My Malice and Bias

The Nose Mask of Abdali and the End of Durrani Empire Face mask of an Muslim Ruler Ahmad Shah Abdali , later known as Ahmad Shah Durrani , was the founder of modern Afghanistan. Respected by the Afghans as 'Baba", Ahmad Shah is known in Indian history as a genocidal maniac who massacred over 100,000 Indians, kidnapped their women, and plundered their properties. Not many know that Ahmad Shah Abdali wore a nose mask to hide a cancerous would inflicted by the Sikhs during the battle of Amritsar.   Before being elected king in 1747, Abdali was a cavalry general under the Persian emperor Nadir Shah Afshar. Abdali was part of Nadir Shah's army as it plundered Delhi and annexed the famous diamond Koh-i-Noor from the Mughal Emperor Muhamad Shah.  Koh-i-Noor on British Royal Crown Nader Shah was a ruler of Iran belonging to Turkish Afshars , a semi-nomadic Qizilbash tribe settled in the northern valleys of Khorasan , a province in the north-east of the Persian Empire. N...

Third Battle of Panipat The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761, at Panipat, about 60 miles north of Delhi between Maratha and the King of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Abdali , supported by two Indian Muslim allies—the Rohilla Pathans  of the Ganga-Jamuna Doab, and Shuja-ud-Daula , the Nawab of Awadh . The battle is considered one of the largest and bloodiest fought in the 18th century with the largest number of fatalities in a single day. Ahmad Shah Abdali leading the Jehadi Army of Afghans Slaughter of Marathas The Marathas, under the command of Sadashiv Rao Bhau , responded to Afghan invasion by gathering an army of between 45,000–60,000, which was accompanied by roughly 100,000 non-combatants, a number of whom were family members desirous of making pilgrimages to Hindu holy sites in northern India. Slaughter of Marathas in Panipat The forces led by Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali) came out victorious after destroying several Maratha flanks. Most of Marath...