Question

The third battle of Panipat took place on
a. 14th January 1761
b. 15th March 1762
c. 12th May 1761
d. 21st September 1762

Answer 1

Hint: The first battle of Panipat was fought in April 1526 between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi. Babur emerged as the winner and established Mughal rule in India. The second battle of Panipat was fought between Hemu and Akbar in November 1556 and the latter was declared the winner.

Complete Step by Step answer: The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761. It was fought on Panipat which was about 97 km north of Delhi. This was the grandest war because it was between the brave Marathas and the furious, invading Afghans. The afghans also had Indian allies i.e.—the Rohilla, Afghans of the Doab region, and Shuja-ud-Daula who was the nawab of Awadh. The Marathas were strong but not very well equipped with the technical advancements of that time. The Afghans had an edge over here. Hand to hand fighting was the last resort Marathas had. However, the Afghans had armoured leather jackets that guaranteed protection. Vishwarao was murdered and Sadashiv Rao was the only efficient leader in the final phase of the war. After sometime when Sadashiv Rao was also found to have been dead, the Marathas didn’t have any hope. Abdali won the war, although there were heavy casualties on his side as well.

Option “a” is the correct option.

Note: Marathas were on the rise after the death of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Durrani’s son was Timur Shah and he was the governor of Lahore. The Marathas were expanding and wanted to take Lahore from Timur Shah. Thus, it was Peshwa Bajirao who captured Lahore and drove Timur Shah out.