Date	Event
Late February 1757	Mathura massacre complete
Late February 1757	Abdali crosses to Gokul
Late February 1757	Fight with Naga Sadhus, all killed
Late February 1757	Gokul Nath temple spared (nothing to loot)
14 days after massacre	Goldsmith survivor found, tells story
~March 1757	Writer describes the apocalyptic scene
~March 1757	Thousands of bodies pollute Yamuna
~March 1757	Cholera outbreak starts in Afghan camps
~March 1757	150 soldiers dying daily
~March 1757	Abdali decides to return to Afghanistan
~March 1757	Invites Jahan Khan back
~March 1757	On way back, threatens Surajmal for money
~March 1757	Surajmal writes defiant letter
~March 1757	Abdali retreats to Afghanistan
2 days after request	Khawas Khan writes victory poem

Key Players

Name	Role	Action
Ahmad Shah Abdali	King of Afghanistan	Retreating due to cholera
Jahan Khan	Commander	Invited back by Abdali
Naga Sadhus	Warrior ascetics	Defended Gokul, all killed
Muslim goldsmith	Survivor	Wounded, stripped, tells story
Cavalry soldiers	Attackers	Even Muslims not fully spared
Khawas Khan	Poet	Wrote propaganda poem
Surajmal Jat	Jat King	Wrote defiant letter
Nature	The Avenger	Cholera outbreak punishes Afghan army

The Irony

Multiple Layers

Irony #1: Nature's Revenge

Abdali creates thousands of corpses
Corpses pollute the water
Pollution causes cholera
Cholera kills his own soldiers
His atrocities become his problem

Irony #2: The Victory Poem

Commissions poem about "establishing peace"
While retreating due to disease
From bodies of his victims
"Peace" = genocide
Disease = consequence of his "victory"

Irony #3: The Failed Shakedown

Tries one more extortion
But weakened by cholera
Surajmal sees through it
Responds with defiance
Victor becomes supplicant

Irony #4: The Temple Saved

Mathura destroyed (wealthy)
Gokul spared (poor)
Wealth attracted destruction
Poverty became protection
Economics trumped ideology

The Power Shift

From Terror to Defiance

Before:

Everyone terrified of Abdali
Paid whatever he demanded
No one dared resist
Complete domination

Now:

Surajmal writing frank letter
No respect, no fear
Challenging him directly
"Go ahead, attack"

Why the Change:

Cholera weakened the army
150 soldiers dying daily
Need to retreat
Lost the aura of invincibility
Desperation showing

The Cholera Epidemic

How It Worked

The Transmission:

Thousands of dead bodies
Many thrown in Yamuna River
Water becomes polluted
Army drinks polluted water
Cholera spreads through camp
No immunity, no treatment
Death sentence for infected

Why It Hit Them Hard:

Living in close quarters (camps)
All drinking same water source
No sanitation
No medical care
Disease spreads fast
Can't escape it

The Daily Toll:

150 deaths per day
Probably 1,000+ total over weeks
Lost more to disease than to Marathas
Weakened the army severely

Key Themes

Nature's Justice - Dead bodies cause disease that kills perpetrators
Economics > Ideology - Gokul spared because nothing to loot
Defiance Emerges - Surajmal's frank letter shows power shift
Propaganda vs Reality - Victory poem while retreating from disease
The Long Con Fails - Last shakedown attempt doesn't work
Muslims Not Fully Safe - Even co-religionists get attacked
Disease as Equalizer - Cholera doesn't care about military might
The Cost of Atrocities - Actions have consequences
Forced Retreat - Victory hollow when forced to flee disease
Historical Parallels - Surajmal invokes Sikandar's legendary forts

The Larger Pattern

Abdali's Campaign Summary

What He Achieved:

✓ Looted Delhi extensively
✓ Extracted crores in wealth
✓ Killed thousands
✓ Destroyed Mathura
✓ Terrorized North India
✓ Installed Najib Khan as Wazir
✓ Demonstrated military superiority

