result . Abdali drew first blood by attacking a small Maratha army led by Dattaji Shinde at Murari Ghat . Dattaji fought with characteristic Maratha valour but was soon defeated and killed by Abdali ’ s troops . Initial skirmishes . With both sides poised for battle , there followed much maneuvering , with skirmishes between the two armies fought at Karnal and Kunjpura . Kunjpura , on the banks of the Yamuna River 60 miles to the north of Delhi , was stormed by the Marathas and the whole Afghan garrison was killed or enslaved . Marathas achieved a rather easy victory at Kunjpura , although there was a substantial army posted there . Some of Abadali ' s best generals were killed . Ahmad Shah was encamped on the left bank of the Yamuna River , which was swollen by rains , and was powerless to aid the garrison . The massacre of the Kunjpura garrison , within sight of the Durrani camp , exasperated him to such an extent that he ordered crossing of the river at all costs . Ahmed Shah and his allies on 17 October 1760 , broke up from Shahdara , marching south . Taking a calculated risk , Abdali plunged into the river , followed by his bodyguards and troops . Between 23 and 25 October they were able to cross at Baghpat ( a small town about 24 miles up the river ) , as a man from the village , in exchange for money , showed Abdali a way through Yamuna , from where the river could be crossed , unopposed by the Marathas who were still preoccupied with the sacking of Kunjpura . After the Marathas failed to prevent Abdali ' s forces from crossing the Yamuna River , they set up defensive works in the ground near Panipat , thereby blocking his access back to Afghanistan , just as his forces blocked theirs to the south . However , on the afternoon of 26 October Ahmad Shah ' s advance guard reached Sambalka , about halfway between Sonepat and Panipat , where they encountered the vanguard of the Marathas . A fierce skirmish ensued , in which the Afghans lost 1000 men killed and wounded but drove the Marathas back to their main body , which kept retreating slowly for several days . This led to the partial encirclement of the Maratha army . In skirmishes that followed , Govind Pant Bundele , with 10 , 000 light cavalry who weren ’ t formally trained soldiers , was on a foraging mission with about 500 men . They were surprised by an Afghan force near Meerut , and in the ensuing fight Bundele was killed . This was followed by the loss of another 2 , 000 Maratha soldiers who were delivering the army ' s payroll from Delhi . This completed the encirclement , as Ahmad Shah had cut off the Maratha army ' s supply lines . With supplies and stores dwindling , tensions rose in the Maratha camp as the mercenaries in their army were complaining about not being paid . Initially the Marathas moved in almost 150 pieces of modern long - range , French - made artillery . With a range of several kilometres , these guns were some of the best of the time . The Marathas ' plan was to lure the Afghan army to confront them while they had close artillery support . Preliminary moves . During the next two months of the siege constant skirmishes and duels took place between units and individual champions from either side . In one of these Najib lost 3 , 000 of his Rohillas and was very nearly killed but ran away . Facing a potential stalemate , Abdali decided to seek terms , which Bhau was willing to consider . However , Najib Khan delayed any chance of an agreement with an appeal on religious grounds and sowed doubt about whether the Marathas would honour any agreement . After the Marathas moved from Kunjpura to Panipat , Diler Khan Marwat , with his father Alam Khan Marwat and a force of 2500 Pashtuns , attacked and took control of Kunjpura , where there was a Maratha garrison of 700 – 800 soldiers . At that time Atai Khan Baluch , son of the Wazir of Abdali , came from Afghanistan with 10 , 000 cavalry and cut off the supplies to the Marathas . The Marathas at Panipat were surrounded by Abdali in the south , Pashtun Tribes ( Yousuf Zai , Afridi , Khattak ) in the east , Shuja , Atai Khan and others in the north and other Pashtun tribes ( Gandapur , Marwat , Durranis and Kakars ) in the west . Abdali had also ordered Wazir Shaha Wali Khan Afridi and others to keep a watch in the thorny jungles surrounding Panipat . Thus , all supplies lines were cut . The Marathas ’ difficulty in obtaining supplies worsened as the local population became hostile to them , since in the Marathas ' desperation to secure provisions they had pillaged the surrounding areas . While Sadashivrao Bhau was still eager to make terms , a message was received from the Peshawa insisting on going to war and promising that reinforcements were under way . Unable to continue without supplies or wait for reinforcements any longer , Bhau decided to break the siege . His plan was to pulverise the enemy formations with cannon fire and not to employ his cavalry until the Afghans were thoroughly softened up . With the Afghans broken , he would move camp in a defensive formation towards Delhi , where they were assured supplies . Battle . Formations . The Maratha lines began a