| Battle of Bhopal | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofImperial Maratha Conquests | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Maratha Empire | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Baji Rao | Yar Muhammad Khan Bahadur Asaf Jah I Saadat Ali Khan I Sultan Muhammad Khan Bahadur | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 80,000[1] | 70,000 with 120 cannons drawn by war-elephant corps, 3,000 Camel-drawnZamburak gunnery[2][3] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
TheBattle of Bhopal was fought on 24 December 1737 in Bhopal between theMaratha Empire and the combined army of the Nizam and severalMughal generals.
As the Mughal empire continued to weaken after Aurangzeb's death, the Maratha PeshwaBajirao I invaded Mughal territories such as Malwa and Gujarat. The Mughal emperor was alarmed by Marathas conquest. In 1737, the Marathas invaded the northern frontiers of the Mughal empire, reaching as far as the outskirts of Delhi, Bajirao defeated a Mughal army there and was marching back toPune.[citation needed]
The Mughal emperor asked for support from theNizam. The Nizam intercepted the Marathas during the latter's return journey. The two armies clashed nearBhopal.[4][5]
The battle was fought between theMaratha Empire and Mughal forces led byNizam of Hyderabad nearBhopal inIndia in December 1737. The Marathas poisoned the water and the replenishment supplies of the besieged Mughal forces. Chimaji was sent with an army of 10,000 men to stop any reinforcements while Bajirao blockaded the city instead of directly attacking the Nizam. The Nizam was forced to sue for peace after he was denied reinforcements from Delhi.[6] The battle resulted in Maratha victory mainly because of the swift tactics of MarathaPeshwaBaji Rao.[5]
Later, on 7 January 1738, apeace treaty was signed betweenPeshwa Bajirao andJai Singh II, inDoraha nearBhopal.[7] The Marathas were given the territory ofMalwa.[5]
23°15′N77°25′E / 23.250°N 77.417°E /23.250; 77.417
