RANANGAN IS A HISTORICAL PLAY WRITTEN BY WELL-KNOWN MARATHI AUTHOR SHRI VISHWAS PATIL. THE PLAY IS BASED ON THE THIRD BATTLE OF PANIPAT ON 14TH JANUARY 1761 BETWEEN MARATHAS AND AFGHAN EMPEROR AHMED SHAH ABDALI. THE BATTLE TOOK PLACE IN A VILLAGE CALLED PANIPAT NEAR DELHI (INDIA) IN THE 18TH CENTURY. THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MARATHAS & MUGHALS WHICH WAS KNOWN AS `AHMADIYA KARAAR ( AHMADIYA AGREEMENT ). AS PER THIS AGREEMENT, MARATHAS WOULD DEFEND THE MUGHALS WHENEVER IN DANGER. AFGHAN EMPEROR AHMED SHAH ABDALI PLANNED TO ATTACK MUGHALS AND CAPTURE DELHI. WHEN THE MARATHAS GOT THIS NEWS, ALONG WITH 1 LACK SOLDIERS THEY MARCHED TOWARDS DELHIL. THE BATTLE HELD AT PANIPAT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE MARATHAS LOST THIS BATTLE. EVEN THOUGH THEY LOST THE BATTLE, AHMED SHAH ABDALI HAD TO ESCAPE FROM THE COUNTRY. THE RESULT OF THIS WAR WAS, THAT AFGHANIES NEVER EVER DARE TO ATTACK INDIA.