The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c13.3

c13.3

The contest between the Marathas and the Afghans had been long impending. Ahmad Abdali made his first invasion of India in 1748. His first expedition proved a failure, but henceforth one party in the court of Delhi looked towards him for support, while the other preferred a Maratha alliance. Eventually, the Emperor, Ahmad Shah, came to an understanding with the Hindu power. The negotiation on the Maratha side was conducted by Malhar Rao Holkar and Jayappa Sindhia, and the Emperor granted the chauth of Thatta, Multan, the Punjab, Rajputana and Rohilkhand to the Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao,¹ who in his turn undertook to defend the Emperor against his enemies and disloyal subjects, among whom are specifically mentioned Abdali, the Rohillas, the Rajputs and the Amirs of Sind. The document unfortunately bears no date but probably this agreement had been concluded sometime about 1750. The Peshwa had, therefore, nearly ten years for completing his military and diplomatic arrangements before his cousin met his Afghan rival on the fatal field of Panipat.