Ahmad Shah Abdali
Also called: Ahmad Shah Durrani · Topic: The Mughal Empire: Babur to Aurangzeb · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Ahmad Shah Abdali, also called Ahmad Shah Durrani, was an Afghan ruler. He had served as a general under the Persian ruler Nadir Shah. After Nadir Shah died in 1747, he made himself king of Afghanistan. Between 1748 and 1767 he invaded north India several times and looted Delhi, Punjab and nearby areas. His raids belong to the time after Aurangzeb, when the Mughal Empire was in decline. They showed how weak the later Mughals had become, and his victory in 1761 badly hurt the rising power of the Marathas.
Example
At the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Maratha army. This stopped Maratha expansion in north India for some years.
Don't confuse with
- Nadir Shah: the Persian ruler who invaded India in 1739, plundered Delhi and carried off the Peacock Throne. Abdali was a different ruler, an Afghan, who invaded later and many times over.