<P> The specific site of the battle itself is disputed by historians , but most consider it to have occurred somewhere near modern - day Kaalaa Aamb and Sanauli Road . The battle lasted for several days and involved over 125,000 troops . Protracted skirmishes occurred , with losses and gains on both sides . The forces led by Ahmad Shah Durrani came out victorious after destroying several Maratha flanks . The extent of the losses on both sides is heavily disputed by historians , but it is believed that between 60,000 -- 70,000 were killed in fighting , while the numbers of injured and prisoners taken vary considerably . According to the single best eyewitness chronicle -- the bakhar by Shuja - ud - Daulah 's Diwan Kashi Raj -- about 40,000 Maratha prisoners were slaughtered in cold blood the day after the battle . Grant Duff includes an interview of a survivor of these massacres in his History of the Marathas and generally corroborates this number . Shejwalkar , whose monograph Panipat 1761 is often regarded as the single best secondary source on the battle , says that `` not less than 100,000 Marathas ( soldiers and non-combatants ) perished during and after the battle . '' </P>
<P> The specific site of the battle itself is disputed by historians , but most consider it to have occurred somewhere near modern - day Kaalaa Aamb and Sanauli Road . The battle lasted for several days and involved over 125,000 troops . Protracted skirmishes occurred , with losses and gains on both sides . The forces led by Ahmad Shah Durrani came out victorious after destroying several Maratha flanks . The extent of the losses on both sides is heavily disputed by historians , but it is believed that between 60,000 -- 70,000 were killed in fighting , while the numbers of injured and prisoners taken vary considerably . According to the single best eyewitness chronicle -- the bakhar by Shuja - ud - Daulah 's Diwan Kashi Raj -- about 40,000 Maratha prisoners were slaughtered in cold blood the day after the battle . Grant Duff includes an interview of a survivor of these massacres in his History of the Marathas and generally corroborates this number . Shejwalkar , whose monograph Panipat 1761 is often regarded as the single best secondary source on the battle , says that `` not less than 100,000 Marathas ( soldiers and non-combatants ) perished during and after the battle . '' </P>
who won third battle of panipat in 1761
who won third battle of panipat in 1761
The forces led by Ahmad Shah Durrani
The forces led by Ahmad Shah Durrani