Nadir Shah's Delhi Loot & Paranoia: Seeds of Abdali's Future (1739-1747)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The 1739 Looting: Delhi as Piggy Bank

What Nadir Shah Found:

• Unprecedented wealth in Delhi
• Courtiers had gold, silver, diamonds hidden in houses
• Royal treasury overflowing
• Temples with donated precious metals
• Mughal royalty's accumulated treasure

The Problem for Looting:

• Emperor offered: "Take 50 million, just don't go further"
• But Nadir Shah realized: If 50 million is on offer, there's way more
• Decided: "Why take 50 when I can take everything?"
• Went all the way to Red Fort
• Looted imperial treasury completely

The Extraction Process:

• Soldiers went house to house
• Demanded: "Tell us where your treasure is"
• Tortured people who refused
• Dug into walls, foundations
• Extracted everything

The Transport Problem:

• Loot so massive needed:
  • Hundreds of horses & elephants
  • Camels, bullock carts
  • Miles-long caravans
  • Took weeks to transport back to Iran
• Required massive logistical operation

Ahmad Shah Abdali: The Observer

Who He Was:

• Afghan officer in Nadir Shah's army
• Probably achieved some rank/position
• Impressed Nadir Shah progressively:
  • Started: Private revenue collection
  • Promoted: Army positions
  • Rising: Getting better roles

His Observation:

• Watched entire Delhi looting operation
• Saw unprecedented wealth being extracted
• Even Nadir Shah was amazed at the quantity
• Realized: "There's even MORE wealth untouched"
• "If one looting gets this much, future ones could too"

The Learning:

"He appreciated how much wealth there was to be gained by attacking India"

• Not just loot once, but understand the pattern
• India = renewable treasury
• Can come back again and again
• Wealth regenerates between raids
• Business model: Periodic invasions

The Mental Decision:

• While serving Nadir Shah
• Already planning: "I will come back"
• "I will do what Nadir did"
• "Afghanistan needs this wealth to develop"
• Mental commitment formed during 1739

Nadir Shah's Paranoia: The Downward Spiral

What Happened in Iran:

• After Delhi success, Nadir Shah became paranoid
• Thought people were plotting against him
• Became "mentally affected" (possibly schizophrenic episodes)
• Had "visions" of conspiracies

The Victims:

• Tortured own citizens constantly
• Based on imaginary plots
• No evidence, just suspicion
• "Somebody might be against me"
• Solution: Torture them

Even Family:

• Suspected own son of plotting
• Tortured him
• Eventually killed his own son
• Because of paranoid delusion

The Effect on Army:

• Commanders extremely scared
• Never knew if they'd be tortured next
• No safety, no predictability
• Created atmosphere of terror
• "We could be next"

The Assassination: Mercy Killing

The Setup:

• Nadir Shah called Ahmad Shah Abdali to his tent
• Said: "Protect me from conspirators"
• Asked Abdali to arrest certain officers
• Then news leaked that Abdali got this assignment

The Plotters' Reaction:

• Officers realized: They're under gun now
• Thought: "If we don't act, we'll be tortured"
• Decided: Kill Nadir Shah before being arrested
• "This is the only way to stay alive"

The Assassination:

• 57-70 soldiers decided to attack Nadir Shah's tent
• But most got scared and turned back
• Only 2 soldiers actually went through: Sahil Khan, Mohammad Khan
• Nadir Shah tried to fight back with sword
• Tripped on rope in darkness, fell down
• Sahil Khan cut off his hand
• Mohammad Khan beheaded him
• Dead immediately

The Irony:

• Man who created fear got killed by fear
• Man who tortured got tortured in his mind into assassination
• His paranoia created the conspiracy he feared
• Self-fulfilling prophecy

Ahmad Shah Abdali: Freed & Returning

What Changed:

• Nadir Shah gone = Abdali no longer bound
• Was kind of "bonded" to Nadir's service
• Couldn't just leave (contract/loyalty obligations)
• Now: Free agent

His Priorities:

• Not interested in staying in Iran
• Originally Afghan, not Persian
• Iran was "foreign country"
• Wanted to go back to Afghanistan
• Return to roots

Building an Afghan Kingdom:

