Battle of Merta (Calcutta Gazette Account)

A detailed description of the Battle of Merta is found in the Calcutta Gazette of the East India Company dated July 10, 1790. “In this battle, it is very difficult to divide the credit of bravery among the people who displayed valour and snatched victory. The three military groups of the Marathas involved in this battle were De Boigne and his trained army, Mahadji Shinde's Maratha army, and Tukoji Holkar and his army. In the report of this battle, it is initially stated that when we had laid siege around Ajmer for seventeen days, the enemy planned to attack us with great passion by coming to nearby Merta; then General De Boigne kept around two thousand soldiers for a blockade for the siege of Ajmer and sent the remaining army to Merta to fight.

Due to the severe drought in Rajputana around that time and the extreme scarcity of water caused by the very dry season, we (the Maratha army) had to take a circular route marching after sunset to reach Merta. Therefore, by midnight, we somehow managed to reach the halfway village of Riola along the way. After a short rest, around midnight, we continued our march as before, and upon getting very close to the enemy, around nine in the morning, we suddenly launched a heavy artillery bombardment on the enemy. At the beginning of the battle, the Maratha commanders were eager to charge at the enemy with their cavalry; but at that time, De Boigne forbade their assault, thinking that the Maratha cavalry was exhausted after galloping nearly ten kos throughout the night. Not only that, but since it was around 9–10 in the morning, the atmosphere in that sandy region had become extremely hot. In this battle, the enemy had about thirty thousand cavalry, ten thousand infantry, and twenty-five cannons. On our side, there was nearly equal cavalry, six to seven thousand trained troops, and eighty cannons.

Description of the Battle

On the morning of July 10, 1790, at early dawn, we received the order to attack the enemy. Our general must have chosen such an early morning time for the assault to avoid the trouble of the afternoon desert sun. Just like the memorable Battle of Patan, our army was arranged in the same formation this time as well. At the beginning of the battle, cannon fire started from our side, and a counterattack of equal intensity was launched from the opposite side. After that, our front line of fifty cannons began firing grape shots of musket balls. At such a time, due to the intense fire and dominance of our shooting, many enemy soldiers broke their battlefield formation and were scattered. At this time, an officer of Scindia, elated by the temporary success in battle, stood in front of our three battalions with his cavalry unit to attack. Due to this, the impact of our musket volleys was blunted. The enemy immediately took advantage of this opportunity and launched such a fierce counterattack on the forward cavalry that the troopers barely escaped with their lives and retreated.

Then, excited by this success, the enemy soldiers launched a heavy counterattack on our main force from all four sides, from the front, both flanks, and the rear; but at this moment, due to the prior experience and presence of mind of General De Boigne, we were saved alive. Realizing the above major blunder by the Marathas, De Boigne formed a hollow square so that even if the enemy surrounded us from all four sides, we could counterattack them. In this way, against the attack coming from all four sides of the enemy, our soldiers began striking the enemy in all four directions. Due to this type of military formation, the enemy could not achieve much, and around eleven in the morning, the enemy began to retreat.

Around midday, we took possession of their camp, and at three o'clock, we captured their fortified town of Merta. As the enemy soldiers retreated from this battle, we looted the enemy side continuously for three days, and if detailed information about what and how much equipment of the enemy was looted is given, it would make the reader's mouth water. The women of that town were initially a bit bewildered by our sudden arrival; but after some time passed, they began to interact with us properly, and at that time we experienced the truth that victory and the maiden of valour crown only the brave.

Bravery of Rathore Soldiers

The town of Merta captured by us was larger in area than Benares, surrounded by strong earthen fortifications, and the surrounding defensive wall was found to be thirty feet high. There were two tall minarets in the town, and the houses in the town were permanent structures. In this battle, six to seven thousand soldiers of the enemy army were wounded or killed. When the commander of the enemy army, Gangaram Bhandari, was trying to flee the battlefield disguised as a servant, our people captured him on the eleventh day.

The bravery displayed in this battle by the soldiers in saffron clothes (Kesariya) of the Rajputs was truly indescribable! A Kesariya soldier is one who appears on the battlefield with a firm resolve to sacrifice his life. I saw with my own eyes that when chaos began in the enemy's formation, fifteen to twenty of the enemy came and engaged with our infantry of one hundred men; while our musket firing was continuously going on, they advanced forward with heroism for ten to fifteen paces without wavering, and finally, all of them were killed on the spot by our musket bullets and became martyrs.

