Battle of Patan

The Battle of Patan was fought on 20 June 1790 between the Maratha Kingdom of Gwalior supported by the Peshwa & Holkar and the alliance formed by the Rajput Kingdoms of Amber, Kingdom of Marwar supported by Mirza Ismail Beg who betrayed Mahadji and joined the Rajput army in exchange for a promise of money. The battle resulted in a decisive Maratha victory.

Battle
It was Ekadashi and therefore the Hindus did not participate in the fighting. However, the Muslim soldiers on both sides continued their skirmishes. During a skirmish, some Pindaris of Sindhia stole cattle from Ismail Beg and Ismail hurried to rescue them However, Gopal Bhau with 2,000 of his horsemen joined the fight, resulting in a one hour skirmish which Ismail Beg, through his personal valour was able to fend off. This skirmish resulted in open fire between both sides. Gopal Bhau sent his men against the Rathors who were stationed in the centre. Bhau's squadron, through their hit and run tactics, led the Rathors into a trap where Boigne shot them down and then bayoneted the surviving horsemen. Boigne, after defeating the Rathors, immediately turned his guns towards Ismail and shot his men down. Ismail was not able to return fire and his men fled, followed by Ismail himself. Abdul Beg and Alaya Matlab also abandoned the field and their men. The only event worth noting was the Rathor charge against the Maratha right wing. The 4,000 strong Holkar contingent was saved by swift reinforcements sent by Gopal Bhau. The Jaipur Nagas were forced into their positions by the two battalions sent by Boigne. De Boigne, after routing the centre and left wings of the alliance, turned all of his forces to the right. The Rathors were soon surrounded and routed.

Aftermath
Pitted against European armed and French trained Marathas, Rajput states capitulated one after the other. The Marathas managed to conquer Ajmer and Malwa from Rajputs. Although Jaipur and Jodhpur remained unconquered. The Battle of Patan effectively ended Rajput hopes for independence from external interference. Historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar notes:

"From the day of Patan (20th June 1790) to the 2nd of April 1818 when Jaipur entered into protective subsidiary alliance with the British government, lay the gloomiest period in the history of Jaipur kingdom."

His victory increased Scindia's influence with the Peshwas (Maratha Prime Ministers) in Pune, the seat of Maratha government and firmly established Maratha influence in Rajputana.