Battle of Samalkha
Maratha-Durrani Empire War of 1760
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Through Marathi people, Panipat and Maratha Empire
Background
The Maratha forces were unable to prevent Ahmad Shah Durrani from crossing the Yamuna River. Ahmad Shah successfully crossed the river and set up a defensive camp near Panipat. The Marathas had planned to block Ahmad Shah's access back to Afghanistan. They sent Govind Pant Bundela with five thousand cavalry to halt further Afghan advances.
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Battle
On the afternoon of October 26, Ahmad Shah's advance guard reached Samalkha, about halfway between Sonipat and Panipat, where they encountered the vanguard of the Marathas. A fierce skirmish ensued, in which the Afghans lost 1,000 men but forced the Marathas back to their main body, resulting in the slaughter of over 2,000 Marathas, who continued to retreat slowly for several days.
Aftermath
Najib ad-Dawlah was dispatched by Ahmad Shah to prevent Maratha supplies flowing in from Delhi, defeating the forces of Naro Shankar, the Maratha governor of Delhi. Sadashivrao in response sent Govind Pant Bundela to invade Rohilla territories and cut off Afghan supplies. Marching with 12,000 horsemen, the Maratha detachment advanced up to Meerut before being attacked by an Afghan contingent of 14,000 dispatched by Ahmad Shah on 17 December under Atai Khan. Bundela was killed and the Maratha force was routed, with large amounts of supplies being seized by the Afghans. In later encounters, Bundela, together with 10,000 informally trained cavalry who were not officially enlisted as soldiers, was involved in a foraging mission with around 500 men. They were ambushed by an Afghan force near Meerut, resulting in a clash in which Pant Bundela was killed by Atai Khan.