One of the most noteworthy battles of the 18th century, the Third Battle of Panipat, was fought on this day in the year 1761 between Marathas and the army of the Afghan ruler, Ahmad Shah Abdali. It is also one of the major wars that influenced developments in the following era.

On its anniversary today, let's know how it started and some of the important events that took place in the Third Battle of Panipat:

After the death of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, there was a sudden rise of the Marathas. The Marathas reversed all his territorial gains in the Deccan and conquered a considerable part of India

The decline was hastened by the invasion of India by Nader Shah, who also took away Takht-i-Taus (the Peacock Throne) and the Kohinoor Diamond in 1739

Ahmad Shah Durrani planned to attack the Marathas when his son was driven out of Lahore

By the end of 1759, Durrani with his Afghan tribes reached Lahore as well as Delhi and defeated the smaller enemy garrisons

The two armies fought at Karnal and Kunjpura where the entire Afghan garrison was killed or enslaved

The massacre of the Kunjpura garrison infuriated Durrani to such an extent that he ordered for crossing the river at all costs to attack the Marathas

Smaller battles continued through months and forces from both the sides amassed for the final assault. But food was running out for the Marathas

The battle started in the wee hours on January 14, 1761

Since the Afghan forces were larger in number, by the end of the first day of the Third Battle of Panipat, most of the Maratha forces had fled, been killed or taken prisoner

One of the other reasons was that the Afghans' artillery was more effective

More than anything, the Marathas' inability to persuade the Rajputs, Jats and Sikhs to fight on their side proved fatal for the Marathas

After the victory, the Afghan cavalry ran wild through the streets of Panipat, killing thousands of Maratha soldiers and civilians

The women and children were taken in Afghan camps as slaves and children over 14 years of age were beheaded before their own mothers and sisters

Although the Third Battle of Panipat changed the power equations in India, the Afghans could hardly rule any further.

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