The Peshwas & the Third Battle of Panipat

Why This Chapter Matters

SSC and RRB papers love this chapter because it has one clean, high-value date that examiners cannot resist: 1761, the Third Battle of Panipat. Expect 2-3 questions from this chapter in a typical SSC CGL/CHSL General Awareness section, and at least one in most RRB NTPC papers. The favourite sub-topics are the year and combatants of Panipat III, the identity of the Peshwa at the time, the names of the Maratha and Afghan commanders, and the chronology of the Peshwa lineage from Balaji Vishwanath onward.

The other repeat theme is the shift of real power from the Chhatrapati (king) to the Peshwa (prime minister) at Pune, and how the Peshwas turned a regional Maratha kingdom into an all-India confederacy of chiefs — Scindia, Holkar, Gaekwad, Bhonsle of Nagpur. Questions also test "who succeeded whom" among the Peshwas and simple cause-effect logic: why the Marathas went so far north, why the Afghans won, and what happened to Maratha power after 1761. Keep the Peshwa order and the 1761 battle facts rock solid; that alone secures most marks from this chapter.

1. Background — From Shivaji's Successors to the Peshwas

After Shivaji's death in 1680, Maratha power passed through his sons Sambhaji and Rajaram, and then to Rajaram's widow Tarabai, who kept Maratha resistance alive against Aurangzeb during the long Mughal-Maratha wars in the Deccan (covered in Chapter 11). After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, Shivaji's grandson Shahu (son of Sambhaji), released by the Mughals, became Chhatrapati and ruled from Satara.

Shahu depended heavily on his chief minister, the Peshwa, to manage administration and war. In 1713 he appointed Balaji Vishwanath as Peshwa. Balaji Vishwanath negotiated the important 1719 agreement with the Sayyid Brothers (the "king-makers" of Delhi at that time), securing Mughal recognition of Maratha rights to collect chauth (one-fourth of land revenue) and sardeshmukhi (an additional one-tenth) over the six Mughal provinces of the Deccan, plus Shahu's right to rule Maratha home territory (swarajya). This 1719 arrangement is the foundation on which later Peshwa expansion into north India rested; it gave the Marathas a legal-sounding claim to money and influence far beyond Maharashtra.

Balaji Vishwanath died in 1720. His son Baji Rao I succeeded him as Peshwa, and from this point the office became hereditary in the Bhat family, with the Peshwa at Pune wielding more real power than the Chhatrapati at Satara. This is the single most tested structural fact of the chapter: after Balaji Vishwanath, the Peshwa's post was hereditary, and Pune, not Satara, became the actual capital of Maratha power.

2. Baji Rao I (1720-1740) — Architect of Maratha Expansion

Baji Rao I is remembered in exam books as one of the finest cavalry commanders of Indian history. He held the Peshwa's office from 1720 to 1740 and never lost a major battle. His guiding idea, often quoted in textbooks, was to strike at the roots of Mughal power rather than nibble at its branches — meaning he pushed Maratha influence straight into north India instead of only fighting in the Deccan.

Key achievements of Baji Rao I:

• He decisively defeated the Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad (founder of the Asaf Jahi dynasty) at the Battle of Palkhed (1728), forcing the Nizam to accept Maratha chauth rights in the Deccan. Palkhed is cited in military histories as a textbook example of mobile warfare.
• He led Maratha forces into Malwa and Gujarat, extracting chauth and sardeshmukhi and effectively ending Mughal control there.
• In 1737 his forces reached the outskirts of Delhi itself, alarming the Mughal court and showing how weak the empire had become after Aurangzeb.
• He decisively defeated a combined Nizam-Mughal force at the Battle of Bhopal (1737-38), after which the Treaty of Doraha Sarai (1738) gave the Marathas Malwa and territory between the Narmada and Chambal rivers.
• Under his Peshwaship, the Marathas took Salsette and Bassein from the Portuguese (1739), a rare success against a European power in this period.

Baji Rao I is also credited with turning the Maratha state into a genuine confederacy by encouraging able commanders to carve out and hold territories in his name. This is where the great Maratha houses of the 18th century emerge:

• Scindia (Shinde) family, based at Gwalior.
• Holkar family, based at Indore.
• Gaekwad family, based at Baroda.
• Bhonsle family of Nagpur (a separate branch, not Shivaji's line).

