Battle of Bundelkhand

2021-09-28T09:51:59Z

2405:201:1:ACF5:B99F:8FD8:5E8E:2A46:

{{Infobox Military Conflict
| image =
| caption =
| conflict = Battle of Jaitpur
| partof = [[Imperial Maratha Conquests]]
| date = March 1729
| place = [[Jaitpur State|Jaitpur]]
| result = [[File:Flag of Panna state.png|24px]] [[Bundelkhand]] victory. [[Bundela]]-[[Maratha]] alliance defeat the [[Mughals|Mughal Empire]].
| combatant1 = [[File:Flag of Panna state.png|24px]] Kingdom of [[Bundelkhand]] 
[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.png|30px]] [[Maratha Empire]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Flag of the Mughal Empire.png|30px]] [[Mughal Empire]]
| commander1 = [[File:Flag of Panna state.png|24px]] [[Chhatrasal]] 
[[File:Flag of Panna state.png|24px]] Hirde Shah 
[[File:Flag of Panna state.png|24px]] Jagat Rai 
[[File:Flag of Panna state.png|24px]] Bharti Chand 
[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.png|30px]] [[Bajirao I]] 
[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.png|24px]] Pilaji Jadhav 
[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.png|24px]] Tukoji Pawar 
[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.png|24px]] [[Naro Shankaraji Gandekar|Naro Shankar]] 
[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.png|24px]] Davalji Somwanshi
| commander2 = [[File:Flag of the Mughal Empire.png|30px]][[Muhammad Khan Bangash]] 
[[File:Flag of the Mughal Empire.png|25px]]Qaim Khan Bangash
| strength1 = 45,000 Bundelas 
25,000 Marathas
| strength2 = 120,000 Horseman
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
}}

The '''Battle of Jaitpur''' was fought between [[Rajput]] kingdom of [[Bundelkhand]] under the 80+ year old Maharaja [[Chhatrasal]] and [[Mughal empire]] under the command of [[Muhammad Khan Bangash]] in March 1729. Bangash attacked the state of [[Bundelkhand]] in December 1728. Due to being too old to fight, and being heavily outnumbered, Maharaja [[Chhatrasal]] appealed [[Peshwa Bajirao | Bajirao I]] for alliance, and finally defeated Bangash at Jaitpur.

==Background==
In [[Bundelkhand]], [[Chhatrasal]] had rebelled against the [[Mughal Empire]] and established an independent kingdom. In December 1728, a Mughal force led by [[Muhammad Khan Bangash]] attacked him and besieged his fort and family. Although Chhatrasal repeatedly sought Baji Rao's assistance, he was busy in Malwa at the time. He compared his dire situation to that of [[Gajendra Moksha]]. In his letter to Baji Rao, Chhatrasal wrote the following words:
{{Quote
|text= Know you, that I am in the same sad plight in which the famous elephant was when caught by the crocodile. My valiant race is on point of extinction. Come and save my honour, O Baji Rao.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sardesai |first=Govind Sakharam |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32142/ |title=New History of the Marathas: The expansion of the Maratha power, 1707–1772 |date=1946 |publisher=Phoenix Publications |pages=106}}</ref>
}}

==Battle==
In March 1729, the Peshwa responded to Chhatrasal's request and marched towards Bundelkhand with 25,000 horsemen and his lieutenants Pilaji Jadhav, Tukoji Pawar, [[Naro Shankaraji Gandekar|Naro Shankar]], and Davalji Somwanshi. Chhatrasal escaped capture and joined the Maratha force, increasing it to 70,000 men.<ref name="phoenix">{{Cite book |last=Sardesai |first=Govind Sakharam |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32142/ |title=New History of the Marathas: The expansion of the Maratha power, 1707–1772 |date=1946 |publisher=Phoenix Publications |pages=106–108}}</ref> After marching to [[Jaitpur State|Jaitpur]], Baji Rao's forces surrounded Bangash and cut his supply and communication lines. Bangash launched a counterattack against Baji Rao, but could not pierce his defences. Qaim Khan, son of Muhammad Khan Bangash, learned of his father's predicament and approached with fresh troops. His army was attacked by Baji Rao's forces, and he was defeated. Bangash was later forced to leave, signing an agreement that "he would never attack Bundelkhand again".<ref name="phoenix"/>
<ref name="GSC_2005">{{cite book |author=G.S.Chhabra |title=Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-1: 1707-1803) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkDi6rVbckoC&pg=PA19 |date=1 January 2005 |publisher=Lotus Press |isbn=978-81-89093-06-8 |pages=19–28 }}</ref>
==Aftermath==
Chhatrasal's position as ruler of Bundelkhand was restored. He granted a large [[jagir]] to Baji Rao, and gave him his daughter from a concubine named Ruhani Bai, Mastani. Before Chhatrasal's death in December 1731, he ceded one-third of his territories to the Marathas.<ref name="GSC_2005"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Military history of India]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1729]]
[[Category:1729 in Asia]]
[[Category:1729 in India]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Maratha Empire]]

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Battle of Bundelkhand