Put on Kizilbad dress - Jawahar Singh, Antaji Mankeshwar, Samsher Bahadur, and few others
Through the tunnel - Escaped via hidden tunnel in the fort
Came out of the fort - Emerged outside
Mixed with Shah's army - Blended right in
Looked like Kizilbads - No one suspected them
Found a way out - Gradually moved away
Escaped to Yamuna River - Headed east

The Hiding Place

The Ravine:

There's a ravine near the Yamuna River
Natural hiding spot
Difficult to spot people there
They hid in this ravine
Later fled from there

The Result:

Saved their lives
Barely survived
Clever use of disguise
Knowledge of tunnel was crucial

After the Fall

What Abdali Captured

The Fort: Taken The Soldiers: Massacred The Important People: Escaped - couldn't capture them

Abdali's Frustration:

He wanted the leadership
Surajmal Jat
His son Jawahar Singh
Antaji Mankeshwar
Other important figures

But:

They were clever
Knew how to save themselves
Used the disguise trick
Escaped through tunnel
Survived to fight another day

Timeline

Event	Sequence
Before Siege	1,000 Marathas massacred before reaching Mathura
Before Siege	Afghans burned Faridabad, hundreds of heads to Abdali
Before Siege	Battle with Jawahar Singh: 3,000 of 5,000 killed
Before Siege	Jawahar Singh retreats to Vallabhgarh
Siege Day 1	Abdali personally inspects the fort perimeter
Siege Day 1	Selects attack point, measures distance
The Bombardment	1.5-2 hours of continuous cannon fire
The Bombardment	Many killed inside, chaos and confusion
The Assault	When fort's cannons stop, order to attack
The Breach	Fort doors cut down
The Massacre	All people inside killed
The Discovery	Key leaders not found - escaped
The Escape	Via tunnel, disguised as Kizilbads
The Survival	Hid in ravine near Yamuna, later fled

Key Players & Their Fates

Name	Role	Fate
Ahmad Shah Abdali	King of Afghanistan	Personally directed siege
Jawahar Singh	Surajmal's son	Escaped via tunnel in Kizilbad disguise
Antaji Mankeshwar	Maratha commander	Escaped via tunnel in Kizilbad disguise
Samsher Bahadur	Warrior	Escaped via tunnel in Kizilbad disguise
Fort defenders	Soldiers/civilians	Massacred after fort fell
Kizilbads	Abdali's elite slaves	Their uniform used for escape
Surajmal Jat	Jat King	Not at fort, target of the campaign

Who Was Samsher Bahadur?

The Connection to Bajirao I

His Identity:

Son of Bajirao I (the great Peshwa)
Mother was Mastani

Why He Was Ostracized:

Mother wasn't Hindu - Mastani was Muslim
Marriage not recognized - Not done according to Hindu rites
Not considered lawful wife - By Pune/Maratha society
Conservative society - Very strict at the time
Never in Peshwa hierarchy - Not allowed to succeed

Where He Lived:

Mother lived in Pune
Across the river - Separate from main family
Had a bungalow
Never considered part of the family

His Name:

Samsher = His given name
Bahadur = "The Brave" (title)
Fighting to prove himself despite his outcast status

The Kizilbads: Abdali's Death Squad

Why They Were So Effective

The Status:

Personal slaves of Abdali
No personal autonomy
Life belonged to master
Ultimate loyalty

The Mentality:

Suicidal courage
No hesitation
No self-preservation instinct
Would die without question
"Because they were slaves, their life didn't matter"

The Advantage:

Fearless fighters
Perfect for impossible missions
No moral questioning
Complete obedience

The Identification:

Unique dress/uniform
Everyone could recognize them
Showed they were elite
Also: how the escape worked (disguise in their uniform)

The Tunnel System

Why Forts Had Secret Exits

The Purpose:

Last resort escape - When all is lost
Secret communication - Messages in/out
Surprise attacks - Exit and attack from behind
Supply lines - During long sieges
Leadership survival - Save the command structure

Common in Indian Forts:

Most major forts had tunnels
Secret passages
Hidden exits
Known only to leadership
Crucial for survival

Vallabhgarh's Tunnel:

