पानीपत १७६१ (मराठा साम्राज्य एवं पानीपत महायुद्ध इतिहास)

CHAPTER VI

THE BATTLE

FINALLY, as decided at night, the Maratha army rose in the early hours of Wednesday, the 14th January, 1761, and prepared itself to march out of the beleaguered camp at Panipat. After going through the morning round of physical duties, Sadashivrao Bhau and Vishwasrao bathed, worshipped the gods, had a hurried breakfast and then dressed themselves in full armour for the ensuing battle. The whole camp was agog throughout the previous night. They had collected all their little belongings and tied them in bundles to be carried away by securing them to their backs or on the bullocks and other pack animals which had survived. Some carts and other heavy goods, found either difficult to arrange properly or as absolutely unnecessary on the march, were left behind in the camp in order to facilitate the march. With the first call of the trumpets, the whole camp started and arranged itself in marching order as best it could.¹ To the front were placed the heavy cannon, behind it the infantry of Ibrahim Khan followed in triangular formation so as to make the artillery in front, the spear head of the march. To their rear were placed Damaji Gaikawad, Yashwantrao Pawar, Vitthal Shivdeo, Antaji Manakeshwar, Samsher Bahadar and other small units. Then followed Bhau and Vishwas- rao with their personal troops. After them came non combatants and bag- gage. On the right flank of the rear were appointed the Shinde and Holkar contingents. The lighter artillery was placed mainly on the right of the march- ing square, though a few were placed on the left and at the back also, to scare away any surprise attack on those sides. The hollow square thus formed marched out step by step and stood three miles in front of Abdali. Their posi- tion at nine o'clock (local time) was: Ibrahim Khan's infantry in the village of Nimbdi to the south-west of Panipat, Bhausaheb with the centre one mile be- hind him to the north of Ugrakhedi, Malharrao Holkar at the rear directly one mile to the south of Panipat. The non combatants and camp followers were standing between Panipat and Ugrakhedi, their left-hand side reaching the out- skirts of Rajakhedi to the north. The distance between Malharrao Holkar's rearmost contingent and Abdali's left under Shah Pasand Khan was more than three miles, his contingent probably standing in the field to the east of Siwa. The Afghan army when arranged stood roughly in a crescent shaped curved line from Siwa to Chhajpur Khurd. Barkhurdar Khan's Risala was standing there with the nullah at their back. Dunde Khan and Hafiz Rahamat Khan were standing between Chhajpur Kalan and Ujah. Ahmad Shah was somewhere between Risalu and Dhadaula, while Wazir Shah Wali Khan's cavalry stood ready between Risalu and Ujah. Ahmad Shah's baggage and camp were between Dhadaula and Nurpur. Najib ud daulah and Shuja ud

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¹ The front originally was spread from Kabuli Bagh to the north-east of Panipat, to Chandani Bagh to the west of it, where Ibrahim Khan's corps were camping. This was the head of the Maratha march in order. The direction it took was to the south-east of Panipat.

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