Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c27.s28: II. How far did Malhar Holkar contribute to the defeat at Panipat?
Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c27.s28
- Language
- English
II. How far did Malhar Holkar contribute to the defeat at Panipat?
v2.c27.s28.1
In a defence of his own conduct supposed to have been dictated by Malhar Holkar, which is current in Maharashtra, he says that he was ordered by the Bhāu to escort the wives of the Bhāu and other chiefs out of the Pānipat camp to the Deccan as soon as he saw signs of defeat in the field on that day (or received a hint to that effect from the Bhāu), and that he had left the field accordingly. This apologia bears every mark of being apocryphal, and indeed Rājwādé suspected its authenticity long ago. The only division of the Maratha army that returned from Pānipat in a tolerably large and compact form was Holkar's (about 1,500 men.) If he was the officer selected by the Bhāu to lead the retreat, he would certainly have kept touch, throughout the fight, with the ladies whom he had been ordered to save and he should have gone up to them immediately after leaving the field. But in fact he met Pārvati Bāi on the way, some 20 hours after the end of the battle, which shows that their junction was purely accidental.
v2.c27.s28.2
Again, though according to the current Maratha tradition (Bhāu Sāh. Bakhar, p. 79 and Holkar Kaifiyat, p. 23), young Jankoji Sindhia clung to Malhar as a child does to its mother, and in the battle of Pānipat Jankoji was posted at the very elbow of Malhar, the latter did not take Janko with him in his flight, which he could have most easily done in a pre-arranged and well-conducted retreat. The weight of evidence is irresistible that Malhar thought only of saving himself, and by a secret collusion with Najib (and, through Najib, with Shah Pasand Khan, his opposite number.) that neither party would molest the other, he remained inert during the critical stage of the battle. * But as soon as the Bhau's defeat appeared certain, though still an hour before the end of the struggle, Malhar fled away westwards, thus utterly uncovering Jankoji's right flank. Shah Pasand thrust himself into the gap and attacked Janko from that wing and the rear, while Najib, who had now worked his way to within musket shot of Janko (his opposite number), assailed him in front with a discharge of 2,000 rockets at a time into his densely crowded and confused ranks. Jankoji, himself severely wounded and enveloped in front right and rear, was driven with the broken remnant of his division towards his left (the only path now lying open to him) and reached the rear of the Bhāu's division (the centre.) There he fell into the jaws of Barkhurdār Khan, who, after the annihilation of the Gārdi troops and consequent disappearance of the entire Maratha left wing, had turned the Maratha centre and got behind the Bhāu.
v2.c27.s28.3
∗ The sober Kashiraj says, "Shah Pasand Khan was very brave and experienced in war. He advanced with such vigour that the [confronting] Maratha corps had not the power to draw breath,"—which I take to mean that the two sides only made a demonstration from a short distance. But Shah Pasand's servant Shamlu, writing 35 years afterwards, says with his usual exaggeration,—"As Janko and Malhar with one lakh of troops, keeping their feet firmly before Shah Pasand Khan, were fighting, the Khan on becoming strengthened at heart when he heard the news of the flight of the infidels [at the centre], charged the sardars in front of him and fought for two gharis. At last they too preferred flight to fight." (Br. Mus. Or. 1895, p. 78.) Malhar's concert with Najib is mentioned by Nur. (51a) and Husain Shahi, 72.
v2.c27.s28.4
It is only on this supposition that we can explain how Jankoji, who was posted on the extreme *right* of the Maratha line of battle, happened to become the captive of Barkhurdār Khan, who commanded at a diagonally opposite position, namely that facing the extreme left of the Maratha line.