Led outside the fort
Exit point unknown to attackers
Allowed escape during the assault
Saved the leadership

The Military Innovation: Arc-Trajectory Cannons

The Technology

How It Worked:

Point cannon toward sky
Doesn't aim directly at walls
Arc trajectory - goes up and comes down
Drops on target from above
Can hit inside fort walls

The Advantage:

Fort walls protect from direct fire
But can't protect from overhead bombardment
Like modern artillery/mortars
Revolutionary for the time

The Shrapnel Effect:

Cannonball splits into two parts
Or breaks apart on impact
Pieces thrown around
Multiple casualties from single shot
Psychological terror

Key Themes

Personal Leadership - Abdali personally directed the siege
Technological Superiority - Arc-trajectory cannons devastated defense
The Payment System - 8 rupees per head continues
Brilliant Escape - Disguise as enemy's elite force
Tunnel Knowledge - Secret exits save leadership
Slave Soldiers - Kizilbads as ultimate loyal force
Capture vs. Kill - Wanted leaders alive/dead, not just victory
The Outcast Warrior - Samsher Bahadur proving himself despite origins
Systematic Destruction - Massacre after conquest
Leadership Survival - Fight another day

The Irony

The Kizilbad Disguise

The Perfect Camouflage:

Abdali's most loyal troops
Everyone recognizes the uniform
No one questions a Kizilbad
Absolute trust in their loyalty

The Exploit:

That trust becomes vulnerability
The distinctive uniform = escape pass
Walk right through enemy lines
"Look like us = must be one of us"
Perfect disguise because it's unthinkable

The Parallel:

Like a prisoner disguising as a guard
The uniform that means "most loyal"
Used by the enemy to escape
Brilliant psychological warfare

The Military Lessons

What This Battle Showed

For Attackers:

Arc-trajectory cannons beat direct fire
Continuous bombardment breaks morale
Personal leadership inspires troops
Elite slave units give fearless fighters

For Defenders:

Need tunnels for escape
Knowledge of enemy uniforms crucial
Leadership survival > fort defense
Retreat when you can't win

The Broader Campaign

The Pattern Emerges

Abdali's Strategy:

Delhi - Loot and terrorize
Turn on resistance - Marathas/Jats who won't submit
Faridabad - Burn and massacre
Mathura - (Coming next) Religious destruction
Vallabhgarh - Crush military resistance
Systematic payment - 8 rupees per head throughout

The Goal:

Destroy resistance
Make examples
Extract wealth
Terrorize population
Eliminate Hindu/Maratha power in North

What's Coming

Current Status:

Vallabhgarh has fallen
Leaders escaped but fort destroyed
Mathura completely unprotected now
No military force between Jahan Khan and the holy city
Civilians with no defense
Religious pilgrims trapped

The Horror Ahead:

Mathura massacre imminent
No one to protect the pilgrims
Holy site about to be destroyed
The worst is yet to come

Historical Significance

Why This Escape Mattered

If They Had Died:

No Jat leadership (Jawahar Singh)
No Maratha command (Antaji Mankeshwar)
Resistance would collapse
Abdali would have complete control

Because They Escaped:

Leadership survives
Can regroup
Can report to Pune
Future resistance possible
Eventually leads to Panipat

The Cleverness:

Shows Indian military intelligence
Knowledge of enemy systems
Improvisation under pressure
Survival despite overwhelming odds

The Cost

What Was Lost

The Fort:

Vallabhgarh destroyed
All defenders killed
Military base lost

The People:

Hundreds massacred inside
Civilians caught in fort
Soldiers who stayed to fight

The Territory:

Jat heartland exposed
Mathura defenseless
Path to Agra open

Late January 1757: Abdali personally directs the siege. Arc-trajectory cannons rain down for two hours. The fort's defenses crumble. Doors are cut down. The massacre begins. But the leaders - disguised as Abdali's own elite Kizilbads - slip through a secret tunnel, walk right through enemy lines, and escape to a ravine by the Yamuna. They survive to fight another day. But Vallabhgarh has fallen. And Mathura lies completely unprotected. The worst massacre in Indian history is about to begin...