Ahmad Shah Abdali, the monarch of Afghanistan, and the Marathas battled it out for control of Delhi. The actual conflict took place on January 14, 1761, after months of stalemate on Panipat's raised flat plain. About 80,000 horses, bullocks, and elephants were also killed, along with 150 000 men. Fighting till the very last man, the Maratha warriors and their allies overcame the icy north and months of famine. The Maratha empire was brought to its knees by the campaign, which emptied its coffers and wiped off an entire generation. Generations of historians have marvelled at this most horrible conflict.