The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c11.19

c11.19

The Maratha victory at Udgir was rightly attributed to the prowess of the new force and naturally added to its prestige. But it was not long before the incompatibility of the new method with the traditional Maratha tactics was demonstrated in the fatal field of Panipat. The Maratha horseman depended less upon his arms and more upon his speed. He left the hostile army alone as long as he could, and tried to harass it by devastating the country around. But the new regiments relied for success on superior artillery and firearms. They sought a pitched battle, while their colleagues systematically avoided it. The conflict between the old ideas and the new was pointedly brought home to the Maratha leaders when Malhar Rao Holkar and officers of the old school advocated the use of the traditional tactics (popularly called *ganimi kava*) against the heavily armed Afghan army, and Ibrahim Khan Gardi strenuously opposed their counsel.