Siege of Ballabhgarh
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| Siege of Ballabhgarh | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Durrani Empire | Jat Confederacy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Ahmad Shah Durrani Jahan Khan Najib ad-Dawlah |
Jawahar Singh Suraj Mal Antaji Mankeshwar | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Heavy | ||||||
Background
[edit]Imad ul-Mulk was forced to hand over gold and ornaments valued at 10 million rupees, and another 300,000 gold coins.[1][2] Intizam-ud-Daulah was summoned, and many of his assets were confiscated, including over 10 million rupees and 100 of his wives. Unable to produce the required wealth, Intizam admitted that his father had buried a fortune, which the Afghans uncovered. The Afghans recovered over 15 million rupees in cash, along with various goods, including 200 golden candles that were the size of a man. The treasure also included diamonds, rubies, pearls, and emeralds.[1][3]
Siege
[edit]After the sacking, Ahmad Shah campaigned against the Jats. Suraj Mal, the ruler of the Jats, initially submitted to Ahmad Shah, but refused to send asylum seekers from the sacking of Delhi, resulting in conflict.[4] An Afghan force was sent to Faridabad, seizing the fortress and razing it. However, a Jat raid under Jawahar Singh defeated the Afghans, massacring them. Ahmad Shah, in response, laid siege to Ballabhgarh, while Jahan Khan and Najib ud-Daula were dispatched to loot the surrounding regions. They advanced toward Mathura, while Jawahar Singh met them for battle at Chaumuhan. The battle that ensued left between 10 and 12,000 dead on both sides combined, with an innumerable amount of men wounded as well.[5] Jawahar Singh, however, alongside Antaji Mankeshwar, reinforced Ballabhgarh. The cannon fire of the Afghans completely broke the defenses of the fortress, forcing Jawahar to withdraw in the night, with Afghan forces seizing the city on 4 March.[6][7]
Aftermath
[edit]An expedition under Abdus Samad Khan, another one of Ahmad Shah's generals, nearly arrested Jawahar Singh through ambush, but Jawahar ultimately evaded capture.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. p. 81.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. p. 165.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. p. 166.
- ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. pp. 83–84.
- ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. pp. 85–86.
- ^ Lee, Jonathan L. (2022-03-08). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-78914-019-4.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1959). Ahmad shah durrani, father of modern Afghanistan. Asia Publishing House, Bombay. pp. 175–176.
- ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. p. 84.