European Captain Baou, who was leading on the enemy's right flank, was wounded in the thigh and lost his life on the battlefield itself. Also, their Lieutenant Roberts was fatally wounded because he was hit by bullets from a specific type of firearm. This firearm had thirty-six barrels. Five major chieftains of the Rathores were killed, including the Rana's nephew. When these five chieftains realized that they could no longer escape, they jumped to the ground from their horses, each fought fiercely against fifteen to twenty of our men, and finally gave up their lives after their bodies were hacked to pieces. Our victory over the most valorous Udaipur cavalry in the world was made possible due to the calm-headed planning, presence of mind, and fearlessness of General De Boigne. Two days after the battle, Ismail Beg, who had joined Rajputana, appeared at Nagaur, two kos away from us; but it was too late for him to arrive.

Description of the Battle of Merta from Maratha Writings

The description of this battle is present in Marathi historical documents. It is equally interesting to look at. According to the information provided by the Marathas, the description of the Battle of Merta is as follows.

Army in Saffron Attire: “After the victory at Patan, Jivbadada turned his march towards Marwar. He issued an order to Bijesingh to pay tribute as before. However, instead of paying tribute, he gave a call to war. Bijesingh held his court and appealed to nearby rulers for help. At this time, all of them were ready to take revenge for the earlier Battle of Patan. 30,000 brave people of Marwar aged between 14 to 60 years became ready for battle. Bijesingh also had his own army of 6,000. They all got ready to fight on the plains of Merta. Merta is located 15 kos east of Ajmer. Among Rajputs and Rathores, saffron attire in battle signifies that the person is ready to sacrifice their life. The entire army of the Rajputs was in saffron attire. Its meaning was their resolve to kill or die in battle. Fleeing from battle does not suit people in this attire. The Rajput army had come to fight in such an attitude. Jagobabapu invaded the invincible Taragarh fort near Ajmer. Jagobabapu could not capture Taragarh by any means! He could not gauge the fortifications of these forts and the force inside. Then, handing over the battle of Taragarh fort to Shivbanana, Jagobabapu departed towards Merta. Lakhbadada, Gopalrao, and De Boigne had already crossed the river and proceeded in the direction of Merta.

Description of the Battle of Merta: Jivbadada crossed the Luni River and reached Merta. On the way during the journey to Merta, De Boigne's cannons got stuck in the sand. The reason for this was that he had not taken sufficient care while transporting the cannons. Because of this, De Boigne had to get stuck there. Had the Rajputs attacked Mahadji's army at this time, the Marathas would have suffered heavy losses. However, they kept waiting for Ismail Beg's army to arrive. The Rajput commander Bhimraj Sanghvi was of the mind to fight the Marathas after Ismail Beg's army arrived. Rana Bijesingh of Jodhpur and Diwan Khubchand had stayed back in Jodhpur. Before the battle broke out, two brave warriors, Thakur Shivsingh of Arwa and Thakur Kahidas of Asop, looted and carried away thousands of heaps of Maratha fodder. The incident of animals' fodder being stolen caused immense trouble to the Marathas later. Later, Ismail Beg joined the Rajputs. By then, De Boigne's cannons had also reached the battlefield.

Jivbadada planned an attack on the Rathores on July 10, 1790. The Marathas knew that the Rajputs who came to fight slept after taking opium when sleeping on the battlefield. Therefore, the Marathas launched an attack on the Rajput army early that morning. They slaughtered many Rajputs who were sleeping at that time. By the time the Rajput soldiers woke up from sleep, the Marathas had reached the camps of the Rajput people. Even then, the brave Rajput people launched a counterattack on the Marathas. As soon as they attacked the Maratha artillery, it was shut down. In this way, the enraged Rathores who did not fear death brought the Marathas to their knees. Just then, thousands of Thakurs, Purbhiyas, and Rangdas equipped with weapons came out of the camp. As both armies mixed with each other, the distinction between the soldiers disappeared. On this occasion, brave and experienced chieftains like Generals Jivbadada, Lakhbadada, Jagobabapu, Gopalraobhau, Sadashivmalhar, Appa Khanderao, etc., were in the Maratha army; additionally, the armies of Tukoji Holkar, Bapurao Holkar, and Ali Bahadur were present for assistance.

