The Battle of Rakshasbhuvan in India was fought on 10 August 1763. After the defeat of the

Maratha Confederacy The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states under the nominal leadership of the former. ...

at the Battle of Panipat, their rivals started seizing the opportunity to recover their losses in the past at the hands of the Marathas. Particularly, the

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

wanted to recover territory he had lost at the Battle of Udgir. He decided to launch a war on the Marathas.

Battle

As Nizam Ali made his way towards Aurangabad, the Peshwa's army followed close behind. However, Nizam Ali crossed the

Godavari River The Godavari (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganges River, Ganga River and drains the third largest Drainage basin, basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. It ...

with a portion of his forces, leaving Vithal Sundar in charge of the remaining troops and all the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

and baggage on the south bank. Rakshasbhuvan was situated on this side of the river.

Raghunath Rao Raghunathrao, also known as Ragho Ballal or Raghoba Dada (18 August 1734 – 11 December 1783), was the younger son of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire for a brief period from 1773 to 1774. He defeated ...

, sensing an opportunity, decided to prevent Vithal Sundar from crossing. Meanwhile, Janoji Bhonsle left Vithal Sundar's side under the pretext of not being paid for his troops.

quickly marched to attack Vithal Sundar at Rakshasbhuvan. The ensuing battle, known as the Battle of Rakshasbhuvan, was a decisive victory for Madhav Rao's forces. Vithal Sundar was severely wounded and killed in the battle, along with another prominent commander Vinayak Das on Nizam Ali's side. Another prominent commander Murad Khan was captured by the Marathas and sent to Asaf Jah to cede territories worth crores and some forts. This battle marked a significant setback for Nizam Ali's army as they lost a large number of troops and valuable resources.

Truce

A truce was reached and a treaty was signed at

Aurangabad Aurangabad (), officially renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2023, is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Aurangabad district and is the largest city in the Marathwada region. Located on a ...

, whereby the Nizam lost 50 lacs territory including

Bhalki Bhalki or Bhālki is a town in Bidar district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located 30 km from Bidar. It is the headquarters of Bhalki taluka panchayat. It is well connected by roadways and railways. The Karanja River, one of the ...

and except

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

and the eastern part of the

Godavari river The Godavari (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganges River, Ganga River and drains the third largest Drainage basin, basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. It ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. They gained the

Bidar Bidar ( ) is a city and headquarters of the Bidar district in Karnataka state of India. Bidar is a prominent place on the archaeological map of India, it is well known for architectural, historical religious and rich heritage sites. Pictures ...

and Naldurg forts in exchange for Bhalki.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rakshasbhuvan Battles involving the Maratha Empire 18th-century battles Conflicts in 1763 Wars involving Hyderabad 1763 in India