पानीपत १७६१ (मराठा साम्राज्य एवं पानीपत महायुद्ध इतिहास)

PANIPAT 83 (1) Thus, to calculate the figures left for the final action, we shall have to deduct first the Jat-Wazir contingents which left the Marathas at the beginning of September, numbering possibly not more than 5,000 (2) The troops left in charge of Delhi under Naro Shankar estimated at about 7,000 in all⁴ (3) The total loss at Delhi, Kunjpura and the three skirmishes at Pani- pat—3,000, leaving 55,000 out of the combined total estimated at 70,000 near Agra at the beginning of July Out of this also some thousands will have to be deducted for those who died as a result of wounds received in the five actions, as also some disabled on account of serious wounds and starvation Thus we shall not be far off the mark if we say that the Maratha fighting troops at Panipat were 50,000 only A writer from Panipat, writing before the three skirmishes, estimates the Maratha number at 60,000, while he reports Abdali's troops at 40,000 only Perhaps he omits the infantry on Abdali's side, because the word “Fauj” in Marathi is generally used for cavalry only Abdali is said to have received additions to his troops during the Panipat beleagurement estimated at 8,000 Kashiraj's figures given at the beginning before crossing over the Jamuna to Panipat, are 40,000 horse and 40 000 foot, including the troops of Abdali and his allies For Bhau he gives the figures as 55,000 horse, 15,000 foot (including 9,000 Gardis under Ibrahim Khan), besides 15,000 Pendhari horsemen As against this the irregulars on Abdali's side are estimated by Kashiraj at four times the number of the Durrani horsemen on the muster roll of the Shah Even if we take the actual Afghan cavalry at 33,000 only, this estimate would give one lakh and twenty thousand as the figure of ir regulars, which we think very much overestimated It is true that there pos s bly would be more soldiers from amongst the camp followers on Abdali's side than there would be on the Maratha side, on account of the very character of the two peoples and their usual mode of life An average Afghan camp fol lower would be a good horse rider even when he had no horse of his own Similarly, he would be more adept in using arms than possibly an average camp-follower in the Maratha army But it is incorrect to think that none of the camp followers and non combatants following the Maratha army would have horses of their own, we rather think that many of them had the Dec- can ponies with them serving as baggage carriers for their masters Unfor- tunately for the Marathas, most of these ponies seem to have perished of starvation during the beleagurement of Panipat, due to want of fodder, while the irregular horses on Abdali's side were still serviceable Satvoji Jadhav, writ- ing after the battle of Panipat,⁵ definitely says that many a cavalryman had lost his mount before Panipat, and even the rest had become unserviceably weak If we deduct 20 per cent on this account, then Sir Jadunath's estimate⁶ of 40,000 horsemen actually present in the field seems to be a tolerably cor- rect figure, though arrived at in a different manner Kashiraj's estimates of the two armies given in round figures seem to be based on heresay reports, and not on official figures as he would make us believe by his mode of writing His only strong point is that he clearly distinguishes between trained government 4 Raj 6 406 5 Ibid. 1 406. 6 Fall 2.287