The Gunjapura Assault: Massacre, Revenge & Strategic Collapse

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Chapter: Gunjapura (Chapter 20)

Location & Significance:

• 120 km north of Delhi on western bank of Yamuna
• Strategic stronghold for Afghan forces
• Named "Gunjapura" (also spelled Kunjapura)
• Fort built 30 years ago by Najib Khan
• Called "Lutarus" (Looter's Fort) by historians
• Criminal base masquerading as legitimate military post

The Fort Commander:

• Najib Khan's subordinate (same name, different person)
• Had 15,000 troops garrisoned
• Holding supplies and money for Abdali's return journey
• Waiting for Yamuna to become crossable
• Plan: Cross and join Abdali in Shahadara

The Maratha Tactical Error

Bahu's Assumption:

• Yamuna would take at least 1 month to become safely crossable
• So he had roughly 1 month window
• Go north to Kunjapura
• Capture and loot it (8-10 days estimated)
• Return to Yamuna
• Position for catching Abdali mid-crossing

The Fatal Miscalculation:

• Abdali crossed Yamuna on October 25th
• But Bahu thought it would be November (1 month away)
• Abdali 10 days faster than expected
• This destroyed entire tactical plan
• Changed campaign from "opportunistic" to "desperate"

Why This Matters:

• Bahu counted on catching Abdali vulnerable mid-river
• With Abdali across, no vulnerability window
• Now it's open battlefield confrontation
• No more river barriers
• No more tactical advantage of position
• Pure force-on-force battle becomes inevitable

The Assault on Fort

The Setup:

• Abdus Samad Khan & Qutub Shah (Afghan commanders)
• 15,000 Afghan troops inside
• Fortifications along fort walls
• Initial plan: Escape and cross Yamuna to join Abdali

The Artillery Bombardment:

• Ibrahim Khan Gardi's cannons open fire
• Fortifications start collapsing
• Escape plan becomes untenable
• Afghan commanders realize: Can't fight artillery, can't escape
• Decision: Retreat inside fort for better defense

The Gate Mistake:

• Nazib Khan (fort protector) initially refusing to open gate
• Wants to keep gates locked
• But his own forces (Abdus Samad, Qutub with 15,000 men) outside
• Finally opens gate to let them in
• Critical error: Once opened for 15,000 men, takes hours
• Marathas watching nearby
• Exploit open gate
• Thousands pour through before it closes
• Mass massacre inside fort of trapped Afghans

Qutub Shah: The Captured Spiritual Leader

Who Was He:

• Spiritual leader of Rohila/Afghan forces
• Also military commander
• The SAME Qutub Shah who beheaded Dattaji Shinde at Guradi Ghat on Yamuna
• Captured during the fort assault
• Brought before Bahu

The Elephant Insult:

• Maratha commander placed him on elephant
• Meant as sign of respect/prestige
• But Bahu was insulted by this
• "Why put lowly character on elephant?"
• Elephant = royal treatment
• "Only royalty gets elephant treatment"
• "Kick him down from elephant"

Qutub's Realization:

• Understood from Bahu's tone: Not going to be spared
• No clemency expected
• Death likely coming
• Didn't even beg for mercy (knew futile)

Qutub's Desperate Offers

Option 1: Peace Negotiation

• "Let me negotiate peace between your camp and Rohila/Abdali camp"
• "I can serve as emissary"
• "I will broker understanding"
• Thinking: If useful alive, might spare me

Option 2: Ransom

• "Take 50 million rupees from me"
• "I will pay tribute to secure my freedom"
• Problem: Where would he get money from?
• Probably false/desperate promise
• But worth trying

Option 3: Military Alliance

• "Give me 15 days"
• "I will bring 25,000 troops to your side"
• "We'll fight together against Abdali"
• Also probably false—he's captured, can't mobilize
• But trying anything to survive

The Dattaji Question: Moral Judgment

Bahu's Accusation:

• "Are you the one who beheaded Dattaji Shinde?"
• Dattaji was Maratha commander
• Had been killed at Guradi Ghat by Qutub Shah
• Dattaji was helpless when killed
• This is the charge Bahu is making

Qutub's Defense:

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

The Problem With This Defense:

• Sounds like: "Religion made me do it"
• As if Islamic religion requires beheading prisoners
• Bahu doesn't accept religious relativism here
• Some acts are beyond religious justification
• Killing helpless commander = murder, not warfare

Bahu's Fury & The Execution

The Emotional Reaction:

• "Bahu's anger got extremely elevated"
• "From bottom of his body to his head"
• Completely enraged
• Not satisfied with religious explanation
• Not interested in negotiation
• Not interested in ransom
• Not interested in military alliance
• Pure anger overrides tactical thinking

The Order:

• "Take him outside the tent and behead him"
• Clear, direct command
• No ambiguity
• No room for negotiation

The Intervention:

• Jankoji Shinde and Mallar Rao Holkar tried to save him
• "Save his life"
• "Get important things done from him"
• "Use him for developing peace"
• "Avoid the war"
• Both commanders tried to talk sense

Their Argument:

• "Even if you kill him, Dattaji cannot come back"
• "Revenge won't restore the dead"
• "Use him as negotiator instead"
• "Practical value > emotional satisfaction"

