Maratha Empire ruled most of India — then lost 100,000 at Panipat, never recovered

By 1758 the Maratha Empire was the strongest power in India. Its armies had occupied Delhi and Lahore, expelled the Afghan governor from Punjab, and controlled territory from the Indus to Kerala. The Peshwa planned to place his son Vishwasrao on the Mughal throne. But the Maratha expansion alarmed Muslim nobles in Delhi, who called on Ahmad Shah Abdali — the Afghan ruler who had built a formidable empire from Central Asia — to stop the Maratha advance.

In 1760 the Marathas assembled a huge expeditionary force under Sadashivrao Bhau: 45,000–60,000 soldiers accompanied by roughly 200,000 camp followers, pilgrims, and merchants. They recaptured Delhi and sacked the city, planning to make Vishwasrao emperor. But the army was far from home, its supply lines ran through hostile territory, and Abdali's Afghan army had allied with the local Rohilla chiefs and the Nawab of Awadh. The Marathas were outnumbered and cut off from reinforcements.

On 14 January 1761 the two armies met at Panipat, 97 km north of Delhi. The battle lasted most of the day. The Maratha right wing broke the Rohilla line, but Abdali held a reserve of 15,000 fresh cavalry and 2,000 camel-mounted zamburak guns. When the Maratha cavalry tired, the zamburaks cut them down from high ground. Vishwasrao was shot in the head. Sadashivrao Bhau was killed. The Maratha army disintegrated. An estimated 30,000 Maratha soldiers died in the battle; another 40,000 prisoners were massacred the next day. With camp followers included, total Maratha dead exceeded 100,000.