Abdali's Strength & The Kunjapura Gamble

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Fundamental Difference: Supply Lines

Abdali's Situation (Anupshara):

• Stationed in own territory (Rohila territory + Suja's territory)
• Rohilas allied and supportive
• Alliance partners willing to provide anything needed
• Sending Rohilas home to rest and refresh
• They'll return regenerated and ready
• Lost 10,000 animals but easily replaceable
• Can requisition supplies freely from allied territories
• Fewer noncombatants to feed (compared to Marathas)

Abdali's Advantage:

• Rohilas/Suja terrified of Maratha power
• Want Abdali to defeat Marathas (self-interest)
• Will provide: Animals, supplies, money, anything
• Why? Because if Marathas win, Rohilas/Suja are doomed
• Better to fully support Abdali than risk being powerless to Marathas

Marathas' Situation (Delhi):

• No solid allies in territory
• Even Suraj Mal puts conditions: "If you do this, I'll do that"
• Not a real ally, sitting on fence
• Suja also fence-sitting
• Doesn't want Afghan hegemony but also doesn't want Maratha hegemony
• No one fully committed to Maratha success

The Suja Problem: Fence-Sitter Strategy

His Logic:

• Don't want Afghans to dominate (threatened by them historically)
• Don't want Marathas to dominate (threatened by them locally)
• Best outcome: Both fight each other, weakening each
• His role: Keep pressure on both sides
• Result: No reliable support for either

His Background:

• Shia (not Sunni) - different from Rohila Afghans
• Had father who faced Abdali - knows the threat
• Would naturally prefer Marathas (Hindu is less threatening than Afghan)
• But Marathas represent unwanted expansion into his territory
• Genuinely impossible position: Either way, loses power

Religious Dimension:

• Shia-Sunni divide is deep and structural
• Suja being Shia means different worldview from Abdali/Rohilas (Sunni)
• This explains why he wouldn't fully ally with either
• Yet economically/politically trapped between them

Abdali's Demands on Allies

The Suja Demand:

• Ordered Suja to pay 20 million rupees to maintain army's needs
• Still demanding huge tribute FROM ally while getting his support
• Shows: Abdali not just accepting help, but extracting payment
• Suja paying because alternative is worse (Maratha domination)

The Rohila Advantage:

• Rohilas have no choice but to support him fully
• If Marathas win: Rohilas will be eliminated (they're Afghan)
• So 100% commitment is self-preservation, not choice
• This creates reliable, dedicated support base

Bahu's Campaign Decision: Kunjapura

The Opportunity:

• Fort at Kunjapura (120 km north of Delhi, on Yamuna's west bank)
• Owned by Najib Khan (Rohila commander)
• Stocked with supplies and money
• Stored there for Abdali's return journey (contingency supplies)
• This is the supply windfall Marathas desperately need

Bahu's Logic:

• Go capture Kunjapura
• Loot supplies and money (solve immediate crisis)
• Eliminate 15,000 Afghan troops there (weaken Abdali)
• Get back to Yamuna before Abdali can cross (maintain advantage)
• Then catch Abdali while he's vulnerable crossing river

The Timeline Assumption:

• Bahu thinks Yamuna needs 1 month minimum to become crossable
• So he has roughly 1 month to:
  • Travel to Kunjapura
  • Capture fort
  • Loot supplies
  • Return to Yamuna
  • Position for battle
• All assumes Yamuna will take a month

The Critical Mistake:

• Abdali crosses Yamuna on October 25th
• But Bahu thought it would take until November (1 month)
• So Abdali is 10 days faster than expected
• This timing miscalculation will be catastrophic

Kunjapura: The Fort

The Description:

• Built 30 years ago by Najib Khan
• Called Nazibat Nagar (after Najib Khan)
• Fort commander: Nazib Khan (Najib's subordinate)
• Garrison: ~15,000 troops
• Strategic location: Western bank of Yamuna, north of Delhi

Its Criminal History:

• Soldiers dressed as Abdali's forces
• Robbed travelers on nearby roads
• Looted pedestrians passing by
• Historian Yadunath Sarkar called it "Lutarus" (Looter's Fort)
• Basically a criminal base, not legitimate military post
• Everything taken from robberies stored in fort

The Supplies Stored:

• Grains of all kinds
• Animal fodder
• Money and funds
• War materials
• Everything needed for Abdali's return journey to Afghanistan

The Synchronization Problem

What Bahu Expected:

• October 14/15: Start moving north to Kunjapura
• October 15-24: Assault and capture fort (~8-10 days estimated)
• October 24: Get back to Yamuna, reposition
• Late October/November: Abdali crosses, Marathas catch him vulnerable
• All planned around 1-month monsoon timeline

