"I, the Kibla of the world and of its creatures, have got in view to show favors to you and have had from times of old a soft corner in my heart for the Rajput community and have regarded them all because of the old connection as sincerely attached to my God-given kingdom."

The Reality:

He's lying
Doesn't give a shit about Rajputs
Considers them kafir (infidel)
But needs to align them against Marathas
Flattering them for political purposes

The Promise:

"If God so willeth, all will feel gratified by mine favors. Najib Uddawla has impressed upon me your sincerity, fidelity and devotion, and God willing, you will attain preeminence and distinction."

Why It Works

The Rajput Problem:

Marathas getting into their internal affairs too much
Asking for too many tributes
They couldn't afford to pay
Feeling violated, irate, angry, upset
Happening too often, very frequently
Couldn't be allowed to pass

The Desperation:

Only power that could help = Abdali
No single power in India could help them
Abdali = their only option
Exactly what Shivaji feared and never did
Making alliance with foreigners against fellow Indians

Abdali's Intelligence Network

The Spy Request

What Abdali Wrote:

"You, the devoted one, should keep to your place, repel and chastise the body of the Marathas, and always send a report of everything correct."

The System:

Get spies to tell him what's going on
Keep him informed of Maratha movements
Real-time intelligence

The Threat:

"The boisterous waves of my troops would be immediately turned towards that side."

If you tell me where Marathas are
I'll send forces there
Coordination between forces

Najib Khan: The Boots on Ground

His Role:

Abdali's biggest weapon
Rohilla commander
Sitting in and around Delhi
Doing the work for Abdali
Feet on the ground, boots on the ground
Can be trusted
Knows he'll do the job

The Delhi Bloodbath (November 30, 1759)

Imad-ul-Mulk's Power Play

The Setup:

Returning to Delhi
Coming back as Wazir again
Back in power

The First Assassination: Emperor Alamgir II

The Plan:

Called Emperor Alamgir II
Ostensibly to meet a visiting saint
On outskirts of Delhi
Took the old man to a cave

The Murder:

As emperor entered cave
A salience stabbed him to death
November 30, 1759

The Cover-Up:

Emperor's son Mirza Baba disarmed
Taken to Delhi
False story given out of Emperor dying in a fall
Corpse thrown on sands of Yamuna

The Second Assassination: Former Vizier Nizam

The Same Day:

The former vizier Nizam
Was strangled in prison
Body drowned in Yamuna

Imad on a Rampage:

Killing everyone who could challenge him
Eliminating all opposition
Absolute power play

The Puppet Emperor: Shah Jahan III

Installing a New Emperor

What Imad Did:

Returned to palace
Several score princes living in fort
Mughal emperor had 20-30 wives
Lots of children running around
All royal blood

The Selection:

Chose a prince
Named him Shah Jahan III
Installed him on throne
Complete puppet

The Shock:

Assassinations shocked the capital
Already full of fear
News of Abdali's attack spreading

The Competing Emperor: Shah Alam II

Ali Gauhar's Declaration

Who He Is:

Dead Emperor's son
Happened to be in Allahabad (Prayag Raj)

What He Did:

Declared himself Emperor
Took name Shah Alam II
Competing claim to throne

About Allahabad (Prayag Raj)

The Location:

South of Delhi
In today's Uttar Pradesh
About 200 kilometers/miles from Delhi
Not as far as Deccan (much farther)

The Significance:

Merger of three rivers
Holy site
Lots of temples
Rivers taken as very holy in ancient civilization
Three rivers meeting = big deal

The Result:

Now two emperors claiming throne
Shah Jahan III in Delhi (puppet)
Shah Alam II in Allahabad (legitimate heir)

Dattaji's Belated Response

Abandoning Shukratal

December 8, 1759:

Lifted his siege
After five months of effort
Finally realized fallacy of trying to deal with Najib

The Strategic Shift:

Made deliberate moves
To safeguard his army
To protect Delhi
Moved away from Ganga towards Yamuna

The Movements

December 8:

Left Shukratal (Ganga)

December 18:

Crossed Yamuna
That's today - December 18
Made good time - 70-80 miles in 10 days
Now on western bank of Yamuna

Securing His Forces

What He Sent Back:

Pregnant wife
Dependents
Heavy baggage → Delhi

Reserve Force:

Some army + heavy artillery
Sent back with Jankoji and Imaad (not Imad-ul-Mulk, different person)
To Karnal as reserve

What He Kept:

25,000 light troops with himself
Moved north to face Afghan army
Near Thanesar

Dattaji's Strategic Thinking

The Underestimation

Why He Only Kept 25,000:

Against Abdali's 60,000
Still not enough
Taking Abdali lightly

The Reason:

Malhar Rao Holkar knew Abdali's might
Had dealt with him before
But Dattaji had not come one-on-one with Abdali
Not completely aware of his capability
May have had overconfidence

The Observation Strategy

Dattaji's Intention:

Observe the battle before making plans
Want to see Abdali in battlefield situation
Then decide how to fight him
Strategizing before engagement

The Problem:

Abdali won't give him that chance

Abdali's Counter-Move: The Bypass

Avoiding Confrontation

Dattaji's Preparations:

Set up at Thanesar
Ready to face Abdali

Abdali's Response:

Saw Dattaji's preparations
Moved to Jagadri
To cross Yamuna
And join Najib
Avoiding confrontation with Dattaji completely

The Tactic:

Bypassed him entirely
Didn't give Dattaji the battle he wanted
Sent most luggage via Budhiya Ghat
Stood waiting with artillery

The Battle of Taroari (December 20, 1759)

The First Engagement

Maratha Force:

Under Jivaji Bhoite
Advanced on December 20, 1759
Encountered some Afghan troops at Taroari
Pushed them back

The Ambush: Shah Pasand Khan

What Happened:

Marathas and Imad's small contingent
Came upon 5,000 soldiers
Under Shah Pasand Khan (Abdali's commander)

Imad's Troops Flee:

Seeing Shah Pasand Khan's flag
Imad's troops fled the battlefield
Abandoned Marathas

The Technological Massacre

What Killed Marathas:

Afghan artillery fire
Afghan muskets took deadly toll
Against sword and spear wielding Marathas

The Difference in Strategies:

Abdali: Artillery and muskets (technological advantage)
Marathas: Swords and spears (old-fashioned)
Cavalry force
No answer for long-range weapons

The Result:

Several hundred Marathas killed
Men then beheaded
Bodies left lying in the field

Dattaji's Regret

Seeing the Carnage

What He Found:

Following the battle
Saw decapitated bodies in the field
Immediately regretted having left his artillery behind

The Mistake:

Following Bajirao I's strategy
Which was to be light and fast
In this case = big mistake

The Problem:

This is not battlefield of Deccan
Not what Shivaji specialized in
This is flat land
Nowhere to hide from guns
Can't hide anywhere
Guerrilla warfare has limited scope

Abdali Crosses Yamuna

The Night Crossing

What He Did:

Same night (after Taroari)
Crossed Yamuna at Budhiya
Headed for Shukratal

The Skill:

Afghans had practice crossing rivers
December = not as difficult (low water)
But Yamuna is big river
Still impressive

The Strategy:

Not desiring to fight Dattaji before joining Najib
Avoided main Maratha force
Heading to link up with ally
Then face Marathas with combined force

Dattaji's Call for Help

The Urgent Message

What He Did:

Sent urgent messages to Malhar Rao Holkar
Asking him to join

The Plan:

Take on Afghans only after Holkar joined
Understood his limitation
Needs more forces
Needs cannons
Needs long-range cannons

The Reality:

Finally understanding he's outmatched
Can't face 60,000 with 25,000
Can't face artillery with swords
Needs serious reinforcements

Abdali's Propaganda Victory

The Letter to Madho Singh

Abdali's Boast:

"An army of 20,000 brave horsemen of Imad and Jankoji were dragged by their hair by death to oppose my victorious troops. A battle ensued. My troops fell upon them like tigers on a flock of sheep."

The Exaggeration:

Actually only a few hundred killed
Not 20,000
But making it sound like total victory

The Message:

"Ghazi Uddin [Imad] and Jankoji have fled away like jackals. You should in perfect peace of mind turn to the chastisement of Malhar so that he too may not escape. Rewards are promised to you."

The Purpose:

Morale boost to Madho Singh
Saying: "I've started pushing them back"
"You can do it too"
"Fight back against Malhar"
Trying to keep Holkar tied up in Rajasthan

Key Players

Name	Role	Action
Ahmad Shah Abdali	Afghan invader	Bypassing Dattaji, crossing Yamuna, heading to join Najib
Dattaji Shinde	Main Maratha commander	At Thanesar, then following Abdali, realized needs artillery
Najib Khan	Rohilla commander	Abdali's boots on ground, coordinating
Madho Singh	Jaipur king	Receiving Abdali's letters, coordinating to keep Holkar busy
Imad-ul-Mulk	Delhi wazir	Assassinated Emperor Alamgir II & former vizier, installed Shah Jahan III
Alamgir II	Mughal Emperor	Murdered Nov 30, 1759
Shah Jahan III	New puppet emperor	Installed by Imad
Ali Gauhar / Shah Alam II	Legitimate heir	Declared himself emperor at Allahabad
Malhar Rao Holkar	Maratha commander	Still in Rajasthan, being kept busy
Jahan Khan	Abdali's general	Leading 20,000 through Khyber Pass
Shah Pasand Khan	Abdali's commander	Led forces at Taroari, defeated Marathas
Jankoji	Maratha officer	With Dattaji, fled at Taroari
Jivaji Bhoite	Maratha commander	Led attack that became Taroari battle