little to the north of Kala Amb . They had thus blocked the northward path of Abdali ' s troops and at the same time were blocked from heading south — in the direction of Delhi , where they could get badly needed supplies — by those same troops . Bhau , with the Peshwa ' s son and the household troops , was in the centre . The left wing consisted of the " gardis " under Ibrahim Khan . Holkar and Sindhia were on the extreme right . The Maratha line was to be formed up some 12 km across , with the artillery in front , protected by infantry , pikemen , musketeers and bowmen . The cavalry was instructed to wait behind the artillery and bayonet - wielding musketeers , ready to be thrown in when control of the battlefield had been fully established . Behind this line was another ring of 30 , 000 young Maratha soldiers who were not battle - tested , and then the roughly 30 , 000 civilians entrained . Many were middle - class men , women and children on their pilgrimage to Hindu holy places and shrines . Behind the civilians was yet another protective infantry line , of young , inexperienced soldiers . On the other side the Afghans formed a somewhat similar line , probably a few metres to the south of today ' s Sanauli Road . Their left was being formed by Najib and their right by two brigades of Persian troops . Their left centre was led by two Viziers , Shuja - ud - daulah with 3 , 000 soldiers and 50 – 60 cannons and Ahmad Shah ' s Vizier Shah Wali with a choice body of 19 , 000 mailed Afghan horsemen . The right centre consisted of 15 , 000 Rohillas under Hafiz Rahmat and other chiefs of the Rohilla Pathans . Pasand Khan covered the left wing with 5 , 000 cavalry , Barkurdar Khan and Amir Beg covered the right with 3 , 000 Rohilla cavalry with the choicest Persian horses . Long - range musketeers were also present during the battle . In this order the army of Ahmed Shah moved forward , leaving him at his preferred post in the centre , which was now in the rear of the line , from where he could watch and direct the battle . Early phases . Before dawn on 14 January 1761 , the Maratha troops broke their fast with the last remaining grain in camp and prepared for combat , coming from their lines with turbans disheveled and turmeric - smeared faces . They emerged from the trenches , pushing the artillery into position on their prearranged lines , some 2 km from the Afghans . Seeing that the battle was on , Ahmad Shah positioned his 60 smooth - bore cannon and opened fire . However , because of the short range of the Afghan weapons and the static nature of the Maratha artillery , the Afghan cannons proved ineffectual . The initial attack was led by the Maratha left flank under Ibrahim Khan , who in his eagerness to prove his worth advanced his infantry in formation against the Rohillas and Shah Pasand Khan . The first salvos from the Maratha artillery went over the Afghans ' heads and did very little damage . Nevertheless , the first Afghan attack was broken by Maratha bowmen and pikemen , along with a unit of the famed Gardi musketeers stationed close to the artillery positions . The second and subsequent salvos were fired at point - blank range into the Afghan ranks . The resulting carnage sent the Rohillas reeling back to their lines , leaving the battlefield in the hands of Ibrahim for the next three hours , during which the 8 , 000 Gardi musketeers killed about 12 , 000 Rohillas . In the second phase , Bhau himself led the charge against the left - of - center Afghan forces , under the Afghan Vizier Shah Wali Khan . The sheer force of the attack nearly broke the Afghan lines , and soldiers started to desert their positions in the confusion . Desperately trying to rally his forces , Shah Wali appealed to Shuja ud Daulah for assistance . However , the Nawab did not break from his position , effectively splitting the Afghan force ' s center . Despite Bhau ' s success , the overenthusiasm of the charge and a phenomenon called " Dakshinayan " on that fateful day , the attack itself failed because the sunlight shone directly into the eyes of the attackers ' horses , many of them half - starved Maratha mounts who were exhausted long before they had traveled the two kilometers to the Afghan lines ; some simply collapsed . Final phase . In the final phase the Marathas , under Scindia , attacked Najib . Najib successfully fought a defensive action , however , keeping Scindia ' s forces at bay . By noon it looked as though Bhau would clinch victory for the Marathas once again . The Afghan left flank still held its own , but the centre was cut in two and the right was almost destroyed . Ahmad Shah had watched the fortunes of the battle from his tent , guarded by the still unbroken forces on his left . He sent his bodyguards to call up his 15 , 000 reserve troops from his camp and arranged them as a column in front of his cavalry of musketeers ( Qizilbash ) and 2 , 000 swivel - mounted " shutarnaals " or Ushtranaal — cannons — on the backs of camels . The shaturnals , because of their positioning on camels , could fire an extensive salvo over the heads of their own infantry at the Maratha cavalry . The Maratha cavalry was unable to withstand the muskets and camel - mounted swivel cannons of the Afghans . They could be fired without the rider having to dismount and were especially effective against fast - moving cavalry . He therefore sent 500 of his own bodyguards with orders to raise all able - bodied men out of camp and send them to the front . He sent 1 , 500 more to any those front - line troops who attempted to flee the battle and kill without mercy any soldier who would not return to the fight . These extra troops , along with 4 , 000 of his reserve troops , went to support the broken ranks of the Rohillas on the right . The remainder of the reserve , 10 , 000 strong , were sent to the aid of Shah Wali , still labouring unequally against the Bhao in the centre of the field . These mailed warriors were to charge with the Vizir in close order and at full gallop . Whenever they charged the enemy in front , the chief of the staff and Najib were directed to fall upon either flank . With their own men in the firing line , the Maratha artillery could not respond to the shathurnals and the cavalry charge . Some 7 , 000 Maratha cavalry and infantry were killed before the hand - to - hand fighting began at around 14 : 00 . By 16 : 00 the tired Maratha infantry began to succumb to the onslaught of attacks from fresh Afghan reserves , protected by armoured leather jackets . Outflanked . Sadashivrao Bhau , seeing his forward lines dwindling and civilians behind , had not kept any reserves , and upon seeing Vishwasrao disappear in the midst of the fighting , he felt he had no choice but to come down from his elephant and lead the battle . Taking advantage of this , some Afghan soldiers who had been captured by the Marathas earlier during the siege of Kunjpura revolted . The slaves deliberately spread rumours about the defeat of the Marathas . This brought confusion and great consternation to loyal Maratha soldiers , who thought that the enemy had attacked from their rear . Some Maratha troops , seeing that their general had disappeared from his elephant , panicked and began to flee . Abdali had given a part of his army the task of surrounding and killing the Gardis under Ibrahim Khan Gardi , who were at the leftmost part of the Maratha army . Bhausaheb had ordered Vitthal Vinchurkar ( with 1500 cavalry ) and Damaji Gaikwad ( with 2500 cavalry ) to protect the Gardis . However , after seeing the Gardis fight , they lost their patience , became overenthusiastic and decided to fight the Rohillas themselves . Thus they broke the round — they didn ’ t follow the idea of round battle and went all out on the Rohillas , and the Rohilla riflemen started accurately firing at the Maratha cavalry , which was equipped only with swords . This gave the Rohillas the opportunity to encircle the Gardis and outflank the Maratha centre while Shah Wali pressed on attacking the front . Thus the Gardis were left defenceless and started falling one by one . Vishwasrao had already been killed by a shot to the head . Bhau and his loyal bodyguards fought to the end , the Maratha leader having three horses shot out from under him . At this stage Holkar , realising the battle was lost , broke from the Maratha left flank and retreated . The Maratha army was routed and fled under the devastating attack . While 15 , 000 soldiers managed to reach Gwalior , the rest of the Maratha forces — including large numbers of non - combatants — were either killed or captured . Rout . The Afghans pursued the fleeing Maratha army and civilians . The Maratha front lines remained largely intact , with some of their artillery units fighting until sunset . Choosing not to launch a night attack , many Maratha troops escaped that night . Bhau ' s wife Parvatibai , who was assisting in the administration of the Maratha camp , escaped to Pune with her bodyguard ( Janu Bhintada ) . Reasons for the outcome . Durrani had both numeric as well as qualitative superiority over Marathas . The combined Muslim army was much larger than that of Marathas . Though the infantry of Marathas was organized along European lines and their army had some of the best French - made guns of the time , their artillery was static and lacked mobility against the fast - moving Afghan forces . The heavy mounted artillery of Afghans proved much better in the battlefield than the light artillery of Marathas . The main reason for the failure of the Marathas was that they went to war without good allies . They were expecting support from their allies - Rajputs , Jats and Sikhs , but none of them supported Marathas in the battle . The Marathas had interfered in the internal affairs of the Rajput states ( present - day Rajasthan ) and levied heavy taxes and huge fines on them . They had also made large territorial and monetary claims upon Awadh . Their raids in the Jat territory had resulted in the loss of trust of Jat chiefs like Suraj Mal . They had , therefore , to fight their enemies alone . Marathas treated Sikhs , who assisted them in their north - west conquest as a non - entity in Punjab affairs . According to an assessment , the Sikhs were ever ready to co - operate with the Marathas , but it goes to the discredit of the Marathas that they did not make a proper confederacy with Sikhs . Kirpal Singh writes : Moreover , the senior Maratha chiefs constantly bickered with one another . Each had ambitions of carving out their independent states and had no interest in fighting against a common enemy . Some of them didn ' t support the idea of a " round battle " and wanted to fight using guerilla tactics instead of charging the enemy head - on . The Marathas were fighting alone at a place which was 1000 miles away from their capital Pune . The Maratha army was also burdened with over 300 , 000 pilgrims who wished to worship at Hindu places of worship like Mathura , Prayag , Kashi , etc . The pilgrims wanted to accompany the army , as they would be secure with them . Apart from just fighting the battle , the Maratha troops had the responsibility to protect the non - combatants from Afghans . That was the reason why Marathas suffered heavy losses even after the battle . They could not retreat quickly as they were to protect the non - combatants who were accompanying them . Peshwa ' s decision to appoint Sadashivrao Bhau as the Supreme Commander instead of Malharrao Holkar or Raghunathrao proved to be an unfortunate one , as Sadashivrao was totally ignorant of the political and military situation in North India . If Holkar had remained in the battlefield , the Maratha defeat would have been delayed but not averted . Ahmad Shah ’ s superiority in pitched battle could have been negated if the Marathas had conducted their traditional ganimi kava , or guerrilla warfare , as advised by Malharrao Holkar , in Punjab and in north India . Abdali was in no position to maintain his field army in India indefinitely . Marathas had used guerrilla warfare in North India . The Turki horses could not have handled the plundering and cutting of supply lines by the Marathas . Najib , Shuja and the Rohillas knew North India very well and that most of North India had allied with Abdali . Abdali used shaturnals , camels with mobile artillery pieces at his disposal . He was also diplomatic , striking agreements with Hindu leaders , especially the Jats and Rajputs , and former rivals like the Nawab of Awadh , appealing to him in the name of religion . He also had better intelligence on the movements of his enemy , which played a crucial role in his encirclement of the enemy army . Massacres after the battle . Mass of surrendered Maratha soldiers were handcuffed and then murdered , their heads chopped off by Afghans . The Afghan cavalry and pikemen ran wild through the streets of Panipat , killing tens of thousands of Maratha soldiers and civilians . The women and children seeking refuge in streets of Panipat were hounded back in Afghan camps as slaves . Children over 14 were beheaded before their own mothers and sisters . Afghan officers who had lost their kin in battle were permitted to carry out massacres of ' infidel ' Hindus the next day also , in Panipat and the surrounding area . They arranged victory mounds of severed heads outside their camps . According to the single best eye - witness chronicle - the bakhar by Shuja - ud - Daula ' s Diwan Kashi Raj , about 40 , 000 Maratha prisoners were slaughtered in cold blood the day after the battle . According to Mr . Hamilton of Bombay Gazette about half a million Marathi people were present there in Panipat town and he gives a figure of 70 , 000 prisoners as executed by Afghans . Many of the fleeing Maratha women jumped into the Panipat wells rather than risk rape and dishonour . Abdali ' s soldiers took about 22 , 000 Hindu women and young children and brought them to their camps . The women were raped in the camp , many committed suicide because of constant rapes perpetrated on them . All of the prisoners were exchanged or sold as sex slaves in Afghanistan , transported on bullock carts , camels and elephants in bamboo cages . Siyar - ut - Mutakhirin says : Aftermath . The bodies of Vishwasrao and Bhau were recovered by the Marathas and were cremated according to Hindu custom . Bhau ' s wife Parvatibai was saved by Holkar , per the directions of Bhau , and eventually returned to Pune . Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao , uninformed about the state of his army , was crossing the Narmada with reinforcements when a tired charkara arrived with a cryptic message : " Two pearls have been dissolved , 27 gold coins have been lost and of the silver and copper the total cannot be cast up " . The Peshwa never recovered from the shock of the total debacle at Panipat . He returned to Pune and died a broken man in a temple on Paravati Hill . Jankoji Scindia was taken prisoner and executed at the instigation of Najib . Ibrahim Khan Gardi was tortured and executed by enraged Afghan soldiers , when they caught him performing the last rites of his master Sadashivraobhau and Vishwasrao . The Marathas never fully recovered from the loss at Panipat , but they remained the predominant military power in India and managed to retake Delhi 10 years later . However , their claim over all of India ended with the three Anglo - Maratha Wars , almost 50 years