Battle of Merta
Date September 1754 Location Merta, India Result Maratha Empire victory Territorial changes Merta Annexed into Maratha Empire
Belligerents
Maratha Confederacy	Kingdom of Marwar Bikaner State Nawab of Fatehpur
Commanders and leaders
Jayappaji Rao Scindia Tukoji Rao Scindia Dattaji Rao Scindia ( WIA) Vithoji Sawant  † Tukoji Pawar  †	Maharaja Vijay Singh Gaj Singh Thakur Premsingh  † Shekhwati  †
Casualties and losses
17 Killed 250-300 wounded	2500 killed 10000 Rathore Killed

In 1754, the Marathas and Rajputs Clashed resulting in the Battle of Merta, Maharaja Vijay Singh with all his artillery carts supported by Raja of Bikaner and the Nawab of Fatehpur attacked on Maratha ruler Jayappaji Rao Scindia, who in return, charged back with his own artillery. A battle took place in which Marathas emerged victorious and Vijay Singh fled towards Nagaur. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Vijaysingh faced repeated skirmishes with the Marathas. On the morning of September 14, 1754, he surprised the Marathas by launching an attack without his artillery carts. The Marathas swiftly seized his artillery carts. Although the people of Herts and the Dedupanthis continued to supply Bejaisingh, he lacked effective leadership qualities. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

Meanwhile, Jayappa Shinde divided his army into two wings. One was led by Dattaji Shinde, while Jayappa Shinde commanded the other himself. The battle was intense, with both sides exchanging rockets and artillery fire. ^{[8] [5] [9] [7]}

Suddenly, rumors spread among Bejaisingh's army that he had been killed, causing panic. In the confusion, Bejaisingh's soldiers killed 500 of their own men. The Marathas also suffered heavy losses. Fear gripped Bejaisingh's army, and the Rathors of Bejaisingh abandoned their guns and retreated two miles from the battlefield. ^{[10] [5] [11] [7]}

The battle raged from 9 o'clock in the morning until sunset. The Marathas thoroughly plundered Bejaisingh's army. Under Santaji Wable, Setaji Kharade, and Ranoji Bhoite, they captured artillery pieces, horses, elephants, palanquins, kettle drums, and flags of the enemy and its allies. Bejaisingh suffered a significant defeat, losing Thakur Premsingh of Pali and 3000 soldiers. Nawab of Fatehpur Shelhawati and other soldiers, including those of Raja Gajsingh of Bikaner, were killed. The Marathas lost 17 soldiers in action, with 950 to 300 wounded and 500 to 700 horses lost. Tukoji Shinde and three men of Bande were among the dead. Vithoji Sawant, a prominent Maratha captain, was also killed. Dattaji Shinde and Tukoji Pawar were wounded, with Tukoji Pawar succumbing to his wounds and being cremated at Pushkar by his brother Jivaji Pawar on November 10, 1754. Jayappa Shinde collected the bodies of his fallen soldiers and performed their last rites. He camped at the battlefield throughout the night. ^{[12] [5] [13] [7]}

After the battle, Jayappa Shinde captured Merta and established his outpost there, while Bejaisingh fled towards Nagaur. ^{[14] [5] [15] [7]}

Bejaisingh, lacking courage unlike Ramsingh, faced terror in a single day's battle against the Marathas. Retreating to Bikaner, Gajsingh did. Bejaisingh, with only 5 troopers after a forced march to Kujvaşla where his horse perished, he hired a cart for Rs.5 and reached Nagaur before dawn. There, he appealed to Gajsingh to send supplies, as none could come from southern Marwar. To regain strength, Bejaisingh borrowed Rs.50,000 from Raja Gajsingh of Bikaner. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

On 17th September 1754, Jayappa and Ramsingh entered Merta city after a two-day rest, plundering it for three hours. Upon hearing the news, Raghunathrao inquired about Jayappa Shinde's next steps. The victory pleased both the Peshva and Raghunathrao greatly. In order to encourage Jayappa, they assured Jayappa and Ramaji Anant about their families' well-being in Deccan. Janardan Ballal, the Peshwa's younger brother, praised Jayappa Shinde's service to the Maratha State. The Peshva attributed the victory to Jayappa's fortune. ^{[19] [20] [21]}

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