These four houses, together with the Peshwa at Pune, formed the Maratha Confederacy, a loose alliance rather than one centralised empire. Exams sometimes ask which family is associated with which city; keep this Scindia-Gwalior, Holkar-Indore, Gaekwad-Baroda, Bhonsle-Nagpur mapping firm.

Baji Rao I died in 1740, still in his early forties, during a campaign, and is generally rated among the ablest cavalry generals of pre-modern India.

3. Balaji Baji Rao "Nana Saheb" (1740-1761)

Baji Rao I's son Balaji Baji Rao, popularly called Nana Saheb, became Peshwa in 1740 and held office until his death in 1761. Under him Maratha power reached its widest geographical spread, stretching from Attock in the northwest to Bengal in the east at different points, but this same reign ended in the catastrophic Third Battle of Panipat.

Important developments under Balaji Baji Rao:

• Continued northward expansion; Maratha influence extended into Punjab, reaching as far as Attock on the Indus by around 1758, under commanders like Raghunath Rao (Balaji Baji Rao's cousin, also called Raghoba).
• Maratha raids into Bengal in the 1740s (the "Bargi" raids) devastated parts of Bengal and Odisha under Nawab Alivardi Khan; this is remembered in Bengali folk memory and occasionally referenced in GK questions.
• Growing Maratha involvement in Mughal court politics at Delhi, where Maratha support was sought and given to rival claimants and ministers, drawing the Marathas deep into north Indian power struggles that eventually pulled them toward Panipat.
• Death of Shahu Chhatrapati in 1749, after which the Peshwa's authority became even more dominant, with the Satara Chhatrapati reduced to a largely symbolic figurehead status. Shahu had nominated the Peshwa's family to continue running the state in his name before his death.

Note the family relationship for exams: Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb) was Peshwa; Sadashiv Rao Bhau, his cousin, commanded the Maratha army at Panipat; Vishwas Rao, Balaji Baji Rao's own son, also died in that battle. Keep these three names distinct — Balaji Baji Rao stayed at Pune managing the state while Sadashiv Rao Bhau led the northern campaign.

4. The Road to Panipat — Causes of the Conflict

By the 1750s three major forces were contesting control of north India: the weakened Mughal Empire at Delhi, the expanding Maratha Confederacy, and Ahmad Shah Abdali (also called Ahmad Shah Durrani), the Afghan ruler who had already raided India several times after founding the Durrani kingdom in 1747.

Chain of events leading to war:

1. Maratha forces under Raghunath Rao captured Lahore, Multan, and parts of Punjab in 1758, expelling Abdali's governor Timur Shah (Abdali's son) and planting the Maratha flag deep in what Abdali considered his own sphere of influence.
2. Abdali, who had already invaded India multiple times (his first major invasion was in 1748), saw the Maratha advance into Punjab as a direct threat and prepared for a decisive campaign to check them.
3. He formed alliances with north Indian Muslim powers hostile to Maratha expansion, most importantly the Rohilla Afghans of the Ganga-Yamuna doab under Najib-ud-Daula, and the Nawab of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daula. This alliance gave Abdali fresh troops, supplies, and local knowledge that the Marathas, fighting far from home, lacked.
4. The Marathas, in contrast, failed to secure firm support from potential Indian allies such as the Rajputs and the Jats of Bharatpur (relations with Jat leader Suraj Mal turned sour during the campaign), and got no help from the Sikhs either, leaving the invading Maratha army isolated in hostile territory.
5. Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao sent a massive army north under Sadashiv Rao Bhau, with young Vishwas Rao nominally as commander to give the campaign royal sanction, and the veteran Maratha noble Ibrahim Khan Gardi commanding Maratha artillery trained in the European style.

This is a good place to remember a classic SSC-style "which of the following was NOT an ally" question: Najib-ud-Daula and Shuja-ud-Daula fought WITH Abdali against the Marathas; the Jats and most Rajputs stayed neutral or hostile to the Marathas rather than helping them.

5. The Third Battle of Panipat (14 January 1761)

The battle was fought at Panipat, Haryana, the same ground that had earlier decided north Indian power in 1526 (Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi) and 1556 (Akbar's forces vs Hemu). This is why "Panipat" itself is a favourite one-word answer in "three important battles fought at the same place" questions.