What Actually Happened:

• Bahu started moving north
• But Abdali crossed Yamuna on October 25 (day 10, not day 30+)
• This meant: Abdali was now on same side as Marathas
• Kunjapura fort became liability, not asset
• Bahu had to quickly capture it before Abdali could reinforce
• Timeline collapsed by ~20 days

The Fort Battle

The Setup:

• Abdus Samad Khan & Qutub Shah (Afghan commanders)
• With 15,000 troops in Kunjapura
• Waiting for Yamuna to become crossable
• Plan: Cross and join Abdali across river

The Afghan Dilemma:

• When Marathas attacked with artillery
• Fortifications started collapsing
• Escape plan no longer viable
• So they retreated INTO fort (mistake)

The Gate Mistake:

• Nazib Khan (fort protector) initially wouldn't open gate
• But finally opened to let his own forces (Abdus Samad, Qutub) back in
• Problem: Once opened for few hours, Marathas also got in
• Had to keep gate open for 15,000 men to enter
• Marathas took advantage of open gate
• Thousands of Afghans massacred as they tried to get inside

The Qutub Shah Question

The Prisoner:

• Captured during fort assault
• Same Qutub Shah who beheaded Dattaji Shinde
• Brought before Bahu on elephant (symbol of respect/royalty)

Bahu's Insult:

• "Why bring a lowly character with such prestige?"
• Putting on elephant = royal treatment
• Said: "Kick him from the elephant"
• Qutub realized: He was not going to be spared

Qutub's Desperation:

• Offered three things to save his life:
  1. "Let me negotiate peace between camps"
  2. "Take 50 million rupees ransom from me"
  3. "Give me 15 days and I'll bring 25,000 troops to your side"
  • (All probably impossible or false promises)

The Revenge

Bahu's Key Question:

• "Are you the one who beheaded Dattaji Shinde?"

Qutub's Answer (Religious Justification):

• "I did according to my religion"
• "Quran says: Behead enemies and put heads on spears"
• "This is Islamic religious duty, not personal choice"

Bahu's Reaction:

• Extreme anger ("from bottom of body to head")
• Rejected excuse completely
• Said: "Take him outside and behead him"

The Intervention:

• Jankoji Shinde & Holkar tried to save him
• "Use him as negotiator for peace"
• "Killing him won't bring Dattaji back"
• "He has value as intermediary"
• But Bahu refused to listen

The Execution:

• Took him outside camp
• Beheaded him while he was cursing/abusing them
• Revenge satisfied—but at cost of losing negotiator

The Dattaji Elephant: Full Circle

The Lost Symbol:

• Dattaji Shinde had war elephant named "Javahar"
• Was good omen for Shinde army
• When Qutub killed Dattaji at Guradi Ghat on Yamuna
• Afghan forces captured the elephant
• Took it to Kunjapura fort

The Recovery:

• Marathas captured Kunjapura
• Found Javahar elephant in the fort
• Huge symbolic victory: Got back sacred war elephant
• Shinde army satisfied by revenge (Qutub beheaded + elephant recovered)
• Came full circle: What was lost is returned

The Escape

Dilir Khan:

• Najib Khan's son
• Only one who escaped from Kunjapura fort
• Name echoes historical figure from Shivaji era
• Managed to get away and survive

Timeline

Critical Error: The Timing Assumption

Why It Matters:

• Entire campaign predicated on Yamuna taking 1 month
• Bahu built plan assuming slow enemy movement
• Abdali crossed 20 days earlier than expected
• This turned Kunjapura from "bonus campaign" into "must-win battle"
• Changed the whole dynamic of the campaign

The Consequence:

• Abdali now on same side of Yamuna
• Can reinforce other forces
• Can't be caught mid-crossing anymore
• Bahu loses main tactical advantage
• From now on: Head-to-head confrontation inevitable

Where We Left Off: Marathas captured Kunjapura fort, got supplies they desperately needed, recovered Dattaji's sacred elephant, avenged his death by beheading Qutub, but lost 15,000 enemy troops that could have been integrated. Most importantly: Abdali crossed Yamuna 10 days earlier than expected, eliminating Maratha tactical advantage of catching him mid-crossing. The campaign is now entering its final phase: Open battle on the northern plains, both armies on same side of Yamuna, no more river barriers, monsoon ending.

Bahu gambled on time. He thought Yamuna would protect him for another month. He thought he could capture Kunjapura, get supplies, revenge Dattaji, and still position himself perfectly. But Abdali didn't wait. He crossed 10 days early. Suddenly the gamble looked stupid. The supplies they captured at Kunjapura were essential to survive, but they came at cost of losing the element of surprise. Bahu won the fort but lost the campaign's margin for error.