Battle of Palkhed

Battle of Palkhed
	Part of Maratha-Nizam War
Date	28 February 1728
Location	Palkhed, Vaijapur, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India20°11′12.7″N 73°51′50.3″E / 20.186861°N 73.863972°E
Result	Maratha victory
Belligerents
Maratha Confederacy	Hyderabad State
Commanders and leaders
Bajirao I; Dawalji Somvanshi; Pilajirao Jadhavrao; Ranoji Shinde; Malhar Rao Holkar	Asaf Jah I; Aiwaz Khan; Altaz Khan
	class=notpageimage\| Palkhed battlefield location

The Battle of Palkhed was fought on 28 February 1728 at the village of Palkhed, near the city of vaijapur, in what is now Maharashtra, India, between the Maratha Confederacy and the Hyderabad State wherein the Marathas defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad.^[1]

Prelude

The battle plan was set by the withdrawal of Baji Rao I's army from the southern reaches of the Maratha empire during May 1727. This was followed by Shahu breaking off negotiations with the Nizam-ul-Mulk about the restoration of the Chauth.^[2]

Battle

Baji Rao and the Maratha armies were called back from the south, from the Karnataka campaign. In May 1727, Baji Rao then asked Shahu to break off negotiations with Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I (Nizam-ul-Mulk had called for arbitration over the payment of the Chauth and sardeshmukhi) and started mobilizing an army. With the monsoons over and the land ready for this campaign, Baji Rao moved towards Aurangabad.^[3]

After a fight with Iwaz Khan, the General of Nizam-ul-Mulk, in the vicinity of Jalna, Baji Rao walked away from the battlefield in the direction of Burhanpur.^[4]

When Baji Rao left North Khandesh and headed west to Gujarat, Nizam-ul-Mulk's army pursued him. The Nizam-ul-Mulk, however, threw up the chase and headed south towards Pune. It is known that the Nizam brought massive army and enough supplies to last the entire campaign with him. However, the Maratha armies were quite small and obtained supplies by pillaging and raiding outposts while travelling.^[5]

Sambhaji II's withdrawal

In Baramati, Nizam-ul-Mulk got news of Baji Rao moving towards Aurangabad. Nizam-ul-Mulk began moving northwards to intercept the Maratha Army. By this time he was confident of crushing Baji Rao and his army. However, the Raja of Kolhapur, Sambhaji II refused to join him in this campaign. The Nizam was cornered in a waterless tract near Palkhed on 25 February 1728. Through Iwaz Khan, the Nizam-ul-Mulk sent out a word of his plight, and his army was allowed to move to the vicinity of the river. The Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar appointed Nizam-ul-Mulk as the Subedar of the Deccan.^[6]

Aftermath

The Nizam of Hyderabad was defeated by the Marathas, and Peshwa Baji Rao I made him sign a peace treaty on 6 March 1728 at the village of Mungi-Paithan.

By the treaty of Munji Shivagaon, the Nizam agreed to make certain concessions to the Peshwa.

Chhatrapati Shahu was recognised as the sole Maratha ruler.
Marathas were given the right to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi of Deccan.
Those revenue collectors driven out would be reappointed.
The balance revenue was to be paid to Chhatrapati Shahu.^[7]

Montgomery's conclusion

British field marshal Bernard Montgomery studied Baji Rao's tactics in the Palkhed campaign, particularly his rapid movements and his troops' ability to live off the land (with little concern about supply and communication lines) while conducting "maneuver warfare" against the enemy. In his book, A Concise History of Warfare, Montgomery wrote the following about Baji Rao's victory at Palkhed:

They (Marathas) were at their best in the eighteenth century, and the Palkhed campaign of 1727–28 in which Baji Rao I outgeneralled Nizam-ul-Mulk, is a masterpiece of strategic mobility. Baji Rao's army was a purely mounted force, armed only with sabre, lance, a bow in some units and a round shield. There was a spare horse for every two men. The Marathas moved unencumbered by artillery, baggage, or even handguns and defensive armour. They supplied themselves by looting.^[8]

Montgomery further wrote,

Baji Rao resented the Nizam's rule over the Deccan and it was he who struck the first blow. In October 1727, as soon as rainy season ended, Baji Rao burst into the territories of Nizam. The lightly equipped Marathas moved with great rapidity, avoiding the main towns and fortresses, living off the country, burning and plundering. They met one reverse at the hands of Nizam's able lieutenant, Iwaz Khan, at the beginning of November 1727, but within a month they had fully recovered and were off again, dashing east, north, west, with sudden changes in direction. The Nizam had mobilised his forces, and for a time pursued them, but he was bewildered by the swift unpredictable movements of Marathas, and his men became exhausted.^[8]