Editing Third Battle of Panipat (section)

=== Formations ===
[[File:Plan of the Battle of Paniput, 1761.jpg|alt=Plan of the Third Battle of Panipat based on Kashiraj Pandit's memoirs|thumb|Plan of the Third Battle of Panipat based on Kashi raja (Casi Raja) Pandit's account|left]]
With the Maratha chiefs pressurizing Sadashivrao Bhau, to go to battle rather than perish by starvation, on 13 January, the Marathas left their camp before dawn and marched south towards the Afghan camp in a desperate attempt to break the siege. The two armies came face-to-face around 8:00&nbsp;a.m.<ref name="tss"/>

The Maratha lines began a little to the north of [[Kala Amb]]. They had thus blocked the northward path of Abdali's troops and at the same time were blocked from heading south—in the direction of Delhi, where they could get badly needed supplies—by those same troops. Bhau, with the Peshwa's son and the royal guard (Huzurat), was in the centre. The left wing consisted of the ''Gardis'' under [[Ibrahim Khan Gardi|Ibrahim Khan]]. Holkar and Sindhia were on the extreme right.<ref name = "csp"/>

The Maratha line was formed up some 12&nbsp;km across, with the artillery in front, protected by infantry, pikemen, musketeers and bowmen. The cavalry was instructed to wait behind the artillery and bayonet-wielding musketeers, ready to be thrown in when control of the battlefield had been fully established. Behind this line was another ring of 30,000 young Maratha soldiers who were not battle-tested, and then the civilians. Many were ordinary men, women and children on their pilgrimage to Hindu holy places and shrines. Behind the civilians was yet another protective infantry line, of young, inexperienced soldiers.<ref name="tss"/>

On the other side the Afghans formed a somewhat similar line, a few metres to the south of today's Sanauli Road. Their left was being formed by Najib and their right by two brigades of troops. Their left centre was led by two Viziers, [[Shuja-ud-daulah]] with 3,000 soldiers and 50–60 cannons and Ahmad Shah's Vizier Shah Wali with a choice body of 19,000 mailed Afghan horsemen.<ref name = "csp"/> The right centre consisted of 15,000 [[Rohillas]] under [[Hafiz Rahmat]] and other chiefs of the Rohilla Pathans. Pasand Khan covered the left wing with 5,000 cavalry, Barkurdar Khan and Amir Beg covered the right with 3,000 Rohilla cavalry. Long-range musketeers were also present during the battle. In this order the army of Ahmed Shah moved forward, leaving him at his preferred post in the centre, which was now in the rear of the line, from where he could watch and direct the battle.<ref name="tss">{{Cite book|title=Panipat 1761 |author= Shejwalkar, Trimbak S. |author-link= Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar |url= https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.126833 |publisher= Deccan College |location= Pune|language= mr, en |date= 1946 |isbn= 9788174346421}}</ref>