Who were the two important military commanders killed in the Third Battle of Panipat?
Vishwas Rao, the young son and heir of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and Sadashiv Rao Bhau, the Peshwa’s cousin and supreme commander, both perished on the battlefield of Panipat in 1761. Their deaths left the Maratha state leaderless at a critical moment, causing a massive collapse in morale and marking the end of an era of Maratha dominance. ANSWER: (A) Vishwas Rao and Sadashiv Rao Bhau
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The Third Battle of Panipat claimed the lives of the most senior members of the Peshwa family. Sadashiv Rao Bhau, the experienced architect of the Udgir victory, led the Maratha forces with great courage but was killed during the final Afghan charge. Alongside him fell the 17-year-old Vishwas Rao, whose death earlier in the day had triggered a panic that turned the tide of the battle. The loss of these two key figures, representing both the political future and military expertise of the empire, created an irreparable void in the Maratha leadership and hastened the decentralization of the confederacy.