Key facts:

Item	Detail
Date	14 January 1761
Location	Panipat, present-day Haryana
Main combatants	Maratha Confederacy vs Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani) with Rohilla and Awadh allies
Maratha commander	Sadashiv Rao Bhau (cousin of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao)
Nominal Maratha leader	Vishwas Rao, son of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao
Maratha artillery chief	Ibrahim Khan Gardi
Afghan/allied commander	Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani), with Najib-ud-Daula and Shuja-ud-Daula
Result	Decisive Afghan-allied victory; heavy Maratha losses

The two armies had been camped facing each other for months before the actual battle, with the Marathas suffering from cut supply lines, cold weather, and dwindling food, since Abdali's forces and his Indian allies controlled the surrounding countryside. When the battle was finally joined on 14 January 1761, the Marathas fought hard through the morning and even seemed to gain ground, but the death of Vishwas Rao in the fighting caused panic, and Sadashiv Rao Bhau's own death soon after led to a collapse of Maratha discipline. The retreating army was cut down over the following days; the losses included soldiers, camp followers, and non-combatants, making Panipat one of the bloodiest single-day battles in pre-modern Indian history according to standard accounts.

News of the disaster reached Pune weeks later. Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, already unwell, is recorded to have died in June 1761, shortly after learning the scale of the defeat, and grief at the loss of his son Vishwas Rao is generally cited as a major cause.

Why the Marathas Lost — Standard Exam Reasons

• Fighting far from their home base in Maharashtra, with long and exposed supply lines through hostile territory.
• Failure to win over potential allies (Jats, Rajputs, Sikhs) who could have supported a campaign against a common outsider, Abdali.
• Harsh north Indian winter, which the largely Deccan-origin Maratha army was not used to.
• Abdali's better-organised logistics and the combined strength of his Rohilla and Awadh allies who knew the terrain.
• Loss of both top commanders, Sadashiv Rao Bhau and Vishwas Rao, in the same battle, which broke the army's morale at the critical moment.

Why Panipat Did Not End Maratha Power

Despite the scale of the defeat, Abdali did not stay to rule north India; he withdrew to Afghanistan soon after, mainly because his own troops wanted to return home and Punjab's political situation demanded his attention elsewhere. This gave the Marathas room to recover within a decade under a new, energetic Peshwa. A common exam trap is to assume Panipat ended Maratha power permanently; in fact it only delayed Maratha dominance in the north by about ten years.

6. Maratha Resurgence — Madhav Rao I and Later Peshwas

After Balaji Baji Rao's death in 1761, his young son Madhav Rao I became Peshwa in 1761 at about age sixteen, though real power for some years lay with his uncle Raghunath Rao. Despite his youth and short life, Madhav Rao I is rated by historians as one of the most capable Peshwas.

Contributions of Madhav Rao I (Peshwa, 1761-1772):

• Restored Maratha authority in north India within a decade of Panipat, reasserting control over Malwa, Rajputana, and parts of the Ganga-Yamuna doab.
• Brought discipline back to the confederacy, reining in ambitious relatives and strengthening the central Peshwa administration at Pune.
• Supported the return of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II to Delhi in 1771-72 under Maratha protection, a key step that made the Marathas the dominant power around the Mughal throne in the years before British ascendancy.
• Died young, in 1772, of tuberculosis, cutting short what many historians consider a promising long-term recovery of Maratha strength.

After Madhav Rao I, Peshwa succession became unstable: his brother Narayan Rao was murdered in 1773 in a palace conspiracy; the infant Sawai Madhav Rao was then installed as Peshwa under the regency of a council of ministers known as the Barbhai council, led by minister Nana Phadnavis, who effectively ran Maratha affairs for about two decades. Raghunath Rao's ambitions for the Peshwaship during this period drew the East India Company into Maratha politics, leading to the First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-1782), which ended with the Treaty of Salbai (1782). The last Peshwa, Baji Rao II, was defeated by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-1818), after which the Peshwaship was abolished and Maratha territories were absorbed into British India.

Keep the Anglo-Maratha wars only at this outline level for this chapter; the East India Company's rise and the full Anglo-Maratha conflict sequence belongs to the Modern India book. What matters here is the bridge: the Peshwa system, badly wounded at Panipat in 1761, revived under Madhav Rao I, then weakened again through succession disputes that opened the door for British intervention.

7. The Peshwa Lineage — Quick Reference

Order	Peshwa	Tenure (approx.)	Known For
1	Balaji Vishwanath	1713-1720	First hereditary Peshwa; 1719 deal with Sayyid Brothers on chauth/sardeshmukhi
2	Baji Rao I	1720-1740	Palkhed (1728), Bhopal (1737-38), reached Delhi (1737), Maratha Confederacy takes shape
3	Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb)	1740-1761	Widest Maratha expansion; Third Battle of Panipat (1761) during his term
4	Madhav Rao I	1761-1772	Restored Maratha power after Panipat; died young
5	Narayan Rao	1772-1773	Murdered in a palace conspiracy
6	Sawai Madhav Rao	1774-1795	Infant Peshwa; Barbhai council/Nana Phadnavis ran affairs
—	Baji Rao II	1796-1818	Last Peshwa; defeated in Third Anglo-Maratha War, 1818; Peshwaship abolished

8. Institutions Behind Peshwa Rule

A few administrative points are worth remembering even though the main administrative detail of Maratha rule was covered under Shivaji in Chapter 13:

• The Peshwa's own council of eight ministers, inherited in principle from Shivaji's Ashtapradhan, gradually lost importance as the Peshwa concentrated authority in his own office at Pune.
• Maratha chiefs like Scindia, Holkar, Gaekwad, and Bhonsle paid nominal allegiance to the Peshwa but ran their own territories, armies, and finances almost independently. This loose structure explains both the rapid 18th-century Maratha expansion (many commanders expanding simultaneously) and its long-term weakness (no single centre of command, visible starkly at Panipat where several important chiefs did not commit full support).
• Chauth and sardeshmukhi, originally devices to extract revenue from Mughal-held Deccan provinces, became the financial engine of Maratha expansion across Malwa, Gujarat, and eventually into Punjab and Bengal.

Quick Revision — One-Line Facts

• Balaji Vishwanath became Peshwa in 1713; his 1719 deal with the Sayyid Brothers secured chauth and sardeshmukhi rights for the Marathas.
• After Balaji Vishwanath, the office of Peshwa became hereditary in the Bhat family.
• Baji Rao I (Peshwa 1720-1740) never lost a battle and is rated among India's finest cavalry generals.
• Baji Rao I defeated the Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad at the Battle of Palkhed (1728).
• Maratha forces under Baji Rao I reached the outskirts of Delhi in 1737.
• Baji Rao I defeated a Nizam-Mughal combine at the Battle of Bhopal (1737-38).
• The Marathas took Salsette and Bassein from the Portuguese in 1739, under Baji Rao I's Peshwaship.
• Baji Rao I encouraged the rise of the Maratha Confederacy: Scindia at Gwalior, Holkar at Indore, Gaekwad at Baroda, Bhonsle at Nagpur.
• Balaji Baji Rao ("Nana Saheb") was Peshwa from 1740 to 1761.
• Maratha "Bargi" raids devastated Bengal and Odisha in the 1740s under Nawab Alivardi Khan.
• Maratha power under Raghunath Rao reached Attock on the Indus around 1758.
• Shahu Chhatrapati died in 1749; after this, Peshwa authority at Pune far outweighed the Chhatrapati's at Satara.
• Maratha capture of Lahore/Punjab in 1758 provoked Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani) into a decisive campaign.
• Abdali allied with Najib-ud-Daula (Rohilla chief) and Shuja-ud-Daula (Nawab of Awadh) against the Marathas.
• The Marathas failed to secure support from the Jats (Suraj Mal), Rajputs, or Sikhs before Panipat.
• The Third Battle of Panipat was fought on 14 January 1761.
• Maratha commander at Panipat was Sadashiv Rao Bhau; nominal leader was Vishwas Rao, Balaji Baji Rao's son.
• Ibrahim Khan Gardi commanded the Marathas' European-style artillery at Panipat.
• Both Sadashiv Rao Bhau and Vishwas Rao died in the Battle of Panipat, 1761.
• Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao died in June 1761, shortly after news of the defeat reached Pune.
• Panipat is famous for three decisive battles: 1526 (Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi), 1556 (Akbar's forces vs Hemu), and 1761 (Marathas vs Abdali).
• Ahmad Shah Abdali did not stay to rule north India after Panipat; he withdrew to Afghanistan.
• Madhav Rao I became Peshwa in 1761 and revived Maratha power within a decade; he died in 1772.
• Madhav Rao I supported Mughal emperor Shah Alam II's return to Delhi (1771-72) under Maratha protection.
• Narayan Rao was murdered in 1773; Sawai Madhav Rao, an infant, then became Peshwa under the Barbhai council led by Nana Phadnavis.
• Raghunath Rao's ambitions and East India Company involvement led to the First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-1782), ending with the Treaty of Salbai (1782).
• Baji Rao II was the last Peshwa; defeated in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-1818), after which the Peshwaship was abolished.
• Chauth (one-fourth revenue) and sardeshmukhi (one-tenth) were the main financial tools behind Maratha expansion.
• The loose, multi-centre structure of the Maratha Confederacy explained both its rapid expansion and its vulnerability at Panipat.