Why Bahu Rejected The Mercy

The Psychological Reality:

• This wasn't about military calculation
• This was about personal honor
• Dattaji was loyal commander
• Killed brutally and dishonored
• His death cries out for revenge
• Religious excuse pushed Bahu over the edge

The Political Reality:

• Holkar and Shinde's troops needed revenge
• Dattaji's death had been festering
• Shinde army wanted blood
• Couldn't deny them closure
• Military morale required this execution

The Failure of Diplomacy:

• Holkar/Shinde made logical argument
• But Bahu wasn't in logical mode
• He was in warrior mode
• Emotion overcame strategy
• Exemplifies Bahu's weakness: Can't control anger
• Can't play diplomat when personal honor at stake

The Execution & Curse

What Happened:

• Took Qutub outside camp
• Beheaded him
• Qutub was cursing at them as he died
• "When he was using abusive words, they beheaded him"
• Died cursing the Marathas

The Meaning:

• Qutub's death = revenge for Dattaji
• Shinde army satisfied
• Got their revenge
• But lost negotiator
• But lost potential informant
• Military satisfaction, strategic cost

The Pattern:

• Shows Bahu's repeated flaw
• Gets angry, makes harsh decisions
• Decisions satisfy immediate honor
• But cost him strategically
• This pattern throughout campaign
• Holkar/Shinde always trying to soften him
• He never listens

The Dattaji Elephant: Symbolic Recovery

The Sacred Symbol:

• Dattaji had war elephant named "Javahar"
• This elephant led the campaign from Pune
• Was good omen for Shinde army
• Symbol of Dattaji's presence/legacy

When It Was Lost:

• Qutub Shah killed Dattaji at Guradi Ghat on Yamuna
• Afghan forces captured the elephant
• Took it to Kunjapura fort
• Symbol of Maratha loss and humiliation

The Recovery:

• Marathas captured Kunjapura fort
• Found Javahar elephant inside
• Recovered sacred war elephant
• Shinde army extremely satisfied
• Full circle: What was lost is returned
• This emotional victory matches Dattaji's revenge

The Meaning:

• Losing Javahar = Losing Dattaji's protection
• Recovering Javahar = Restoring Dattaji's legacy
• Shinde army now feels complete
• Revenge taken, symbol recovered
• Emotional closure achieved

The Escape: Dilir Khan

The Survivor:

• Najib Khan's son (Dilir Khan)
• Only one to escape from Kunjapura fort
• Name echoes Shivaji era figure (Dilir Khan was nemesis then too)
• History repeating: Dilir Khan escapes again

The Strategic Collapse

What Was Supposed to Happen:

• Yamuna safe barrier for 1 month
• Marathas could maneuver freely
• Could capture Kunjapura without interference
• Could reposition at Yamuna
• Could catch Abdali crossing

What Actually Happened:

• Abdali crossed 10 days early
• Marathas caught in middle of Kunjapura assault
• Had to hurry to finish
• Had to sacrifice negotiator (Qutub)
• Lost strategic advantage completely
• Now face open battle with no positional advantage

The Maratha Problem: Emotion Over Strategy

Bahu's Pattern:

1. Makes harsh decision (reverse Imad's wazir promise)
2. Gets angry at challenges
3. Executes person who could be useful (Qutub)
4. Satisfies personal honor
5. Loses strategic advantage
6. Repeats this pattern throughout campaign

Why This Matters:

• In warfare, emotion must serve strategy
• Not strategy serving emotion
• Bahu has it backwards
• Makes him effective in individual battles
• But poor at overall campaign
• Good tactician, bad strategist

Timeline

Key Emotional Moments

Qutub Climbing Down from Elephant:

• Realizes his fate is sealed
• Demonstrates humility in face of death
• Accepts doom

Bahu's Anger:

• "From bottom of his body to his head"
• Complete loss of control
• Emotional override of tactical thinking
• Personal honor demands satisfaction

The Beheading During Cursing:

• Qutub dies defiant, cursing Marathas
• Doesn't go quietly
• Maintains dignity by refusing submission
• At least gets last word (curse)

The Elephant Recovery:

• Emotional completion for Shinde army
• Symbol restored
• Dattaji's memory honored
• The only real victory of the operation

Where We Left Off: Marathas captured Kunjapura fort in bloody assault. Got supplies they desperately needed. Executed Qutub Shah despite offers of negotiation/ransom, satisfying Dattaji's revenge. Recovered Dattaji's sacred war elephant. But in the process: Lost negotiator, angered Delhi establishment further, and discovered Abdali crossed Yamuna 10 days earlier than expected. Tactical disaster masked by military victory. Strategic collapse hidden behind emotional satisfaction.

They won the fort but lost the campaign. The supplies were essential, the revenge was necessary, the elephant was symbolic. But they gave up a chance at negotiated peace and learned their timeline was completely wrong. Abdali wasn't where they thought he was. The river wasn't where it was supposed to be. And Bahu's anger had made them all prisoners of emotion instead of executors of strategy. The slaughter at Kunjapura felt like victory. But it was the beginning of the end.