Thread by @Maharathi_

Third Battle of Panipat, 14th January 1761.

The Marathas emerged out against the Durrani-Rohilla hordes.

The Fateful day's battle commenced with gunfire, rocket-fire, cannon bombardment and finally as Ibrahim Khan Gardi's contingent came under threat, the Maratha Huzurat Cavalry charged.

The thunderous roar of "Har! Har! Mahadev!" rent the air and a vast cavalcade of ~13,500 Huzuratis charged in a resistless sweep against the Durrani Lines.

The Afghan frontline was literally shattered and fled back to their main trenches like dogs running away from fireworks. Shah Wali Khan, Abdali's Grand Wazir, was thrown off his horse and fell to the ground, swallowing mud in his mouth as he began screaming at his fleeing troops

"Wither do you flee soldiers?! Vilāyat (Kabul) is far away!"

According to eye-witness Kashiraj, the "The assault was so violent that the Earth and the Sky could not be seen and the eye of Heaven itself became dazzled at beholding this spectacle! The Marathas drank up the Afghans like waters of rivers!"

Over 10,000+ Pasthun cavalry, 7,000+ Persian musketeers and over 1,000 Zamburak Artillery lines of the Durrani-Rohilla army were SMASHED in this charge.

Shah Wali Khan's grandson Atai Khan, (who was responsible for desecration of Golden Temple at Amritsar as well as Govindpant Bundele's murder) seated atop his War-Elephant was pounced upon by Maharaja Yashwantrao Pawar vengefully and hacked into pieces.

As per another contemporary eye-witness, direct from Maharaja Malharrao Holkar's own Thaili, published in 1766, the ENTIRE Afghan army was pushed back by over *SIX MILES* by the sheer might of just roughly 13,000 Marathas and the entire frontal trench of Durrani-Rohillas was

occupied by the outnumbered but mighty Maratha army. Vishwasrao and Ibrahim Gardi both led on the next assault on horseback.

Jaffar Shamlu, another live-eyewitness of this spectacle unfolding on the plains ahead of him, reported that Ahmad Shah Abdali was so overwhelmed with terror and apprehension of the Maratha charge that he prepared mounts for his harem and himself to flee from his entrenchment.

#Panipat260 #Panipat1761 #Panipat3 #ForDevDeshDharma