Memory Tables

Table A — Peshwa Timeline and Signature Event

Peshwa	Tenure	Signature Event/Fact
Balaji Vishwanath	1713-1720	1719 deal with Sayyid Brothers; office made hereditary
Baji Rao I	1720-1740	Palkhed (1728), reached Delhi (1737), Bhopal (1737-38)
Balaji Baji Rao	1740-1761	Widest Maratha spread; Third Battle of Panipat (1761)
Madhav Rao I	1761-1772	Revived Maratha power after Panipat; died young (1772)
Narayan Rao	1772-1773	Murdered in palace conspiracy
Sawai Madhav Rao	1774-1795	Infant Peshwa; Barbhai council/Nana Phadnavis regency
Baji Rao II	1796-1818	Last Peshwa; defeated in Third Anglo-Maratha War (1818)

Table B — Third Battle of Panipat at a Glance

Aspect	Detail
Date	14 January 1761
Place	Panipat, Haryana
Maratha side	Sadashiv Rao Bhau (commander), Vishwas Rao (nominal head), Ibrahim Khan Gardi (artillery)
Opposing side	Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani), with Najib-ud-Daula (Rohillas) and Shuja-ud-Daula (Awadh)
Key absentees for Marathas	Jats (Suraj Mal), Rajputs, Sikhs — none gave firm support
Result	Afghan-allied victory; Sadashiv Rao Bhau and Vishwas Rao killed
Aftermath	Abdali withdrew to Afghanistan; Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao died soon after (June 1761); Madhav Rao I revived Maratha power by early 1770s

Table C — Maratha Confederacy Houses

House	Base/Seat	Notes
Scindia (Shinde)	Gwalior	Rose under Baji Rao I's patronage
Holkar	Indore	Rose under Baji Rao I's patronage
Gaekwad	Baroda	Controlled Gujarat region for the confederacy
Bhonsle	Nagpur	Separate branch from Shivaji's family line
Peshwa (Bhat family)	Pune	Nominal head of the confederacy from Shahu's time onward

Practice MCQs

Q1. Who was the Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy at the time of the Third Battle of Panipat? (a) Baji Rao I (b) Balaji Baji Rao (c) Madhav Rao I (d) Balaji Vishwanath

Q2. In which year was the Third Battle of Panipat fought? (a) 1739 (b) 1748 (c) 1757 (d) 1761

Q3. Who commanded the Maratha army on the battlefield at Panipat in 1761? (a) Raghunath Rao (b) Sadashiv Rao Bhau (c) Nana Phadnavis (d) Mahadji Scindia

Q4. Ahmad Shah Abdali belonged to which kingdom? (a) Persia (b) Durrani (Afghan) kingdom (c) Bukhara (d) Ottoman Empire

Q5. Which two north Indian rulers allied with Ahmad Shah Abdali against the Marathas at Panipat? (a) Najib-ud-Daula and Shuja-ud-Daula (b) Suraj Mal and Jai Singh (c) Alivardi Khan and Siraj-ud-Daulah (d) Nizam-ul-Mulk and Murshid Quli Khan

Q6. Who made the first hereditary Peshwaship agreement with the Sayyid Brothers in 1719, securing chauth and sardeshmukhi rights? (a) Baji Rao I (b) Balaji Vishwanath (c) Balaji Baji Rao (d) Madhav Rao I

