Battle of Chaumuhan

In February 1757, during his invasion of North India, Ahmad Shah Durrani halted near Delhi before advancing toward the Mathura-Agra region. On the night of 26–27 February, he detached Jahan Khan and Najib with 20,000 men, ordering them to enter Jat-held territories and carry out widespread plunder and killing. Specific instructions were reportedly given to devastate Mathura, a major Hindu religious center, and to leave no settlement standing in Agra. The army was encouraged to plunder freely, and monetary rewards were offered for enemy heads brought into camp.^[1][2]

At the time, the Marathas, who had exercised authority in the Delhi-Agra region in the preceding years, had withdrawn. The defense of the area therefore fell to local forces, including the Jats.^[1][2]

As the Durrani forces advanced toward Mathura, they encountered resistance near the village of Chaumuhan, about eight miles north of the city. Jawahar Singh led a Jat force of fewer than 10,000 men to block the advance.^[1][3] The battle took place on 28 February 1757. Fighting began at sunrise and continued for approximately nine hours. The Jat defenders offered determined resistance despite being outnumbered. By the end of the engagement, an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 from both sides combined had been killed, with many more wounded. The surviving Jat forces were eventually driven off, allowing the Durrani army to continue its advance toward Mathura.^[1][3]

At dawn on 1 March 1757, Afghan cavalry entered the unwalled and undefended city of Mathura. The population consisted largely of priests, ascetics, townspeople, and pilgrims who had gathered for the recent Holi festival. For several hours, Afghan troops carried out an indiscriminate massacre. Men, women, and children were killed without distinction. Contemporary sources emphasize that nearly all victims were non-combatants.^[4]