Attock Se Cuttack

From Attock to Cuttack the Marathas had conquered it all, making them the de facto ruler of the Indian subcontinent, but for how long?

Attock Fort; Source: Wikimedia Commons

After Babur's invasion in 1526, no foreign power invaded India for more than 2 centuries. But this changed when Nadir Shah invaded in 1739 and left Delhi in ruins. The string of barbaric invasions and miseries for India thus began. Nadir Shah’s general Ahmed Shah Abdali carved an empire of his own after Nadir Shah’s death and followed the suit.

He invaded several times with small forces but in 1752 Abdali managed to capture Lahore and Multan from the Mughals. Alarmed by the crisis, the Mughals pleaded for help from the Marathas and a formal treaty, the Ahmadiyya Pact was signed. This pact made Marathas the de facto guardians of the Mughals.

The Mughals who were resolved to eliminate Marathas a few years back were now surviving at the mercy of Marathas.

The Pact ensured the Maratha supremacy as there was no rival left in the Indian subcontinent who could challenge them except for Abdali. He invaded India for the 5th time in 1757 and started ravaging Delhi, Agra, Mathura. The Marathas soon crossed Narmada to rescue Delhi and the Mughal emperor.

The Marathas were led by the young Raghunath Rao alias Raghoba. By the time he reached, Abdali had already left for Afghanistan leaving Delhi with Najib Khan. But Raghoba swiftly regained all the areas and captured Delhi arresting Najib Khan.

Meanwhile, the Sikh misls were struggling with the Afghans in Sirhind. Raghoba seized this opportunity and captured Sirhind. Then went on to attack the Capital of Punjab, Lahore. Abdali’s son Timur had to beat a hasty retreat, even his Chief-commander Jahan Khan ran for his life.

On 28th April 1758, the Marathas managed to capture the fort of Attock (which currently lies in Pakistan). It was a historic moment as no native power had managed to cross the Indus for centuries now. The Maratha flag was hoisted in Attock and they became undisputed rulers of the Indian subcontinent. They went on capturing territories up to Peshawar knocking on the door of Afghanistan.

Abdali was fuming and the Marathas were riding high on success. The Afghans lay low, preparing to take back what was lost and for the Marathas, it was the beginning of the end.