Timeline

Date	Event
Jan 1757	First letter from Madho Singh to Abdali's son Taimur
Nov 1759	Abdali writes to Madho Singh
Nov 30, 1759	Imad murders Emperor Alamgir II and former vizier
Nov 30, 1759	Shah Jahan III installed as puppet emperor
Nov 30, 1759	Ali Gauhar declares himself Shah Alam II at Allahabad
Dec 8, 1759	Dattaji lifts siege at Shukratal
Dec 18, 1759	Dattaji crosses Yamuna
Dec 20, 1759	Battle of Taroari - Marathas defeated
Dec 20, 1759	Abdali crosses Yamuna at night
Late Dec 1759	Dattaji sends urgent messages to Holkar

Critical Insights

The Politics > Battle Equation

Abdali's Mastery:

Writes letters to all potential enemies of Marathas
Rajputs (Madho Singh, Vijay Singh)
Will do same with Suraj Mal Jat
Will do same with Shuja Uddaula

The Goal:

Isolate Marathas
If Hindu powers unite with Marathas = impossible for Abdali
Must keep them divided
Marathas in one camp, everyone else with him

Why It Works:

Marathas alienated everyone
Too many tribute demands
Too intrusive in local affairs
No allies left
Easy for Abdali to turn them against Marathas

The Assassination Strategy

Imad's Power Consolidation:

Killed legitimate emperor
Killed former vizier who could challenge him
Installed puppet emperor
Now has absolute control in Delhi

Why This Matters:

No legitimate authority left
Just competing claimants
Shah Jahan III (puppet in Delhi)
Shah Alam II (legitimate but distant)
Power vacuum
Chaos
Perfect for Abdali

The Technology Gap

The Taroari Lesson:

Abdali: Artillery + muskets
Marathas: Swords + spears + cavalry
Technological advantage = massacre

Dattaji's Realization:

Left artillery behind (following Bajirao I's tactics)
Immediately regretted it
Flat land = can't hide from guns
Guerrilla warfare doesn't work here
Need long-range cannons

The Problem:

This isn't Deccan
Not Shivaji's terrain
Old tactics don't work
Need to adapt
But too late

The River-Crossing Skill

Why It Matters:

Abdali can cross Yamuna at night
Despite it being a big river
Afghans have this skill
Marathas struggled to cross rivers

Strategic Implication:

Rivers aren't barriers for Abdali
Can move forces quickly
Can bypass defenses
Marathas can't rely on rivers as protection

The Morale Warfare

Abdali's Letter Campaign:

Exaggerating victories
"20,000" killed (actually few hundred)
"Fled like jackals"
Building his reputation
Destroying Maratha morale

The Effect:

Madho Singh encouraged to fight Holkar
Keeps Holkar tied up
Prevents reinforcements
All through propaganda

Dattaji's Underestimation

The Fatal Flaw:

Only kept 25,000 troops
Against 60,000
Left artillery behind
Wanted to "observe" before fighting

Why:

Never faced Abdali personally
Holkar knew Abdali's might
But Dattaji didn't
Overconfidence

The Result:

Outmaneuvered
Outgunned
Calling for help
But Holkar still 400km away

What's Coming

The Setup:

Abdali bypassed Dattaji
Crossing to join Najib at Shukratal
Combined Afghan-Rohilla force coming
Dattaji following, but without artillery
Holkar finally leaving Jaipur (Jan 2, 1760)
But still 375km away
Abdali knows timing is perfect

The Race:

Abdali needs to destroy Dattaji before Holkar arrives
Dattaji needs to survive until Holkar arrives
Madho Singh trying to delay Holkar
Everything depends on timing

November-December 1759: The blood flows in Delhi as Imad murders his way to absolute power. Two emperors now claim the throne - one a puppet, one a distant challenger. Meanwhile, Abdali plays chess with the Rajputs, writing flattering letters while sharpening his knives. At Taroari, Maratha swords meet Afghan muskets, and hundreds of beheaded bodies teach Dattaji the lesson he should have learned months ago: this isn't his grandfather's war. The old tactics are dead. The artillery he left behind could have saved them. Now he's calling desperately for Holkar, 400 kilometers away, while Abdali crosses rivers in the night and consolidates forces. The politics have been won. The battle is just the formality now.