Battle of Mahidpur
Mahidpur, Malwa, India
What happened
East India Company troops under Sir Thomas Hislop and John Malcolm fought the army of the Holkar state of Indore, led by the 11-year-old Maharaja Malhar Rao Holkar III and his relatives. In the Third Anglo-Maratha War, the British attacked the Holkar army at Mahidpur. The Holkar artillery fired from a long line of 63 guns, and at one point the British came close to losing. When a Holkar commander, Gafur Khan, left the field with his troops, the Holkar army was defeated.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It led to the final end of Maratha power. The office of Peshwa was abolished the next year.
What came next
By the Treaty of Mandsaur on 6 January 1818, the Holkars lost much of their land and became a princely state under British control. Indore joined independent India in 1948.
Did you know?
Ahilyabai Holkar, who ruled the Holkar state from 1767 to 1795, is remembered as a great builder of Hindu temples.
Timeline
- 1767Ahilyabai Holkar begins her rule.
- 21 December 1817The British win at Mahidpur.
- 6 January 1818The Treaty of Mandsaur is signed.
- 16 June 1948Indore joins independent India.