In this chaos, the Marathas initially gained the upper hand, but later the enemy started gaining the upper hand. The Rajput archers were shooting arrows from a distance. Suddenly, an arrow came and struck a vital spot of Jivbadada's horse. When that horse fell down, a rumour spread here that Jivbadada had fallen. Thus, panic spread among the Marathas at that moment, and some Marathas began to flee. Just then, Jivbadada appeared in the war riding another horse. Then the fleeing soldiers gained courage and returned to fight. Jivbadada immediately corrected this disorder and confusion in his force and reinvigorated heroism back into them. The sword-valiant Rathores, wearing saffron attire, were fighting with the fury to kill or die. Having no choice against them, De Boigne had to fall back. Due to the Rajput attack, the brave Maratha army now began to fight using guerrilla tactics. They opened a path for the Rajput army to come forward. As a result, the Rajputs came close to the Maratha artillery. At such a time, Jivbadada encouraged the chieftains by chanting 'Har Har Mahadev' and launched an attack on the Rajputs. While such mutual slaughter of soldiers was going on, Ismail Beg's army attacked. A fierce battle ensued; not a single Rathore remained alive. The brave vassal Thakurs of Asop, Arwi, Chandod, Govindgarh, and Alniwas were killed, and the remaining army fled to save their lives. An intense battle took place between the Marathas and Rajputs. The Rajput soldiers took blows on their chests and were killed, but they did not flee. Still, nothing worked for them against the Marathas. There is simply no count of how many Rajput soldiers fell on the battlefield in this battle.

Although the Rajputs suffered a major defeat in this Battle of Merta, the Marathas also suffered huge losses. Among the Rajput heroes who created havoc among the Marathas with fierce fury, Thakur Shivsingh of Ahwa suffered 27 wounds. Still, he kept fighting till the end. Finally, he fell to the ground groaning in a wounded state. His people brought him from the battlefield and treated him with medicine. Hearing of his bravery, King Bijesingh set out towards the battlefield to meet him, but Shivsingh passed away before he arrived. After such a fierce battle, Jivbadada captured the city of Merta. In it, he received abundant plunder. The Marwari commander Bhomraj Sanghvi fled and committed suicide by drinking poison. The second-line commander Naik Gangaram Bindhari and Sardar Aliyavar Beg were captured by the Marathas. Due to the failure in the battle, Bijesingh initiated treaty talks with Jivbadada. In those negotiations, a tribute of 20 lakh rupees was fixed. It was decided that out of that, 8 lakh rupees cash, 8 lakh rupees revenue from Sambar, Rupnagar, etc. mahals, and the rest should be paid later. Many people from both Rajputs and Marathas died in this battle. Achieving victory in this manner, the Maratha army turned back at the end of October 1790.

Outcome of the Battle & Control of Ajmer

Outcome of the Battle of Merta: Due to the decisive victories at Patan and Merta, Mahadji Shinde's power was understood by everyone in Rajputana, and until the end of his life, he was never troubled by the Rajputs. It must be noted here that after these two battles, the Rajputs never meddled with Mahadji Shinde. After these two victories, Mahadji's morale was boosted and gave him encouragement to carry out even larger military operations. His military ambitions expanded, and he asked General De Boigne to raise two more brigades. These brigades made Mahadji Shinde the most powerful centre of power in Hindustan, defying the British. Mahadji Shinde's military movements began to be tracked not only within Hindustan but also outside of Hindustan. Even after the victory in the Battle of Merta, the fort of Ajmer had not come under the control of the Marathas; then, after consulting Jagobabapu, Jivbadada invaded this fort. At that time, Fort Commander Dumraj was holding out. Still, taking the help of Mohammad Jamadar and Mansingh Jamadar, Jagobabapu found precise elevated spots nearby and started cannon fire on the fort from there. Since these two were skilled in battles inside forts, everyone called them 'Raje'. Due to the shower of Maratha cannonballs and artillery, the bastions of the fort began to crumble. Then Fort Commander Dumraj committed suicide by consuming a diamond. Because of this, the people inside the fort lost heart. Soon within a few days, the Ajmer fort, Ajimtara, came under Maratha control. Finally, in February 1791, after two months of battle, the fort was captured. Jagobabapu hoisted the Maratha flag on the fort.

Control of Ajmer: After the victory at Ajmer, the holy place of Pushkarraj also came under Maratha control. Due to this treaty, Bijaysingh gave eight lakh rupees to the Marathas. The Marathas built a sightly and beautiful temple at Pushkarraj. Patilbawa gave the governorship (subhedari) of Ajmer to Jagobabapu's brother, Shivbanana. At that time, a drought had struck the Marwar province. People could not get food to eat! Then Jivbadada spent two lakhs at the Pushkar pilgrimage site for food distribution and charitable work. Lakhbadada was given the governorship of the conquered territory of Rajputana. In this manner, after concluding these important and equally difficult battles victoriously, Mahadji Shinde returned to his favorite place, Mathura, for his encampment.