What He Lost:

✗ Thousands of soldiers to cholera
✗ Aura of invincibility (cholera showed weakness)
✗ Couldn't take Agra Fort
✗ Couldn't extort Surajmal on way out
✗ Had to retreat rather than stay
✗ Created permanent enemy (Marathas will respond)

The Muslims' Treatment

A Note on "Sparing"

What "Spared" Meant:

Not killed (usually)
But lost all wealth
Subjected to insults
Probably roughed up
Not totally exempt

The Goldsmith's Story Shows:

Identity verification required (circumcision)
Even then, not fully safe
Different soldiers had different rules
Chaos meant anything could happen
Being Muslim helped odds but wasn't foolproof

The Poem: Propaganda Machine

Whitewashing Genocide

What Actually Happened:

Mass murder of civilians
Week-long bloodbath
Targeting religious sites
Children beheaded
Women drowned themselves

What the Poem Said:

"Relieved pollution of kafirs"
"Established peace"
Something "celebratory"
Made it sound noble

The Purpose:

Control the narrative
Make genocide seem righteous
Justify atrocities
Create heroic image
For posterity and supporters

Historical Significance

Why the Cholera Matters

Immediate Impact:

Forced retreat
Saved more cities from destruction
Weakened Afghan forces
Gave time for Maratha response

Long-Term:

Showed Abdali wasn't invincible
Natural consequences of atrocities
Created window for resistance
Abdali would return, but weakened

What Comes Next

Abdali Returns to Afghanistan:

With massive loot
But weakened army
Disease still spreading
Need time to recover

In India:

News reaches Pune
Marathas mobilize
"This has to be stopped"
Preparation for major response
Path to Panipat set

The Questions:

Will Abdali come back?
When will Marathas respond?
How long until the showdown?
Can Marathas unite the North?
What will Najib Khan do as Wazir?

The Cost-Benefit Analysis

Was It Worth It for Abdali?

What He Gained:

Tens of crores in wealth
Control of Delhi (through Najib)
Destroyed Maratha prestige
Established dominance

What It Cost:

Thousands of soldiers to cholera
Created mortal enemy (Marathas)
International reputation damage
Seeds of future defeat
Made Panipat inevitable

The Verdict:

Short-term: Successful
Long-term: Set up his downfall
The Marathas would come
With everything they had
Panipat would be his last major campaign

The Defiant Letter: A Turning Point

Why It Matters

Surajmal's Psychology:

Saw through the bluff
Recognized weakness
Responded boldly
Set example for others

The Message to Others:

Abdali can be challenged
He's not invincible
Weakness can be exploited
Don't back down

The Shift:

From universal fear
To selective defiance
Beginning of resistance
Psychological victory

Nature as Character

The Agency of Consequences

The Pattern:

Human atrocity
Environmental damage
Disease emerges
Perpetrators punished
No human intervention needed

The Poetry:

Victims' bodies in river
Polluted water
Killers drink it
Disease spreads
Justice through nature

The Message:

Actions have consequences
Can't escape them
Nature itself becomes avenger
No immunity for victors

March 1757: The massacre is complete. Gokul's temple stands because there's nothing to loot. A Muslim goldsmith survives 14 days, naked and wounded, to tell his story. Abdali commissions a poem: "I relieved the pollution of kafirs and established peace." But thousands of bodies pollute the Yamuna. Cholera erupts in Afghan camps. 150 soldiers dying daily. Abdali decides to retreat. On the way out, tries to extort Surajmal one last time. Surajmal writes back: "Go ahead, attack my forts. They're as strong as Sikandar's legendary fortresses. Try me." Nature's revenge is complete. The tyrant retreats, weakened by disease born from his own atrocities. But the news is spreading to Pune. The Marathas are mobilizing. And Abdali will return. The path to Panipat is inevitable now.