after Panipat . The Jats under Suraj Mal benefited significantly from not participating in the Battle of Panipat . They provided considerable assistance to the Maratha soldiers and civilians who escaped the fighting . Suraj Mal himself was killed in battle against Najib - ud - Daula in 1763 . Ahmad Shah ' s victory left him , in the short term , the undisputed master of North India . However , his alliance quickly unravelled amidst squabbles between his generals and other princes , the increasing restlessness of his soldiers over pay , the increasing Indian heat and arrival of the news that Marathas had organised another 100 , 000 men in the south to avenge their loss and rescue captured prisoners . Before departing , he ordered the Indian chiefs , through a Royal Firman ( order ) ( including Clive of India ) , to recognise Shah Alam II as Emperor . Ahmad Shah also appointed Najib - ud - Daula as ostensible regent to the Mughal Emperor . In addition , Najib and Munir - ud - daulah agreed to pay to Abdali , on behalf of the Mughal king , an annual tribute of four million rupees . This was to be Ahmad Shah ' s final major expedition to North India , as he became increasingly preoccupied with the increasingly successful rebellions by the Sikhs . Shah Shuja was to regret his decision to join the Afghan forces . In time his forces became embroiled in clashes between the orthodox Sunni Afghans and his own Shia followers . He is alleged to have later secretly sent letters to Bhausaheb through his spies regretting his decision to join Abdali . After the Battle of Panipat the services of the Rohillas were rewarded by grants of Shikohabad to Nawab Faiz - ullah Khan and of Jalesar and Firozabad to Nawab Sadullah Khan . Najib Khan proved to be an effective ruler . However , after his death in 1770 , the Rohillas were defeated by the British East India Company . Marathas re - captured Delhi and restored their power in North India after ten years of the battle by 1771 under Peshwa Madhavrao . Legacy . The Third Battle of Panipat saw an enormous number of deaths and injuries in a single day of battle . It was the last major battle between indigenous South Asian military powers until the creation of Pakistan in 1947 . To save their kingdom , the Mughals once again changed sides and welcomed the Afghans to Delhi . The Mughals remained in nominal control over small areas of India , but were never a force again . The empire officially ended in 1857 when its last emperor , Bahadur Shah II , was accused of being involved in the Sepoy Mutiny and exiled . The Marathas ' expansion was stopped in the battle , and infighting soon broke out within the empire . They never regained any unity . They recovered their position under the next Peshwa Madhavrao I and by 1771 were back in control of the north , finally occupying Delhi . However , after the death of Madhavrao , due to infighting and increasing pressure from the British , their claims to empire only officially ended in 1818 after three wars with the British . Meanwhile the Sikhs — whose rebellion was the original reason Ahmad invaded — were left largely untouched by the battle . They soon retook Lahore . When Ahmad Shah returned in March 1764 he was forced to break off his siege after only two weeks due to a rebellion in Afghanistan . He returned again in 1767 , but was unable to win any decisive battle . With his own troops complaining about not being paid , he eventually abandoned the district to the Sikhs , who remained in control until 1849 . The Marathi term " Sankrant Kosalali " ( सक्रांत कोसळली ) , meaning " Sankranti has befallen us " , is said to have originated from the events of the battle . There are some verbs in the Marathi language related to this loss as " Panipat zale " ( पानिपत झाले ) [ a major loss has happened ] . This verb is even today used in Marathi language . A common pun is " " Aamchaa Vishwaas Panipataat gela " " ( आमचा विश्वास पानीपतात गेला ) [ we lost our own ( Vishwas ) faith since Panipat ] . Just before death of brave Dattaji Shinde , when asked whether he would still fight , lionheart Dattaji replied " " Bachenge to Aur Bhi Ladenge " " ( बचेंगे तो औरभी लडेंगे । ) [ Should we survive , we will fight even more ] . Many historians , including British historians of the time , have argued that had it not been for the weakening of Maratha power at Panipat , the British might never have gotten a strong foothold in India . The battle proved the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling ' s poem " With Scindia to Delhi " . " Our hands and scarfs were saffron - dyed for signal of despair , < br > When we went forth to Paniput to battle with the ~ Mlech ~ , < br > Ere we came back from Paniput and left a kingdom there . " It is , however , also remembered as a scene of valour on both sides . Santaji Wagh ' s corpse was found with over 40 mortal wounds . The bravery of Vishwas Rao , the Peshwa ' s son , was acknowledged even by the Afghans . Yashwantrao Pawar also fought with great courage , killing many Afghans . Afghan military prowess was to inspire hope in many orthodox Muslims and Mughal royalists and fear in the British .