Ibrahim Khan Gardi - Military Career

Military Career

Trained to the French discipline as commandant de la qarde to Bussy, Ibrahim Gardi bore the title, or nickname, of "Khan," a souvenir of his professional origin or title. Originally part of the Hyderabad Nizam's army, consisting of a number of Telegus. His troops' military prowess and artillery tactics were considered a great advantage in various campaigns. Captured in the Third Battle of Panipat, he is alleged to have been tortured horribly before his death by his Afghan captors. His extreme sense of loyalty to his master Sadashivrao Bhau even when some of the Maratha generals deserted Sadashivrao Bhau's army during the thick of battle and escaped unhurt to their Jahagirs in Deccan, Ibrahim Khan Gardi fought to his end and was captured only when all his famed Maratha Gardi musketeers laid down their lives, one by one, or simply vanished during the night of 14 January 1761 when darkness fell on the battlefield. Some of Ibrahim Khan Gardi's artillery detachment with infantry and musketeers kept on fighting while defending their positions until sunset to escape in the darkness of night. To this date, some of the Pardhi communities' folklore have various songs in praise of Ibrahim Khan Gardi as well as Suleiman Khan Gardhi.

Ibrahim Khan Gardi, an ambitious soldier of fortune or military general, was an expert in artillery and was in service of Nizam of Hyderabad. Due to limited resources at hand and non-expansionist or docile policy of Nizam, Ibrahim Khan Gardi was commanding small artillery unit.

Ibrahim Khan Gardi was won over by the Peshwa and he soon joined the services of the Peshwa to command a battalion having strength of 10,000 men consisting of cavalry, infantry, artillery, archers (including bowmen and pikemen), and bayonet wielding musketeers compared to the total strength of Nizam's entire army was no more than 2,000 men. This was windfall for Ibrahim Khan Gardi and he was the first Gardi person to reach the highest level of becoming deputy commander-in-chief as well as artillery in charge of one of the most powerful armies in the world at that time.

He was a close confidant of the Peshwa as well as his cousin's brother Sadashivrao Bhau, the commander-in-chief of the Maratha army during the Panipat military expedition.

Other Maratha generals were envious of Ibrahim Khan Gardi's close proximity to the Peshwa and they were angry that the Peshwa's cousin's brother Sadashivrao Bhau was overruling their instructions and consulting Ibrahim Khan Gardi exclusively while planning the strategy during the expedition. They worked mischievously to sabotage the strategy suggested by Ibrahim Khan Gardi.

Sadashivrao Bhau along with Ibrahim Khan Gardi had planned and were executing a foolproof battle strategy to pulverize the enemy formations with cannon fire and not to employ his cavalry until the Afghans were thoroughly softened up. With the Afghans now broken, he'd move camp in a defensive formation towards Delhi, where they were assured supplies but jealous of the exploits of their artillery chief, the envious Maratha generals overacted while some left battlefield leaving their defenses open resulting in the defeat of the Marathas.

It was Ibrahim Khan Gardi's battalion which faced & repulsed the Afghan onslaught during the battle. All of the Afghan attacks failed to dislodge Ibrahim Khan Gardi's battalion from its defensive positions. About 12,000 Afghan cavalry and infantrymen lost their lives in this opening stage of the battle. Around 45,000 men from the Durrani army of Ahmad Shah Durrani lost their lives due to salvos fired at point blank range into the Afghan ranks.

Even when the news of the death of Vishwasrao, the Peshwa's son reached Ibrahim Khan Gardi's battalion it kept defending its position against a numerically stronger Afghan army as, one by one, Gardi musketeers fell and the remaining members escaped from the battlefield using the darkness as cover on the night of 14 January 1761.

Ibrahim Khan Gardi was caught by Afghans while performing last rites of his master Sadashivrao Bhau and Vishwasrao. Ibrahim Khan Gardi was tortured to death by Najib-ud-daula and his Rohilla men as revenge for serving the Marathas.

Ibrahim Khan Gardi's loyalty to his master as well as courage to stand upfront against invader distinguishes him from masses as well as make him memorable in various folklore being sung in the Deccan region.

Gardis kept on serving Peshwas as personal guards as well as musketeers until the end of the Peshwa rule in 1818. After end of the Peshwa's rule, his private army was disbanded and some Gardis along with others from the Maratha sub-caste joined services of the East India Company as sepoys, musketeers, cavalrymen in infantry & artillery units especially in The Poona Horse in 1818, Bombay Sappers, Madras Sappers, and Maratha Light Infantry.