Question

Which commander led the marathas in the 3rd battle of panipat against the afghan invader ahmad shah abdali?

Answer 1

1. Large number of civilians: It was a monumental mistake to have over 200,000 civilians along with the Maratha Army. The people responsible for the mistake are Sadashiv Rao Bhau Peshwa (the
Diwan of Peshwa and the
Commander in chief of the army for that particular battle) and H.H. Nanasaheb - the Peshwa himself. These civilians were nothing but sitting ducks before the Afghan forces and ended up getting slaughtered in cold blood. The Maratha Army must have faced a hard time playing a dual role of protecting the civilians and fighting a war. Of the total Maratha death toll of 100,000 almost 60,000 were civilians. Nothing can be more terrible than this. Further, the slaughter of civilians was a big time morale-breaker for the armies of the Great Mahratta Kingdom.
2. Lack of allies: The Marathas (though a preeminent power in India at the time) did need allies, since the Royal Afghan Army was not to be taken lightly. If not militarily, the Marathas at least should have roped in allies for logistical support. This is not to say that the Marathas did not have any allies at all. They had some but it wasn't sufficient to take on the onslaught of the Afghans.
3. Lack of a capable commander in chief: Sadashiv Rao Bhau was a ferocious soldier but not a good General. Ideally the commanding officer should have been Maharaja Mahadaji Scindia or Raghunathrao Ballal Peshwa. Both these men knew the North Indian terrain and politics like their house backyard.
4. A bit less capable battle tactics and sophistication: There is no doubt that the armies of the Honorable Mahratta Kingdom were very sophisticated and advanced but I think they could have been a bit better - e.g. more focus on musketeer infantry as against swordsmen. The champions and stalwarts of battle tactics, which the Marathas had, viz. Sivaji and Bajirao Ballal were absent since they belonged to an earlier era.
5. Last but not the least: Although the Battle of Panipat was a major blow to the Marathas, I sincerely believe that it is over hyped by analysts. The Afghan forces suffered heavy losses. It is called as "Pyrrhic Victory". The Afghans simply lost the will to reside in North India for a long term since they gathered intelligence that the Marathas were planning to scramble and deploy another 100,000 army men to avenge the loss of Panipat. And hence the Afghans marched back to their home country. And that's exactly what happened. The Marathas fiercely avenged the loss of Panipat by despatching a large army to the North to reinstate their supremacy. Within just 10 years the Marathas managed to establish supremacy in North India. That was possible because of the Great Mahratta - H.H. Mahadaji Scindia with the support of H.H. Madhavrao Peshwa.

Answer 2

Answer:

Large number of civilians: It was a monumental mistake to have over 200,000 civilians along with the Maratha Army. The people responsible for the mistake are Sadashiv Rao Bhau Peshwa (the

Diwan of Peshwa and the

Commander in chief of the army for that particular battle) and H.H. Nanasaheb - the Peshwa himself. These civilians were nothing but sitting ducks before the Afghan forces and ended up getting slaughtered in cold blood. The Maratha Army must have faced a hard time playing a dual role of protecting the civilians and fighting a war. Of the total Maratha death toll of 100,000 almost 60,000 were civilians. Nothing can be more terrible than this. Further, the slaughter of civilians was a big time morale-breaker for the armies of the Great Mahratta Kingdom.

Explanation: