You might have heard about many brave warriors who attempted to stop the invaders by putting a relentless fight in their homeland. Some succeeded while some failed!! You may include the examples of legendary last stands like the Battle of Thermopylae (The 30 Spartans against Persians), Battle of Saragarhi (The 21 Sikhs against Pathans) etc.
But have you ever heard of an example when the defenders attacked the invaders’ capital cities to draw out the invaders from their homeland??
This legendary masterpiece move which proved as a turning point in Indian history was executed by one of the world’s few undefeated commanders, Peshwa Bajirao Ballal.
Background:
Shivaji Maharaj, one of the greatest kings of Indian history, had started the process of Mughal decay in Deccan. With the death of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughal hold had considerably weakened. The Mughal commander of the Deccan (Nizam) became practically independent from the Mughals by defeating them with the help of Marathas led by Peshwa Bajirao. But now he was forced to share power with the Marathas. Despising this, the Nizam started inciting a civil war between the two Maratha factions (Shahu Maharaj vs Sambhaji II). He lent his support to the Sambhaji faction.
Shahu Maharaj had the support of his young Peshwa (Prime minister), Bajirao Ballal (aged 27). His appointment as the Peshwa at a young age of 20 had evoked jealousy from senior officials. This led Bajirao to promote young commanders like himself who were barely out of teens such as Malhar Rao Holkar, Ranoji Shinde, and the Pawar brothers. With their help, he started recruiting one of the finest cavalry forces India had ever seen. Unlike the Nizam who held pride in his artillery, Bajirao relied more on speed!!
British Field Marshall Montgomery who called Bajirao as the finest cavalry general ever produced by India, wrote about this in his book:
“Baji Rao’s army was a purely mounted force, armed only with a saber, lance and a bow in some units, and a round shield. There was a spare horse for every two men. The Marathas moved unencumbered by artillery, baggage, or even handguns and defensive armor.”
The campaign:
Nizam arrived at Pune with a huge army. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Bajirao resorted a completely new tactic. He raided the Nizam strongholds and started marching towards Aurangabad (The heart of Nizam’s kingdom).
This forced Nizam to persue the Maratha forces. As the heavy artillery was slowing him, he left it in Ahmednagar and advanced with his cavalry. He had practically left his biggest advantage!!
On crossing the Godavari river, the Nizam found himself completely surrounded by the Maratha armies at Palkhed. Nizam was forced to accept his defeat and the Maratha supremacy in Deccan. A famous battle was thus concluded where there was no mass slaughter of soldiers on either side. This battle is remembered for it being a “masterpiece of strategic mobility”.
This victory at the Battle of Palkhed paved the way for the future adventures of the undefeated Peshwa and the Maratha control over a large part of India.
Pic credits:
Great Battles: The Battle of Palkhed - Peshwa Bajirao Masterpiece