• Went back to Afghanistan
• Created own small kingdom
• But knew: Afghanistan is extremely poor
  • No agriculture developed
  • No resources
  • Basically wasteland
  • "Just dirt"

The Financial Need:

• To develop Afghanistan = needed money
• Afghanistan had nothing: Zero resources
• Where to get development funds?
• India = The answer
• Knew exactly where: Delhi & surrounding territories

The Legend: Nadir's Prediction

The Story:

• Allegedly, Nadir Shah predicted Abdali would become great
• Made prophecy by cutting Abdali's nostril with knife
• Said: "This will remind you when you become great that I predicted it"
• Abdali carried this mark (disfigured nostril) for life

Historical Accuracy:

• Uncertain if true or false
• But: Shows Nadir Shah recognized Abdali's talent
• And: Abdali was indeed great general (later proved)
• The scar became symbolic of his rise

Ahmad Shah Abdali: The Rising Power

His Character:

• Great military mind
• Talented general
• Ambitious
• Strategic thinker

His Next Steps:

• Built Afghan kingdom 1747-onward
• Created military force
• Planned India invasions
• Will clash with Marathas
• Will lead to Panipat

The Strategic Pattern: Nadir → Abdali

What Nadir Demonstrated:

1. India has massive wealth
2. Delhi especially rich
3. Mughals can't defend
4. Can extract enormous treasure
5. Worth multiple campaigns

What Abdali Learned:

1. Same observations
2. Added: Can do this repeatedly
3. Build stable kingdom on Indian wealth
4. Periodic raids = sustainable model
5. Afghanistan will be funded by India

The Future:

• Abdali will invade multiple times
• Each time learning more
• Will become major threat to Marathas
• Will finally face them at Panipat (1761)

Key Players

Timeline

Geographic Context

Delhi: The piggy bank Iran: Nadir Shah's home, where paranoia developed Afghanistan: Abdali's home, where he'll build kingdom from Indian wealth

Critical Insights

1. The Predator's Education

One successful raid = blueprint for future raids. Abdali didn't invent the strategy; he just copied and refined Nadir's model.

2. Information > Individual Loot

For Abdali, seeing the logistics and wealth location more valuable than the loot itself. He learned WHERE and HOW to attack.

3. Paranoia Creates Conspiracy

Nadir Shah's fear = what killed him. The torture he inflicted created actual enemies. His paranoia became prophecy.

4. The Afghan Need

Afghanistan is poor by geography/nature. Needs external wealth to develop. India is natural source. Abdali understood this early.

5. The Cycle Continues

Pattern: Nadir looted → Abdali watched → Nadir died → Abdali planned → Abdali invaded. Marathas would face this threat next.

Key Quotes

"He appreciated how much wealth there was to be gained by attacking India"

"Afghanistan is extremely poor, basically wasteland. Nothing developed."

"He had never seen so much wealth"

"This will remind you when you become great that I predicted it" — Nadir's prediction about Abdali

"They will be tortured if we don't kill him. This is the only way to stay alive."

The Nostril Scar

The Marking:

• Whether true or symbolic
• Represents Nadir's recognition of Abdali's greatness
• Symbolizes the prophecy of rise
• Physical reminder of connection to Nadir's court

The Irony:

• Mark came from man who tortured him
• Mark reminded him of Nadir's foresight
• Mark connected him to Delhi wealth discovery
• Mark = tie to his empire-building

Where We Left Off: Nadir Shah looted Delhi but didn't survive to capitalize on it. His paranoia led to his assassination in 1747. Ahmad Shah Abdali, who watched the entire operation, learned the lesson and freed himself. He returned to Afghanistan and started building a kingdom. He knew exactly where to get the money to develop it: India. He would become the next major threat to Marathas. And within 14 years (1761), he'd invade India and clash with Marathas at Panipat.

Nadir Shah came to loot and succeeded beyond imagination. But success didn't make him happy—it made him paranoid. He thought everybody was plotting, tortured everyone, and created real enemies from imaginary ones. Two soldiers killed him for it. Abdali watched the whole thing: the looting, the paranoia, the assassination. He learned: India is the answer to Afghanistan's poverty. And he planned to do it better than Nadir did. Not just once, but repeatedly, systematically. He'd be back. And Marathas would meet him at Panipat.