The Battle of Karnal and its Aftermath | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

The Battle of Karnal

• The Battle of Karnal saw the Persian army advance on February 13, 1739, taking position north of the Indian camp between the canal and the Jamuna river. Prince Nasrullah faced off against Nizam's division, while Nadir Shah initially led the vanguard. 
• After Saadat Khan's arrival, however, the emperor shifted his position about three miles east of the Indian camp and was joined by his son. As the day progressed and the sun began to set, the Indians suddenly came out of their lines to offer battle, mainly due to Saadat Khan's rash temper, which was exacerbated by the loss of his baggage train to the Persian advance party. 
• Despite the advice of Nizam and other commanders to delay, Saadat Khan hastened to the point of attack. The Persians were taken by surprise when the Indian army suddenly advanced. To respond to this, Nadir Shah quickly mobilized his cavalry and armed them with long muskets (ijazair) and long swivels (zamburaks), according to the plan that was already in place. 
• According to Hanway, Nadir Shah employed a unique strategy to counter the Indian army's reliance on elephants in battle. He had platforms made, each supported by two camels, and spread naphtha and other combustible materials on them. These platforms were then set on fire during the battle, causing the elephants to panic and flee, resulting in disorder among the Indian forces.

Indian army in the battle against Persians

• The Indian army was at a disadvantage from the beginning of the battle due to various reasons such as the delay in the starting of their different divisions, absence of a common pre-arranged plan of battle and, above all, lack of supreme director of operations. The right wing was formed by Saadat Khan, the center by Khan Dauran, and the left wing by Wazir and the emperor. 
• In contrast to this, the Persian army was extremely mobile and led by the greatest living general of Asia, Nadir Shah, who struck the Indian host or evaded it as they found advantageous to them. Nadir Shah's genius neutralized the superiority in numbers and the desperate valor of many Indian soldiers.
• The battle started around one o'clock in the afternoon, and the Persians used their Parthian ancestors' tactics to draw Saadat and his army away from the imperial camp and its artillery. The cavalry screen, which covered the swivel guns, opened up, and Saadat's division was hit by the gunfire. 
• Although the vanguard of the Indian army fled, Saadat and his men held on for longer, but eventually, most of his soldiers were killed, and Saadat himself was forced out of the field in the evening. The same fate befell Khan Dauran's division in another part of the field, where the enemy's tactics prevailed. The Indians were inactive, uncoordinated, and lacked numerical superiority and heavy artillery support at the points of contact.
• In the battle that started around 1 pm, the Persians employed tactics of their ancestors, drawing Saadat and his troops away from the imperial camp and subjecting them to gunfire from swivel guns. Saadat fought on bravely but was eventually forced out of the field in the evening, with most of his soldiers dead. 
• Khan Dauran's division also suffered a similar fate due to the masterly tactics of the enemy. The Indian soldiers were outnumbered and lacked coordination, and the enemy's continued gunfire made it impossible for them to fight back effectively. Even the bravest soldiers of Khan Dauran's division fought on foot until they died. A few of Khan Dauran's servants managed to bring him back to the camp, but he too died soon after. The Indian soldiers were unable to resist the superior tactics and firepower of the Persian army.
• After the two Indian leaders disappeared, the Indian resistance stopped, and by sunset, Muhammad Shah retreated to his camp without taking any action to save his throne and people. The battle ended quickly, lasting less than three hours. The Indian side suffered a significant loss, but the exact numbers vary in different sources. 
• While some accounts state that 100 chiefs and 30,000 soldiers were lost, others give lower numbers, such as 17,000, 20,000, 10,000-12,000, or 7,000-8,000. However, a reasonable estimate is that 8,000 Indians were killed, including several important officers. Saadat, Sher Jang, and Khwaja Ashura, were taken as prisoners by the Persians. 
• The Persian army suffered 2500 fatalities and twice as many wounded, but they gained a lot from the battle including elephants, treasure, weapons, baggage, and supplies; nothing was left behind. 
• After the conclusion of the battle, the Persian troops continued their rampage and began to loot the nearby villages. They destroyed fields and killed anyone who opposed them. Another group of Persians attacked and ravaged Thanesar. As Nadir Shah moved towards Delhi, towns such as Panipat and Sonepat were also raided and pillaged.
• The reasons for the Indian loss at Karnal are numerous. These include their inferior tactics, inefficient use of firearms, misuse of elephants which ultimately harmed them, and most importantly, poor leadership. On the other hand, the Persians had well-trained soldiers who were skilled in using firearms and had the best cavalry led by a brilliant military strategist.

