Battle of Bhopal

The Battle of Bhopal was fought on 24 December 1737 in Bhopal between the Maratha Confederacy and the combined army of the Hyderabad State and Oudh State in which Marathas under Bajirao I were victorious.

Background
As the Mughal Empire continued to weaken after Aurangzeb's death, the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I invaded Mughal territories of Malwa and Gujarat. The Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah was alarmed by the Marathas' conquest. Initially, Maratha war-bands that entered the province from the south (Deccan) were constantly defeated and repulsed by Jai Singh II, the Subahdar of Malwa. In 1737, the Marathas invaded the northern frontiers of the Mughal Empire, successfully reaching as far as the outskirts of Delhi under the command of Bajirao and were now marching back to Pune.

Battle
The battle was fought between the Marathas and Mughal forces led by the Nizam of Hyderabad near Bhopal in India 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 sued for peace after he was denied reinforcements from Delhi.

Aftermath
On 7 January 1738, a peace treaty known as Treaty of Bhopal was signed in Doraha near Bhopal and the Mughals agreed to pay 5,000,000 Rupees as war expenses to the Marathas. The Marathas were given the territory of Malwa.