Tracing the Battle from Rajasthan's History

Rana Vijay Singh of Jodhpur had been against the Marathas from the beginning and was constantly trying to shake off Maratha dominance. He sent a letter to the British Governor-General Cornwallis requesting help so that he could oust the Marathas; but Cornwallis refused. In the year 1790, Ismail Beg reached Ajmer to aid the Ranas of Jaipur and Jodhpur. Rana Bijaysingh of Jodhpur offered Ajmer and its surrounding region to De Boigne to detach him from Scindia; however, this attempt failed. Tod wrote in 'History of Rajasthan' that when De Boigne's cannons got stuck in the sand on the banks of the Luni River, Rathore commander Shivsingh suggested attacking the Marathas; but Khubchand, the chief commander of the Rathores, made the wrong decision to wait for Ismail Beg. Thus, the opportunity to subdue the Marathas was wasted.

According to British historian James Tod, the Bikaner army had gone to assist Bijaysingh; but as soon as the battle started, they took flight. In the battle that started in the morning, the Rathore army was completely defeated by three o'clock, and the Marathas captured Merta. In this battle, six hundred to seven hundred people of the Rathores were killed. As recorded in the history of Jodhpur, major chieftains from the Rathore side like Thakur Visansingh (Chanod), Thakur Shivsingh (Devli), Shekhawat Jalimsingh (Balda), Thakur Bharatsingh Arjunsingh (Sudani), etc., were martyred. According to the history of Jodhpur, a treaty was signed to pay 60 lakh rupees to the Marathas. Tod has also confirmed this amount. After the battle, on January 1, 1791, when De Boigne went with his army to Mathura to meet Mahadji, Mahadji honored him greatly.

End of Battle and Subsequent Developments: After establishing peace with the Rajputs in this manner, Mahadji Shinde turned his attention toward his administration. Making Gopalrao Bhau Chitnis the governor-general (Sarsubhedar), he appointed Subhedars De Boigne, Lakhbadada, Jivbadada, and Ambuji Ingle under him. After setting his house in order, thoughts of going to Pune began hovering in Mahadji's mind. He had now received a little rest from the countless worries and anxieties so far. His entire life up to this point had been spent merely in the hustle and bustle of war and politics. His mind was under constant pressure. Whether one admits it or not, it must have been affecting his health. Although the wars with the Rajput kings and Ismail Beg had stopped, Ismail Beg was still alive. He was bound to restart his activities as per his habit, there was no doubt. Even so, the Marathas had beaten him several times. Therefore, the apprehension that he would raise his head so soon was low. Under these circumstances, Ismail Beg fled to the Kanod and Rewari provinces and raised a rebellion from there. Then Mahadji Shinde dealt with him appropriately.

"It is difficult to make an equitable distribution of the amount of credit amongst the three claimants viz. De Boigne & his brigades, Sindhia's Maratha army and Holkar's troops. It is however a sad spectacle to see the Marathas and Rajputs engaged in this work of mutual destruction. Bajirao the First brought friendly relations between Marathas and Rajputs, but later days fight between the two weakened both the sides."

The Battle of Merta was not merely a military conflict between the Marathas and the Rajputs; it had far-reaching consequences for the politics of Rajasthan. This proved to be the final major battle between the two sides. Following this conflict, the Rajputs refrained from challenging the Marathas again. Notably, the Marathas did not pursue their victory in a spirit of vindictiveness. Instead of raking up old disputes, feuds, or grievances, they prioritized stability and peace moving forward. This firmly re-established Maratha dominance in Rajasthan. However, the nature of this dominance was not defined solely by military might. By restoring peace after the conflict, refusing to treat the defeated party as permanent enemies, and fostering stability within the state apparatus, the Marathas carved out a distinct identity as a responsible, conciliatory power committed to peace. Winning a war is one thing, but transforming that victory into long-term peace and order is a far greater political test. The Marathas successfully met this challenge to a significant extent following the Battle of Merta. As a remarkable outcome of this broader political process, Ambuji Ingle, a trusted commander of Mahadji, was appointed as the Diwan (chief administrator) of the Kingdom of Udaipur. Ambuji Ingle made the most of this opportunity. He eliminated the instability plaguing the Udaipur kingdom and established peace and order. There is no doubt that he instilled discipline in the administration and strove to restore prosperity and well-being to the lives of the people.