Peace negotiations after Karnal

• The details of the peace negotiations following the Battle of Karnal are not important. What is noteworthy is that these negotiations were nothing more than cunning diplomatic maneuvering by Indian leaders, particularly the Nizam and Saadat Khan. In the end, these maneuvers only served to damage the honor and prestige of the Mughals, and ultimately led to the emperor and his household being virtually imprisoned, and the subsequent devastation of the imperial capital. 
• Contemporary writers provided a vivid description of the miserable state of the Indian camp, which can be succinctly summarized by J.N. Sarkar's statement. The Indian forces were left without any leadership and were surrounded by enemy forces. Even their last remaining leader, the Wazir, was taken away from them. The road to Delhi was full of Qizilbashes and peasants who had risen up in rebellion after the fall of their government. 
• The large Indian camp disintegrated, and people fled in different directions, but only a few managed to escape safely. The account is supported by Babu Rao Malhar, the Maratha agent at the Mughal court, who was present during the battle at Karnal and saw the devastation of the Indian camp. 
• Despite the overwhelming loss, Babu Rao Malhar demonstrated great courage and departed from his camp on Sunday 25 February, 1739 at approximately 3 pm. He sent his belongings, including elephants, camels, infantry, baggage, and tents, on the royal highway towards Delhi, while he himself chose to take a path through the jungle for better protection. 
• On the following day, Babu Rao Malhar resumed his journey and traveled about 80 miles by taking a longer and more indirect route. He eventually rejoined the main road near the imperial capital. On 6th March, he arrived in Jaipur where he met with his colleague Dhondo Pant. 
• Although his elephants and camels arrived more slowly, he expressed relief and gratitude for his safe escape, stating "God has averted a great danger from me, and enabled me to escape with honour! The Chaghtai Empire is gone, the Irani Empire has commenced." This reflects his realization that the Mughal Empire had been defeated and the Persian Empire was now dominant.

Nadir Shah's Conquest of Delhi and its Aftermath

• The most distressing part of the history of that era is the shame and anger that the emperor, his court, and the people felt. The uprising of the people of Delhi and Nadir's brutal retaliations, as well as the exorbitant ransom that was demanded, are indescribable. 
• On May 1, 1739, Nadir Shah held his final court session and departed from Delhi on May 5th, passing through Narela to Sonepat, where the locals rebelled and attacked his supply train from the rear. He lost around 1000 pack animals before marching on to Thanesar, where he slaughtered thousands of innocent civilians in retaliation for the uprising. 
• He granted Thanesar, Indri, and a few other estates to Najabat Khan as jagir, on the condition that he control the Jats and Rajputs who were causing trouble and committing atrocities due to the weakened state of the empire. Zakariya Khan was appointed as the Governor of Panipat. The Mughal Empire was already weakened, but Nadir Shah's invasion accelerated its disintegration. 
• This created an opportunity for various groups, including the Sikhs, Marathas, and later the Durranis, to exploit the situation and engage in plunder and devastation. The region of Haryana, which had been a part of the empire for a long time, also suffered greatly as a result. Its peace, prosperity, and industry were completely disrupted. The people were subjected to brutal and merciless demands for payment, which left them with no choice but to either flee to safer areas or accept their fate. 
• The entire region was covered by a jungle that extended from Karnal to Ludhiana, and this period of history was referred to by the people as the "Singh-sodhi-kd-Rani-Rault" or "Bacardi" - which were names given to the chaos and anarchy brought about by the Sikhs and Marathas. The atrocities committed during this time are still remembered vividly by the villagers, as described in the Karnal District Gazetteers.