10,000 10,000 Result Decisive Maratha victory | Date February 1672 Location Salher, Nashik district | |
25,000 (composing mostly infantry and cavalry) | ||
The Battle of Salher was a battle fought between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire in 1672 CE. This battle is considered to be one of the bloodiest and significant in Indian medieval history. It has been touted by some as a very important landmark in the history of medieval India, since it is one of the very few whereby an Indian Hindu army defeated a Mughal one in an open battlefield conflict.
Contents
Background
Chhatrapati Shivaji personally led his army, which numbered some 20,000, and captured the fortress of Salher circa 1671. The Mughal commandant of the fortress named Fatullah Khan perished while fighting. The resultant attempt to re-capture Salher fort by the Mughals, is what led to the bloody Battle of Salher.
The Battle
Shivaji sent two of his military officers – Sardar Moropant Pingle (who served as Peshwa or First Minister) and Sardar Prataprao Gujar (who served as Senapati or Army Chief) to fight the besieged Salher fort in 1672. The Mughals, along with their co-belligerents (Rajputs, Pathans, and Rohillas) possessed artillery swivels transported on the back of elephants and camels. A great battle lasted for an entire day and it is estimated that around 10,000 men were killed on both the sides. The Mughal military machine (consisting of cavalry, infantry, and artillery) was outmatched and apparently the light cavalry of the Mahrattas proved effective. The imperial Mughal armies were completely routed and the Marathas gave them a crushing defeat. 6,000 horses, an equal number of camels, 125 elephants, and an entire Mughal train (the logistical transport elements accompanying a military force) were captured by the victorious forces of the Mahratta. Apart from that, the Marathas were also able to take two officers of the Mughals as Prisoners of War (POW). They were Ikhlas Khan and Bahlol Khan.From maratha side , a brave panchhazari sardar Suryarao kakade was killed .
Outcome
Approximately a dozen Maratha sardars made remarkable achievements in the battle by personal acts of valor and the two officers (Sardar Moropant Pingle and Sardar Prataprao Gujar) were specially rewarded. It was a stark reminder to the Mughals that Shivaji was now the most prominent Hindu chieftain in India. Although not as a direct outcome of the battle, a couple of years later in 1674, Shivaji was crowned as an Emperor (or Chhatrapati) of his realm.