Q7. The Battle of Palkhed (1728), in which Baji Rao I defeated the Nizam-ul-Mulk, is considered a classic example of which type of warfare? (a) Trench warfare (b) Naval warfare (c) Mobile/guerrilla-style cavalry warfare (d) Siege warfare

Q8. Which Maratha noble commanded the artillery, trained in European style, at the Third Battle of Panipat? (a) Ibrahim Khan Gardi (b) Mahadji Scindia (c) Malhar Rao Holkar (d) Raghunath Rao

Q9. Arrange the following in chronological order: 1. Battle of Palkhed 2. Third Battle of Panipat 3. Balaji Vishwanath's agreement with the Sayyid Brothers 4. Death of Madhav Rao I (a) 3, 1, 2, 4 (b) 1, 3, 2, 4 (c) 3, 2, 1, 4 (d) 1, 2, 3, 4

Q10. Which of the following WAS part of the Maratha force at the Third Battle of Panipat, unlike the Jats, Rajputs, and Sikhs, who withheld support? (a) Ibrahim Khan Gardi's artillery corps (b) Najib-ud-Daula's Rohillas (c) Shuja-ud-Daula's Awadh troops (d) Ahmad Shah Abdali's cavalry

Q11. Which Peshwa is credited with reviving Maratha power in north India within a decade of the Panipat defeat, and supported the restoration of Shah Alam II to the Delhi throne? (a) Balaji Baji Rao (b) Madhav Rao I (c) Baji Rao II (d) Narayan Rao

Q12. Match the Maratha house with its seat of power: 1. Scindia 2. Holkar 3. Gaekwad 4. Bhonsle; A. Baroda B. Nagpur C. Gwalior D. Indore (a) 1-C, 2-D, 3-A, 4-B (b) 1-D, 2-C, 3-B, 4-A (c) 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D (d) 1-B, 2-A, 3-D, 4-C

Q13. Panipat was the site of three decisive battles in Indian history. Which pair correctly matches a Panipat battle with its year? (a) First Battle of Panipat — 1556 (b) Second Battle of Panipat — 1526 (c) Third Battle of Panipat — 1761 (d) Second Battle of Panipat — 1761

Q14. Who was the last Peshwa, defeated by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-18), after which the Peshwaship was abolished? (a) Sawai Madhav Rao (b) Narayan Rao (c) Baji Rao II (d) Nana Phadnavis

Q15. Which of the following statements about the aftermath of the Third Battle of Panipat is correct? (a) Ahmad Shah Abdali stayed on to rule Delhi permanently (b) Maratha power ended permanently after 1761 (c) Abdali withdrew to Afghanistan and Maratha power revived under Madhav Rao I within a decade (d) The Mughal emperor regained full independent authority immediately after the battle

Answer Key

Q	Answer	One-line reason
Q1	(b)	Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb) was Peshwa, 1740-1761, during Panipat III.
Q2	(d)	Third Battle of Panipat was fought on 14 January 1761.
Q3	(b)	Sadashiv Rao Bhau led the Maratha army on the field at Panipat.
Q4	(b)	Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani) ruled the Afghan Durrani kingdom.
Q5	(a)	Najib-ud-Daula (Rohillas) and Shuja-ud-Daula (Awadh) allied with Abdali.
Q6	(b)	Balaji Vishwanath struck the 1719 deal with the Sayyid Brothers.
Q7	(c)	Palkhed is a textbook case of swift Maratha cavalry manoeuvre warfare.
Q8	(a)	Ibrahim Khan Gardi commanded the European-style Maratha artillery.
Q9	(a)	Order: Sayyid deal (1719), Palkhed (1728), Panipat III (1761), Madhav Rao I's death (1772).
Q10	(a)	Ibrahim Khan Gardi's artillery fought for the Marathas; the others fought for or alongside Abdali.
Q11	(b)	Madhav Rao I (Peshwa 1761-1772) restored Maratha power and backed Shah Alam II's return.
Q12	(a)	Scindia-Gwalior, Holkar-Indore, Gaekwad-Baroda, Bhonsle-Nagpur.
Q13	(c)	Third Battle of Panipat was in 1761; First was 1526, Second was 1556.
Q14	(c)	Baji Rao II was the last Peshwa, defeated in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1818).
Q15	(c)	Abdali withdrew to Afghanistan; Maratha power revived under Madhav Rao I by the early 1770s.