The three battles of Panipat were some of the most violent battles in Indian history. The battles which happened before the British took hold of the country were fought between different armies – the first one between Babur of the Mughal Empire and the Lodi Kingdom on April 21, 1526, the second one fought between North Indian Hindu Emperor Hem Chandra Vikramaditya and Mughal Emperor Akbar's forces on November 5, 1556, and the third and the most violent one was fought between the Maratha Empire and Afghan invaders on January 14, 1761.

For the Maratha army, the war was led by Sadashivrao Bhau, a third-in-command after the king (Chhatrapati) and the prime minister (Peshwa) who was the commander-in-chief. The Afghan army was led by their king, Ahmed Shah Abdali, who is known as the founder of the Durrani Empire and the modern state of Afghanistan, with the support of three allies -- the Rohillas, led by  Najib-Ud-Daula, the Afghans of the Doab region and Shuja-Ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh.